QED Environmental Systems
Iron Horse Piston Pump

IRON HORSE pumps are designed to provide dependable pumping in applications that benefit from the special capabilities of piston pumps, such as:

• slant wells
• sites requiring no drive air with the pumped fluids
• deeper wells
• harsh liquids
• drawdown to extremely low levels.

IRON HORSE pumps are air-powered and use a reciprocating air cylinder at the wellhead to drive a piston down in the well, connected by a flexible fiberglass rod. Each piston stroke lifts a known amount of liquid and provides positive suction at the inlet.
Piston pumps can be installed in wells and risers at any angle, including horizontal.  Unlike older piston pump designs used in landfills and remediation sites, IRON HORSE pumps are designed from the start for durability and serviceability to greatly reduce maintenance frequency and costs. In comparative testing, IRON HORSE has demonstrated critical component life many times that of older piston pump designs. IRON HORSE’S simplicity and strength advantages are visible even from first appearances.

What makes IRON HORSE piston pumps more durable?

IRON HORSE pump’s durability advantage is based on better engineering solutions to the challenges of landfill and remediation pumping. Examples of important IRON HORSE pump durability features include:

• Heavy-duty, stainless steel construction used for key components subject to wear, such as the piston and check valves.
• Rugged, oil well type, all-stainless steel piston
• Ultra-hard metal surfaces and special seal materials for longer service, as used in concrete pumps and industrial slurry equipment
• Serviceable driver air cylinder components to avoid having to replace the entire unit when it wears out.
• Serviceable stainless steel check valves downwell, instead of throwaway plastic type.
• Simpler, more reliable built-in air cylinder controls, similar to those used on jackhammers, rather than weather-exposed valves and tubing circuits.

• A reciprocating air cylinder at the wellhead.
   
• A liquid pumping piston and cylinder at the bottom of the well.
   
• A fiberglass rod connecting the air cylinder to the downwell piston.
   
• A downwell drop pipe which provides the flow conduit from the downhole pump to the wellhead.

The air cylinder is connected via a flexible, one-piece fiberglass rod to the liquid pump piston. The piston reciprocates within a specially designed stainless steel cylinder located at the bottom of the drop pipe.

Supplying compressed air to the air cylinder starts it reciprocating – automatically. The reciprocating action is controlled by heavy-duty, jackhammer type controls built into the cylinder itself. The recommended level control is referenced to pressure and vacuum in the well, and provides accurate and reliable pump shutoff when the desired level is reached.