Latest Innovations Aid Hydroponic Farming Efficiency

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in a water based, nutrient rich solution. Hydroponics does not use soil, instead the root system is supported using an inert medium such as perlite, rockwool, clay pellets, peat moss, or vermiculite. Accurately and reliably delivering the nutrient-rich water is crucial to the successful development of the plants. In addition, the delivery method needs to require little, if any, maintenance since plants can go unattended for several weeks at a time.

Although, many growers have their own proprietary nutrient formulations, all contain a variety of minerals that tend to crystalize. Crystalizing fluids present problems with metering pump technologies that rely either on check valves or flexible peristaltic tubing. Crystallization within pump designs with valves will eventually cause the check valves to fail, and in the case of pumps which rely on elastomer tubing, the hardened crystals cause the tubes to break down.

CeramPump^® Valveless Piston Pumps from Fluid Metering, Inc. (FMI) utilize only one moving part in the fluid path which accomplishes both the pumping and valving functions, thereby eliminating check valves and the associated reliability and maintenance concerns. The CeramPump® has internal components made of sapphire-hard ceramics which are chemically inert, dimensionally-stable and abrasion-resistant.

In addition, for fluids that tend to crystalize, FMI’s CeramPump^® is available with a special wash gland feature, which essentially isolates crystal forming fluids from atmosphere.

An example where FMI’s CeramPump^® has been used successfully for Hydroponic Farming is the growing of endives, which are grown in the dark, unattended for 21 days. Flowering plants grown from bulbs are additional applications where FMI’s Valveless Piston pump will deliver nutrient and mineral enriched formulations accurately and maintenance-free, even when left unattended for extended periods of time.

For over 55 years Fluid Metering's pumps have been used for precision fluid control in chemical process, pharmaceutical manufacturing, mining, water & wastewater treatment, environmental monitoring, and food processing, as well as medical and analytical instrumentation.