Benefits of Using Low Energy Air Pumps

LEAP Technology stands for Low Energy Air Pump. LEAP is designed to reduce operating air pressure by lowering internal losses and friction in conventional Air-Operated Diaphragm Pumps, and it was developed for ultra-low-flow, high-pressure applications. It achieves this through a new air valve design that suffers less friction than typical air valves.

Tapflo UK has led the way with its low-energy range for many years, offering economic and energy-saving benefits. The range is now sold globally across the 75 countries Tapflo operates in. Take a look below to find out more about the benefits LEAP has to offer.

Looking for a quick explanation of our Low Energy Air Pump technology? Check out the video below!

LEAP Technology provides customers with all the standard benefits and duties of a Diaphragm Pump, plus an extensive range of benefits not currently available on the market.

• Reduced Operating Costs
• Reduced Pulsation; no need for a pulsation dampener
• Reduced Noise
• Can Run Dry
• Full Control and Feedback
• Longer Operating Life
• Easy and Fast Maintenance – the main air valve can be changed in less than two minutes without the removal of the pump
• Pump Cannot Stall
• Ultra-Low-Pressure Operation
• Sealless Air Valve Technology for Longer Life Expectancy
• Batch Dispensing: Achieved using the integral VFC output and an external predetermining counter, which automatically stops the pump after the required volume has been dispensed
• Deadheading: By monitoring the frequency of the output pulses from the pump, you can determine if the pump has stalled due to decreased stroke rate
• Available in HDPE/PTFE, Sanitary & Metal

LEAP is designed to reduce these costs in several ways:

• Up to 70% lower energy consumption compared with standard AODD pumps = Energy savings.
• Lower operating pressure = Less compressed air is required.
• LEAP pumps are designed to be easy to dismantle and maintain = Reduced maintenance costs.
• LEAP can be retrofitted = It can replace existing Tapflo, Dellmeco or Almatec AODD pumps without requiring a completely new installation.

Customer Cost Example:

A customer running a 2″ diaphragm pump continuously for five days a week, 48 weeks a year, could spend around £1,843 per year on compressed air with a standard pump. Switching to LEAP could save approximately £653 per pump per year.

At 0.5 bar, the LEAP pump produced about 27.5 L/min, whilst the standard diaphragm pump didn’t start until about 1.1 bar and produced only around 5 L/min.

The key takeaway: A diaphragm pump’s purchase price isn’t the whole cost. Because compressed air is an additional operating expense, choosing a pump that requires less air pressure can substantially reduce energy consumption, running costs, maintenance and downtime over the pump’s lifetime.

LEAP Pumps can be used for any application where a standard Diaphragm Pump is already being used. The low-energy pump technology ensures the Diaphragm Pump can’t stall, so in process-critical applications it offers greater reliability and less downtime.

Yes – any application using a standard Diaphragm Pump can gain additional benefits from the LEAP range, including lower operational costs or increased control. The benefits depend on your installation, what your business needs, and the application.

The graph below shows fluid flow against the air pressure required when comparing a standard Air-Operated Diaphragm Pump against Tapflo’s Low Energy Air Pump (LEAP). As you can see, at 0.5 bar air pressure, the LEAP pump produced approx. 27.5 l/min, whereas the standard pump didn’t even start operating until it was supplied with 1.1 bar air pressure, and only produced 5 l/min.

This demonstrates that standard Air-Operated Diaphragm Pumps require a lot of energy just to overcome internal resistance. The energy required is directly correlated to the pressure you have to put in. By reducing the air pressure required to operate, you can significantly reduce the operating costs of the pump. To put this into monetary terms, a Tapflo customer required a 2” pump to run continuously for 5 days a week, 48 weeks/year, producing 150 l/min @ 1 Bar operating pressure. Based on the British Compressed Air Society figures of between £0.01 to £0.03 to produce 1000 Litres of compressed air, a standard pump would cost an average of £1843.20 / year. By converting to LEAP technology, the customer would save £652.64/year per pump!

Can it be retrofitted or do I need a new Pump?

Our low energy technology can be retrofitted to all Tapflo Diaphragm Pumps, plus a range of our competitors. You don’t need to buy any special parts, just swap out the centre section of your current Diaphragm Pump for a new low energy centre section, so if you want to start saving money but don’t currently have a Tapflo AOD Pump, let us know!

LEAP^® technology is available in the Tapflo Pumps executions and sizes listed below:

Want to find out more about the LEAP technology range at Tapflo? Visit the LEAP product page or get in contact with our Pump Specialists.