PUMPS

As the primary movers of liquids, pumps come in many types and an understanding of
the various kinds is essential in successfully applying them to process systems. Pumps
are used to transfer liquids from one point to another. They basically fall under two
categories-centrifugal and positive-displacement. The centrifugal pump gets its name
from the fact that the pump's impeller imparts kinetic energy to the liquid with centrifugal
force acquired by the impeller's rotation. This simple mechanism allows the centrifugal
pump to be practical for high capacity, at low to medium heads. The aspect of low to
medium heads will be discussed shortly. Typical centrifugal pumps include mixed flow,
propeller, peripheral, and turbine.
Positive-displacement (PD) pumps trap a quantity of liquid and force it out of the cavity
against the pressure of the discharge by means of rotary or reciprocating action. Ideally,
a PD pump will produce whatever head is impressed on it by the system restrictions to
the flow. Not all PD pumps are purely rotary or reciprocating, but we will focus our
attention on these types. PD pumps, by definition, deliver fluids at a rate proportional to
the speed of the pump action and this rate is independent of the pressure differential
across the pump. For this reason means must be provided to limit the discharge
pressure and this will be discussed under the section of positivedisplacement pumps.
Typical rotary positive-displacement pumps include screw, gear, vane, cam, and lobe.
Reciprocating positive-displacement pumps include piston, plunger, and diaphragm.
Selecting the type of pump to use is a function of the service to be handled. Sometimes,
the selection is obvious; for example, if you wanted to pump molasses, you would
choose a positive-displacement pump. In the situation where neither a standard type of
pump is used for the service, nor is it obvious what type to use, a centrifugal pump is
always considered first. The reason for considering a centrifugal pump initially is
because of its low initial cost, economical cost of maintenance, wide range of materials
of construction, and relatively large clearances.
Factors to be considered in selecting a pump are as follows:
1. Efficiency
2. Net positive suction head (NPSH) required by pump
3. Operating costs
4. Shaft speed
5. Magnitude of clearances
6. Materials of construction
7. Fluid service to be handled
8. Availability and delivery time of pump