Safe pumping of hazardous liquids—A survey of no-moving-part pump principles

Paper reviews the very special fluidic pumps developed for hazardous and dangerous liquids. The distinguishing feature is transfer of pumping power by alternating air flow across a containment barrier, inside which there are no moving, deformed, or sealed components. Those parts inside the containment are therefore maintenance-free, safe, robust, and resistant to extreme conditions. Initially developed for re-processing nuclear fuel, the discussed pumps remain so far little known outside this area though offering remarkable possibilities for other applications in chemical engineering.