Alfa Laval SX UltraPure Hygienic Rotary Lobe Pump

Alfa Laval SX UltraPure rotary lobe pump for high-purity duty

The Alfa Laval SX UltraPure is a premium sanitary rotary lobe pump built for moving delicate process fluids in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and home and personal care plants. The name is a product-family designation rather than a single ordering code, so the pump you receive is defined by head size, gearbox module, seal arrangement and drive. Seven Star LLC supplies the SX UltraPure in Oman and the GCC as an independent supplier in Muscat, and we help turn your duty data into a complete enquiry.

The design goal is easy to state: move a sensitive product with as little shear and pulsation as possible, and make the pump head fully cleanable and drainable afterwards. Optimised head geometry and multi-lobe rotors deliver the gentle action, while a hygienic layout handles cleaning-in-place (CIP) and sterilization-in-place (SIP) between batches.

How to read the model name

The SX UltraPure is sold as a range of 14 pump head displacements built on seven gearbox modules. Instead of a long coded string, you specify the displacement, the port connection standard, the shaft seal type and whether the pump comes as a bare shaft unit or a complete base-plate package. These choices are covered in the selection checklist below.

SX UltraPure technical specifications

The figures above are the range limits. Actual flow depends on pump size, speed and fluid viscosity, and the maximum pressure and temperature are not available simultaneously in every size and seal combination, so confirm them against your duty point.

How the SX UltraPure lobe pump works

The SX UltraPure is a conventional positive displacement pump. It consists of a rotor case, rotor case cover, rotors, rotor nuts, shafts, gearbox, shaft seals and elastomers. Two rotors turn in opposite directions inside the rotor case, and the product travels in the cavities formed between the rotor lobes and the case wall from the inlet to the outlet.

The rotors do not touch each other or the casing. A gear train in the gearbox drives them and keeps them accurately timed, so the pumped fluid is not squeezed between metal surfaces. The multi-lobe rotor geometry, developed with computational fluid dynamics, is what produces the low pulsation, low shear and low noise that the manufacturer emphasises.

Because displacement per revolution is fixed, flow is nearly proportional to speed. That makes speed control with a frequency drive a natural way to adjust throughput, and it also lets you slow the pump down when the product is shear-sensitive or foams easily.

Hygienic design details of the SX UltraPure

• Low-profile rotor nut to avoid pockets where product can linger.
• Hygienic front-loading mechanical seals, so seals can be reached from the front of the pump head.
• Defined compression front cover sealing for repeatable sealing without over-tightening.
• USP Class VI elastomers to limit the risk of extractables entering the product.
• Fully drainable head with a 3° fall angle and enhanced surface finishes.
• Paint-free stainless gearbox, suitable for frequent wash-down.
• Full 3.1 traceability of wetted components with Q-doc documentation based on Good Documentation Practice.

These features matter in validated environments, where every contact material has to be traceable and where change control penalises unplanned part substitutions. Alfa Laval makes the rotor case and rotors itself, which supports full interchangeability of spare rotor parts.

Selecting the SX UltraPure pump head and drive

Work through the following points before you request a quotation for this pump.

• Fluid: name, viscosity at pumping temperature, solids or cell content, and how shear-sensitive it is.
• Duty point: required flow, inlet conditions, differential pressure (up to 15 bar for the range) and the temperature during production, CIP and SIP.
• Head size: one of the 14 displacements; a larger head turning slowly is usually gentler than a small head at high speed.
• Shaft seal: a wide range is offered, so state the product, the barrier or flush medium and the cleaning chemicals.
• Connections: hygienic connection standard and port orientation, vertical or horizontal.
• Drive: bare shaft, or complete base plate with coupling, guard, gear motor and shroud; motor voltage, frequency and hazardous area rating.
• Documentation: the Q-doc package level your quality system requires.

Installing and maintaining the SX UltraPure

Mount the unit on a rigid, level base and keep the suction line short, straight and at least as large as the inlet port. Do not run a lobe pump dry or against a closed discharge: fit a pressure relief or a motor protection scheme that matches the 15 bar class of the range. Because the gearbox is universal, ports can face vertically or horizontally, which helps when the layout is tight or when the pump must drain completely.

Routine care is straightforward. Inspect the shaft seals and elastomers on a schedule based on cleaning frequency and temperature cycles, check gearbox oil and bearing condition, and keep a set of rotor-case seals as spares. Since rotor parts are interchangeable, a seal or elastomer change should not require a new set of rotors. After maintenance, repeat the cleaning validation steps defined by your quality procedure.

SX UltraPure applications in Oman and the GCC

The family targets high-purity process lines. In the Gulf region that points to pharmaceutical and nutraceutical filling support, biotechnology pilot and production suites, and personal care and cosmetics plants making creams, lotions and gels. Gentle handling is also useful for transferring viscous, shear-sensitive intermediates and cultures.

Local conditions deserve attention. Plant utilities in Oman and the GCC often see warm cooling water and high ambient temperatures, which affect seal flush temperature and motor derating. Dust and humidity make the paint-free stainless gearbox and sealed motor choices relevant, and where solvents are present, the ATEX-approved option is worth discussing with us at enquiry stage.

SX UltraPure against other hygienic pump types

If you are comparing hygienic pumps for a mixed plant, send us the product list and we can suggest which duties suit a lobe pump.

Information to send with an SX UltraPure RFQ

• Product name, viscosity range, density and temperature during production and sterilization.
• Flow range, suction and discharge pressure, and whether the pump will be speed controlled.
• Preferred head size if you already run these pumps, and nameplate data of the existing unit.
• Shaft seal type, flush medium and cleaning chemicals.
• Hygienic connection standard and port orientation.
• Delivery form: bare shaft or complete package, motor voltage, frequency and area classification.
• Required documentation: Q-doc level, 3.1 certificates and any validation support.

Documents and quotation

Alfa Laval states that every pump ships with its Q-doc documentation package. For an enquiry, send us the model name and your duty data and we will confirm which product documents are available.

Seven Star LLC is an independent supplier in Muscat serving Oman and the GCC. Send your SX UltraPure requirement and our team will reply with availability and lead time.