Front view of a pneumatic double diaphragm pump with black manifolds and silver diaphragm chambers

3D render of a black industrial double diaphragm pump with a red exhaust port.

DP3X Series

3 Inch Aluminum Air Operated Double Diaphragm Pump

The DP31-80 is the three inch aluminum pump in the DP3X series, and it is the model chosen when a plant needs high volume transfer without the weight and cost of stainless steel or cast iron. It moves up to 237 GPM, which is 897 LPM, at up to 120 psi or 8.3 bar, passes suspended solids to 9.5 mm and lifts 5.4 m dry. The aluminum center body and fluid caps keep it to 49.8 kg, so it can be moved by two people with a trolley or hoist, and the stall free air motor means it starts under load every time instead of hanging at mid stroke.

Maximum flow rate	237 GPM (897 LPM)
Maximum operating pressure	120psi (8.3 bar)
Suspended solids max diameter	3/8" (9.5mm)
Fluid inlet	Rp 3 (3" BSP, parallel) / 3" NPT
Fluid outlet	Rp 3 (3" BSP, parallel) / 3" NPT

Request A Quote [email protected]?subject=Inquiry%3A%203%20Inch%20Aluminum%20Air%20Operated%20Double%20Diaphragm%20Pump

Metalworking And Machine Tools Paints Inks And Coatings Chemical Processing

Key Benefits

What The Three Inch Aluminum Build Buys You

Volume, weight and price sit differently on this model than on the stainless or cast iron version of the same hydraulic end.

The Lightest Three Inch In The Range

At 49.8 kg it is less than half the weight of the same pump in stainless steel at 108.8 kg or cast iron at 108.3 kg. That matters for skid mounted, trolley mounted and portable transfer duty.

897 LPM Without An Electric Motor

All the pump needs is a 3/4 inch air line. No motor, no starter, no VFD, no earthing and no electrical area classification paperwork.

It Will Not Stall At The End Of A Stroke

A pilot air valve gives the major air valve a positive, fast shift signal. The pump trips over cleanly instead of sitting at mid stroke waiting for someone to tap the air end.

No Oiler On The Air Line

The air distribution system is self lubricating and lube free, so there is no oil mist in the exhaust and nothing to top up on a maintenance round.

Anti Icing By Design

A built in vacuum chamber lowers discharge air pressure, which cuts both the temperature drop that causes icing and the exhaust noise. The published sound level is 82.5 dB(A) at 70 psi and 60 cycles per minute.

It Fits Where Your Old Pump Sits

Installation dimensions and footprint are compatible with the major AODD brands, so the base, the pipe spools and the air line usually stay exactly as they are.

Who It Is For

Who Buys This Pump

Three inch aluminum is the general purpose choice for high volume transfer. It goes in when the fluid does not attack aluminum and the plant wants volume, portability and a sensible price.

Chemical and coatings plants transferring solvents, resins, paints and inks between tanks and filling lines
Machine shops and metalworking plants moving cutting fluid, quenching oil and swarf laden coolant
Contractors and maintenance teams who need one portable pump that empties sumps, pits and tanks
OEM builders who need a three inch transfer pump inside a skid, a filter cart or a washing rig
Waste water and filtration operators feeding filter presses and dosing tanks
Plants replacing a competitor three inch AODD pump and unwilling to change the pipework

Problems It Solves

Problems This Pump Is Bought To Fix

Almost every enquiry for this model starts with a pump that failed at one of these five things.

A centrifugal pump loses prime as soon as the tank runs down, while this pump self primes and can be run dry without damage
Line blockages deadhead the pump, and an AODD simply stops against the closed valve and starts again when the valve opens
Coolant and quenching oil carry chips and grit that wreck close clearance pumps, while ball checks pass solids to 9.5 mm
Electric pumps bring an area classification argument to a solvent store, and air drive avoids that argument entirely
A stainless or cast iron pump at 108 kg cannot be lifted onto a trolley by two people, and 49.8 kg can

Application Scenarios

Where It Ends Up In A Plant

01

Tanker And Drum Unloading

Self priming with 5.4 m of dry suction lift, so it empties a road tanker or a drum bank from ground level without a foot valve.

02

Batching And Blending Transfer

Air throttling gives smooth flow control from a trickle to 897 LPM without a variable speed drive, which suits recipe dosing into a mixer.

03

Filter Press And Filtration Feed

The pump can be dead headed as the cake builds and the pressure rises, then restart when the press is stripped.

04

Sump And Pit Emptying

One person carries it to the pit, drops the suction hose in and runs it dry at the end without burning anything out.

Technical Features

How The Air End Is Built

The hydraulic end of an AODD pump is simple. The air end is where pumps differ, and where Nuodean holds its patents.

Major Air Valve Plus Pilot Air Valve
The pilot valve is shifted mechanically by the actuator pin and pneumatically by the compressed air, then it shifts the major valve. That two stage signal is what makes the changeover positive and fast.
Dual Ceramic Dynamic Seals
Both the major air valve and the pilot air valve run ceramic dynamic seals. They resist wear, tolerate a dirty air supply and keep discharge contamination down over a long life.
Self Lubricating Lube Free Air System
No lubricator is fitted to the air inlet and none is needed, which removes both a maintenance task and the oil mist that a lubricated pump puts into the room.
Anti Icing Vacuum Chamber
The built in vacuum chamber reduces discharge air pressure, which lowers the expansion cooling that ices an air motor and drops the exhaust noise at the same time.
Interchangeable Installation Envelope
Port positions, foot spacing and overall envelope follow the major brands, so this pump can be dropped into an existing installation.
Selectable Wetted Materials
Center body, fluid caps and manifold, seat, ball check, diaphragm, connection thread and hardware are each chosen in the model code rather than fixed at the factory.

Specifications

Published Performance

Transcribed from the Nuodean data sheet published for this pump.

Maximum flow rate	237 GPM (897 LPM)
Maximum operating pressure	120psi (8.3 bar)
Suspended solids max diameter	3/8" (9.5mm)
Fluid inlet	Rp 3 (3" BSP, parallel) / 3" NPT
Fluid outlet	Rp 3 (3" BSP, parallel) / 3" NPT
Air inlet	3/4" BSPT female (3/4" NPT available on request)
Maximum dry suction lift	17.6 feet (5.4m)
Weight	109.8 lbs (49.8kg)
Model series code	DP31, DP31-Air80, DP31-Flu80

Materials

Material Options

Set in the model code. Ask us if you need a combination the code allows but the sheet does not show.

Wetted body material	Aluminum
Diaphragm options	2-Nitrile, 4-PTFE/Santoprene, 9-Hytrel, B-Santoprene
Ball check options	2-Nitrile, C-Hytrel, 4-PTFE, E-Santoprene
Seat options	1-Aluminum, 2-316 Stainless Steel, 4-PVDF

Performance figures are transcribed from the Nuodean data sheet for this pump. Flow is measured at the pump discharge with water at ambient temperature; your duty point depends on air supply pressure, suction conditions, fluid viscosity and discharge head. Ask our engineers to confirm the duty point before you order.

Quality Control

Before It Is Crated

Every pump is run on air before it leaves, so the shift behaviour is checked rather than assumed
Sound level is published for the model at 70 psi and 60 cycles per minute so you can hold us to it
Ball, seat and diaphragm materials are checked against the ordered model code at assembly
The pump ships with the data sheet and both the fluid section and air section part lists

Customization

What You Can Change

Center body in aluminum or cast iron
Fluid caps and manifold in aluminum, 316 stainless steel or cast iron
Seat in aluminum, 316 stainless steel, PVDF, carbon steel, hard stainless steel, Santoprene, Hytrel or nitrile
Ball check in neoprene, nitrile, Viton, PTFE, EPDM, acetal, polyurethane, stainless steel, Hytrel or Santoprene
Diaphragm in neoprene, nitrile, Viton, PTFE with Santoprene backing, EPDM, acetal, Hytrel or Santoprene
NPT or BSP threaded fluid connections, stainless steel or carbon steel hardware
3/4 inch NPT air inlet in place of the standard 3/4 inch BSPT, on request

Comparison

Against The Alternatives

Where this pump wins and where you should be buying something else.

Versus the 3 inch stainless steel version	Same 897 LPM and same 8.3 bar, but 49.8 kg against 108.8 kg and a lower price. Choose stainless when the fluid or the hygiene requirement rules out aluminum.
Versus the 3 inch cast iron version	Cast iron at 108.3 kg is the choice for abrasive slurry duty where wall wear matters. Aluminum is the choice where weight and portability matter.
Versus the 3 inch non metallic version	The polypropylene pump handles acids and alkalis that would eat aluminum, at a lower 195 GPM. Pick non metallic on chemistry, not on flow.
Versus the 2 inch aluminum pump	The 2 inch reaches 651 LPM and passes 6.4 mm solids, but weighs 29.6 kg and needs less air. Step down only when 897 LPM is genuinely not needed.
Versus the 3 inch heavy duty flap valve pump	The flap valve pump passes 50 mm solids and is built for high abrasion. This pump is for clean to moderately loaded fluids where flow and weight are the priority.
Versus a centrifugal transfer pump	The centrifugal is cheaper to run at a fixed high flow with clean fluid. This pump wins when the tank runs dry, the line blocks, the fluid carries solids or the area cannot take a motor.

Use Guide

Getting The Best Out Of It

Five things that decide whether this pump does 897 LPM or half of it.

Give It Real Air
Flow follows air. Use the full 3/4 inch inlet, keep the hose short and confirm the compressor can hold pressure at the flow the pump asks for.
Do Not Throttle The Suction
Throttle the discharge or the air, never the suction. Starving the suction is what causes cavitation, hard running and short diaphragm life.
Match The Elastomer To The Fluid
Diaphragm and ball material is chosen in the model code. Get the chemistry right and the pump lasts. Get it wrong and nothing else you do will save it.
Keep Suction Lift Honest
The published 5.4 m is a dry lift figure on the data sheet. Priming a flooded suction is always easier, so put the pump below the tank where the layout allows.
Stock The Two Repair Kits
One air section kit, DP31-Air80, and one fluid section kit, DP31-Flu80, coded for your diaphragm and ball material. Between them they cover almost every wear part.

Documents

Documents For This Pump

Straight from Nuodean's own literature: fluid and air section drawings, product data sheets, series catalogues.

PDF 3 inch metallic AODD pumps data sheet Product Data Sheets PDF 1.2 MB Download PDF DP3X AODD PUMPS Catalogue Series Catalogues PDF 18.1 MB Download PDF Fluid Section of 3 inch DP11 Metallic Pump Fluid And Air Section Drawings PDF 148 KB Download PDF Air Section of 3 inch DP11 Metallic Pump Fluid And Air Section Drawings PDF 199 KB Download

Need a 2D or 3D CAD model of this pump? CAD on request via WhatsApp.

Answers

3 Inch Aluminum Air Operated Double Diaphragm Pump FAQ

What flow will this pump actually give me?

237 GPM, which is 897 LPM, is the maximum with a free discharge and full air supply. Real duty points are lower. Send us the discharge head and the air pressure you can hold and we will tell you where on the curve you land.

Can it run dry?

Yes. An air operated double diaphragm pump can be run dry and can be dead headed against a closed valve without damage. That is the main reason plants choose one over a centrifugal pump.

What is the largest solid it will pass?

3/8 inch, which is 9.5 mm, on the suspended solids figure from the data sheet. If your fluid carries bigger solids, look at the 3 inch heavy duty flap valve pump at 50 mm.

Will it replace another brand of three inch AODD pump?

Usually yes. The DP3X pumps are built so that installation dimensions and footprint are compatible with other brands. Send a photo of the nameplate and the pipework and we will confirm before you buy.

Which diaphragm should I order?

PTFE with a Santoprene backing for aggressive solvents and acids, Santoprene for general duty and long flex life, Viton for hot oils and aromatics, nitrile for petroleum products. Tell us the fluid and the temperature and we will put the right code on the quotation.

How loud is it?

82.5 dB(A) at 70 psi and 60 cycles per minute, as printed on the data sheet. Slower cycling is quieter, and a piped exhaust takes more off.

What connections does it come with?

Fluid inlet and outlet are Rp 3, which is 3 inch parallel BSP, or 3 inch NPT. The air inlet is 3/4 inch BSPT female, with 3/4 inch NPT available on request.