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Mission Decarbonization: How Dickow Pumpen enables the ramp-up of Sustainable Aviation Fuels
Aviation is under pressure: climate targets, rising costs, and dependence on fossil fuel supply chains demand new solutions. Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) are considered key to decarbonization – provided they can be integrated into the infrastructure safely and economically. This is precisely where Dickow Pumpen's HZM series comes in.
Why SAF is now crucial
With the recognition of bioenergy as a key technology in the EU's climate targets, the importance of renewable fuels like SAF is increasing significantly. Aviation, in particular, which has limited potential for electrification , requires fuel-based solutions to sustainably reduce emissions. SAFs are therefore considered a central element of decarbonization, while simultaneously creating independence from fossil fuel supply chains. For this market to grow, robust process solutions like Dickow's pump technology are needed, ensuring operational reliability, energy efficiency, and high availability.
Sustainable Aviation Fuels at a Glance
SAFs are liquid fuels produced from renewable waste materials or synthetic processes. They are fully drop-in capable and can be used in existing aircraft engines without technical modifications.
Although chemically largely comparable to Jet A1, SAF exhibits specific differences:
- Significantly lower sulfur and aromatic content
- slight variations in density and viscosity
- Increased requirements for the material resistance of elastomers and seals
These characteristics necessitate precisely matched pump technology to ensure long-term operational reliability and system availability.
Political framework and market dynamics
Global demand for aviation fuel is around 300 million tons per year. Currently, less than one percent of this is accounted for by SAFs. With the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation, the European Union has introduced binding blending quotas for the first time to accelerate the process of establishment in the market.
Key requirements:
- From 2025 onwards: at least 2% SAF mix at EU airports
- From 2030: at least 6 %, of which 1.2% must be from synthetic fuels; by 2050: target quota 70 %, of which 35% must be synthetic fuels
- Airlines departing from EU airports are required to refuel at least 90 % of their annual needs at EU airports (preventing tankering).
This regulation creates planning certainty and increases the pressure to rapidly expand production capacities. Consequently, refineries, terminals, and tank farms are seeing increased demand for pump technologies that combine efficiency, operational reliability, and flexibility.
Challenges in the process industry
The increasing use of SAFs is creating new demands for the process industry. These fuels differ from fossil kerosene in composition and properties: lower sulfur and aromatic content, slight variations in density and viscosity, and higher demands on material durability.
For operators, this means that pump technologies must guarantee consistently reliable and leak-proof operation – even with varying fuel qualities. Furthermore, the new media require precisely calibrated pumping technology that ensures long-term process reliability and plant availability.
The solution from Dickow Pumps – HZM series
Illustration 1: Serveral HZM Series pumps in a tank farm for SAFs
The hermetic magnetic coupling ensures absolute leak-proof performance , and the careful selection of materials guarantees the durability of seals and elastomers even with varying fuel qualities.
Advantages at a glance:
- Leakage protection : Magnetic coupling protects downstream processes and prevents emissions.
- Operational reliability: Robust design for varying fuel qualities.
- Efficiency: Optimized hydraulics reduce energy consumption.
- Availability: Low-wear design extends service life and reduces maintenance costs.
- Flexibility: Modular design allows adaptation to different conveyor lines.
Axial thrust compensation
A unique feature of the HZM series is the axial thrust compensation with a double acting balance disc. Thanks to this design solution axial loads are self-regulated. This enables stable, contactless operation even at high conveying pressures, reducing abrasion, extending the lifespan of sleeve bearings and therefore minimizes maintenance effort and frequency. The floating pump shaft moves with all mounted components, when conveying medium, towards the suction side. With the double acting balance disc (orange) and the two start-up rings, Dickow has developed a design solution that does not require sensors, control electronics, or other wear parts. Is the pump shaft moving towards the suction side, the gap G1 is decreasing, which leads to pressure increase in balance chamber I until it is higher than the pressure in balance chamber II. Due to this the pump shaft moves towards the discharge side, which decreases gap G2. Correspondingly the pressure increases in balance chamber II until it is higher than the pressure in balance chamber I. According to that the pump shaft moves towards the suction side. This compensation of movement creates a natural and stable balance which preserves the bearings and prolongs service life between maintenance enable so stable, contactless operation even at high conveying pressures.
Illustration 2: horizontal cut at height of the axis: thanks to the axial thrust compensation axial movements of the pump shaft and all mounted components (orange arrow) are reduced. Axial movements oppositely influence the gaps G1 and G2 which affect pressure in both balance chambers and automatically creates thrust balance.
Customer benefits and perspectives in the SAF context
Sustainable fuels are evolving from a transitional solution to a key pillar of the energy transition – particularly in aviation, which remains dependent on liquid fuels. For this transformation to succeed, reliable process solutions are needed that combine operational safety, energy efficiency, and economic viability.
Dickow Pumpen meets these requirements: maximum operational reliability in critical infrastructures, significant cost advantages in operation, and scalability for the rapid expansion of SAF production. At the same time, the pumps contribute to reducing dependence on fossil fuel supply chains and ensuring a sustainable supply.
This makes Dickow Pumpen a partner for a safe market ramp-up of SAF – and a reliable technology provider in a decarbonized aviation industry.
This article by Alexander Hammer was originally published in german in issue 12/2025 of CITplus magazine: Pumpentechnologie für SAF: sicher fördern, effizient betreiben • WPT – Fachportal für alle prozessrelevanten Themen aus den Bereichen Chemie, Pharma, Reinraum und Lebensmittel
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