Biogas plant quadruples the service life of its pump’s wear parts

08 October 2026 | VOGELSANG

• Energy
• Tools, maintenance and technical equipment

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With a HiCone® progressive cavity pump, a German biogas plant has more than quadrupled the interval between wear part replacements.

Frequent replacement of wear parts increases both spare parts costs and labour requirements. Harm Drewes and Uwe Ringen, who jointly operate a biogas plant near Breddorf in northern Germany, know this only too well. Previously, the wear parts in their feed pump had to be replaced every two to three months.

The plant processes around 20,000 tonnes of feedstock a year, including livestock manure and solids separated from liquid manure. Fibres, foreign matter and a dry matter content of 14–15% in the digester place considerable demands on the equipment. The pump transfers highly viscous material to the liquid feeding system at pressures of up to 5 bar.

The solution was a HiCone progressive cavity pump from Vogelsang. Marco Blanken, an employee at the plant, explains:

“We had to replace worn parts in the feed pump every two to three months. That’s why we replaced the feed pump with a HiCone progressive cavity pump from Vogelsang. Since then, its service life has more than quadrupled, and there is still scope for further readjustment.”

Readjust instead of replacing wear parts

The HiCone progressive cavity pump has a conical rotor and stator. As the parts wear, the rotor can be moved axially to adjust the gap between the two components. This compensates for wear, allowing the pump to maintain a consistent pumping capacity without the immediate need to replace wear parts.

The pump can also be adjusted to suit pressure, temperature and viscosity. Matching the rotor and stator settings to the operating conditions reduces contact pressure between the components. This minimises both wear and power consumption.

Smooth pumping and adjustment during operation

At the plant, staff report smoother, more even pumping. The consistent supply helps the liquid feeding system deliver a homogeneous mixture to the digester. These positive experiences also led to the installation of a HiCone progressive cavity pump at the external heat exchanger.
With automatic control, the pump can be adjusted while it is running. The automatic start-up function also keeps starting torque low, reducing the energy required at start-up.

Find out more at Agromek 2026

Looking to reduce wear parts costs at your biogas plant? Visit Vogelsang in Hall K at stand K8000 on 24–27 November 2026 to discuss how a HiCone progressive cavity pump can be adapted to your feedstock and operating conditions.