Pump

For other uses of “pump” or “pumps”, see Pump (disam- operation, electricity, engines, or wind power, come
biguation). in many sizes, from microscopic for use in medical
A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), applications to large industrial pumps.
Mechanical pumps serve in a wide range of applications
such as pumping water from wells, aquarium filtering,
pond filtering and aeration, in the car industry for water-
cooling and fuel injection, in the energy industry for
pumping oil and natural gas or for operating cooling tow-
ers. In the medical industry, pumps are used for biochem-
ical processes in developing and manufacturing medicine,
and as artificial replacements for body parts, in particular
the artificial heart and penile prosthesis.
In biology, many different types of chemical and bio-
mechanical pumps have evolved, and biomimicry is
sometimes used in developing new types of mechanical
pumps.

1 Types
Mechanical pumps may be submerged in the fluid they
are pumping or be placed external to the fluid.
A small, electrically powered pump
Pumps can be classified by their method of displace-
ment into positive displacement pumps, impulse pumps,
velocity pumps, gravity pumps, steam pumps and
valveless pumps.

1.1 Positive displacement pump

A large, electrically driven pump (electropump) for waterworks

near the Hengsteysee, Germany

or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action. Pumps can

be classified into three major groups according to the
method they use to move the fluid: direct lift, displace-
ment, and gravity pumps.[1] A lobe pump
Pumps operate by some mechanism (typically
reciprocating or rotary), and consume energy to A positive displacement pump makes a fluid move by
perform mechanical work by moving the fluid. Pumps trapping a fixed amount and forcing (displacing) that
operate via many energy sources, including manual trapped volume into the discharge pipe.

1
2 1 TYPES

1.1.1 Positive displacement pump behavior and

safety

Positive displacement pumps, unlike centrifugal or roto-

dynamic pumps, theoretically can produce the same flow
at a given speed (RPM) no matter what the discharge
pressure. Thus, positive displacement pumps are con-
stant flow machines. However, a slight increase in internal
leakage as the pressure increases prevents a truly constant
flow rate.
A positive displacement pump must not operate against a
closed valve on the discharge side of the pump, because
it has no shutoff head like centrifugal pumps. A positive
displacement pump operating against a closed discharge
valve continues to produce flow and the pressure in the
discharge line increases until the line bursts, the pump is
severely damaged, or both.
A relief or safety valve on the discharge side of the posi-
tive displacement pump is therefore necessary. The relief
valve can be internal or external. The pump manufacturer
normally has the option to supply internal relief or safety
valves. The internal valve is usually only used as a safety
precaution. An external relief valve in the discharge line,
with a return line back to the suction line or supply tank
provides increased safety.
lobe pump internals

1.1.2 Positive displacement types

Mechanism of a scroll pump

Screw pump

A positive displacement pump can be further classified

according to the mechanism used to move the fluid:1
Some positive displacement pumps use an expanding cav-
ity on the suction side and a decreasing cavity on the dis- • Rotary-type positive displacement: internal gear,
charge side. Liquid flows into the pump as the cavity on screw, shuttle block, flexible vane or sliding vane,
the suction side expands and the liquid flows out of the circumferential piston, flexible impeller, helical
discharge as the cavity collapses. The volume is constant twisted roots (e.g. the Wendelkolben pump) or
through each cycle of operation. liquid ring vacuum pumps
1.1 Positive displacement pump 3

• Reciprocating-type positive displacement: piston or Reciprocating positive displacement pumps Main

diaphragm pumps article: Reciprocating pump
Reciprocating pumps move the fluid using one or
• Linear-type positive displacement: rope pumps and
chain pumps

Rotary vane pump

Rotary positive displacement pumps Positive dis-

placement rotary pumps move fluid using a rotating
mechanism that creates a vacuum that captures and draws
in the liquid.
Advantages: Rotary pumps are very efficient because they
naturally remove air from the lines, eliminating the need Simple hand pump
to bleed the air from the lines manually.
more oscillating pistons, plungers, or membranes (di-
Drawbacks: The nature of the pump demands very close
aphragms), while valves restrict fluid motion to the de-
clearances between the rotating pump and the outer edge,
sired direction.
making it rotate at a slow, steady speed. If rotary pumps
are operated at high speeds, the fluids cause erosion, Pumps in this category range from simplex, with one
which eventually causes enlarged clearances that liquid cylinder, to in some cases quad (four) cylinders, or
can pass through, which reduces efficiency. more. Many reciprocating-type pumps are duplex (two)
or triplex (three) cylinder. They can be either single-acting
Rotary positive displacement pumps fall into three main
with suction during one direction of piston motion and
types:
discharge on the other, or double-acting with suction and
discharge in both directions. The pumps can be powered
• Gear pumps - a simple type of rotary pump where manually, by air or steam, or by a belt driven by an en-
the liquid is pushed between two gears gine. This type of pump was used extensively in the 19th
century—in the early days of steam propulsion—as boiler
• Screw pumps - the shape of the internals of this feed water pumps. Now reciprocating pumps typically
pump is usually two screws turning against each pump highly viscous fluids like concrete and heavy oils,
other to pump the liquid and serve in special applications that demand low flow
rates against high resistance. Reciprocating hand pumps
• Rotary vane pumps - similar to scroll compressors, were widely used to pump water from wells. Common
these have a cylindrical rotor encased in a similarly bicycle pumps and foot pumps for inflation use recipro-
shaped housing. As the rotor orbits, the vanes trap cating action.
fluid between the rotor and the casing, drawing the These positive displacement pumps have an expanding
fluid through the pump. cavity on the suction side and a decreasing cavity on the
4 1 TYPES

• Piston pump

• Diaphragm pump

• Screw pump

• Gear pump

• Hydraulic pump

• Rotary vane pump

• Regenerative (peripheral) pump

• Peristaltic pump

• Rope pump

• Flexible impeller

Gear pump Main article: Gear pump

This is the simplest of rotary positive displacement

Hand-operated, reciprocating, positive displacement, water

pump in Košice-Ťahanovce, Slovakia (walking beam pump)

discharge side. Liquid flows into the pumps as the cavity

on the suction side expands and the liquid flows out of the
discharge as the cavity collapses. The volume is constant
given each cycle of operation.
Typical reciprocating pumps are:

• Plunger pumps - a reciprocating plunger pushes the

fluid through one or two open valves, closed by suc-
tion on the way back.
Gear pump
• Diaphragm pumps - similar to plunger pumps, where
the plunger pressurizes hydraulic oil which is used pumps. It consists of two meshed gears that rotate in a
to flex a diaphragm in the pumping cylinder. Di- closely fitted casing. The tooth spaces trap fluid and force
aphragm valves are used to pump hazardous and it around the outer periphery. The fluid does not travel
toxic fluids. back on the meshed part, because the teeth mesh closely
in the centre. Gear pumps see wide use in car engine oil
• Piston pumps displacement pumps - usually simple
pumps and in various hydraulic power packs.
devices for pumping small amounts of liquid or gel
manually. The common hand soap dispenser is such
a pump. Screw pump Main article: Screw pump
• Radial piston pumps
A Screw pump is a more complicated type of rotary pump
that uses two or three screws with opposing thread—e.g.,
Various positive displacement pumps The positive
one screw turns clockwise and the other counterclock-
displacement principle applies in these pumps:
wise. The screws are mounted on parallel shafts that have
gears that mesh so the shafts turn together and every-
• Rotary lobe pump thing stays in place. The screws turn on the shafts and
• Progressive cavity pump drive fluid through the pump. As with other forms of ro-
tary pumps, the clearance between moving parts and the
• Rotary gear pump pump’s casing is minimal.
1.1 Positive displacement pump 5

Progressing cavity pump Main article: Progressive • Roots superchargers on internal combustion en-
cavity pump gines.
Widely used for pumping difficult materials, such as
• A brand of civil defense siren, the Federal Signal
Corporation's Thunderbolt.

Peristaltic pump Main article: Peristaltic pump

A peristaltic pump is a type of positive displacement

Cavity pump

sewage sludge contaminated with large particles, this

pump consists of a helical rotor, about ten times as long
as its width. This can be visualized as a central core of
diameter x with, typically, a curved spiral wound around
of thickness half x, though in reality it is manufactured in
single casting. This shaft fits inside a heavy duty rubber
sleeve, of wall thickness also typically x. As the shaft ro-
tates, the rotor gradually forces fluid up the rubber sleeve.
Such pumps can develop very high pressure at low vol-
umes.
360 Degree Peristaltic Pump
Roots-type pumps Main article: Roots-type super-
charger pump. It contains fluid within a flexible tube fitted inside
Named after the Roots brothers who invented it, this lobe a circular pump casing (though linear peristaltic pumps
have been made). A number of rollers, shoes, or wipers
attached to a rotor compresses the flexible tube. As the
rotor turns, the part of the tube under compression closes
(or occludes), forcing the fluid through the tube. Addi-
tionally, when the tube opens to its natural state after
the passing of the cam it draws (restitution) fluid into the
pump. This process is called peristalsis and is used in
many biological systems such as the gastrointestinal tract.

Plunger pumps Main article: Plunger pump

Plunger pumps are reciprocating positive displacement
pumps.
These consist of a cylinder with a reciprocating plunger.
The suction and discharge valves are mounted in the head
pump displaces the liquid trapped between two long heli- of the cylinder. In the suction stroke the plunger retracts
cal rotors, each fitted into the other when perpendicular at and the suction valves open causing suction of fluid into
90°, rotating inside a triangular shaped sealing line con- the cylinder. In the forward stroke the plunger pushes the
figuration, both at the point of suction and at the point of liquid out of the discharge valve. Efficiency and common
discharge. This design produces a continuous flow with problems: With only one cylinder in plunger pumps, the
equal volume and no vortex. It can work at low pulsation fluid flow varies between maximum flow when the plunger
rates, and offers gentle performance that some applica- moves through the middle positions, and zero flow when
tions require. the plunger is at the end positions. A lot of energy is
wasted when the fluid is accelerated in the piping system.
Applications include: Vibration and water hammer may be a serious problem.
In general the problems are compensated for by using two
• High capacity industrial air compressors or more cylinders not working in phase with each other.
6 1 TYPES

Compressed-air-powered double-diaphragm pumps

One modern application of positive displacement di-
aphragm pumps is compressed-air-powered double-
diaphragm pumps. Run on compressed air these pumps
are intrinsically safe by design, although all manufactur-
ers offer ATEX certified models to comply with industry
regulation. These pumps are relatively inexpensive and
can perform a wide variety of duties, from pumping water
out of bunds, to pumping hydrochloric acid from secure
storage (dependent on how the pump is manufactured –
elastomers / body construction). Lift is normally limited
to roughly 6m although heads can reach almost 200 psi
(1.4 MPa).

Rope pumps Main article: Rope pump

Devised in China as chain pumps over 1000 years ago,

A plunger pump compared to a piston pump

Triplex-style plunger pumps Triplex plunger pumps

use three plungers, which reduces the pulsation of single
reciprocating plunger pumps. Adding a pulsation damp-
ener on the pump outlet can further smooth the pump rip-
ple, or ripple graph of a pump transducer. The dynamic
relationship of the high-pressure fluid and plunger gener-
ally requires high-quality plunger seals. Plunger pumps
with a larger number of plungers have the benefit of in-
creased flow, or smoother flow without a pulsation damp-
ener. The increase in moving parts and crankshaft load is
one drawback.
Car washes often use these triplex-style plunger pumps
(perhaps without pulsation dampeners). In 1968,
William Bruggeman significantly reduced the size of the
triplex pump and increased the lifespan so that car washes
could use equipment with smaller footprints. Durable
high pressure seals, low pressure seals and oil seals, hard-
ened crankshafts, hardened connecting rods, thick ce-
ramic plungers and heavier duty ball and roller bearings
improve reliability in triplex pumps. Triplex pumps now
are in a myriad of markets across the world.
Rope pump schematic
Triplex pumps with shorter lifetimes are commonplace
to the home user. A person who uses a home pressure these pumps can be made from very simple materials: A
washer for 10 hours a year may be satisfied with a pump rope, a wheel and a PVC pipe are sufficient to make a
that lasts 100 hours between rebuilds. Industrial-grade simple rope pump. For this reason they have become ex-
or continuous duty triplex pumps on the other end of the tremely popular around the world since the 1980s. Rope
quality spectrum may run for as much as 2,080 hours a pump efficiency has been studied by grass roots organi-
year. zations and the techniques for making and running them
[4]
The oil and gas drilling industry uses massive semi trailer- have been continuously improved.
transported triplex pumps called mud pumps to pump
drilling mud, which cools the drill bit and carries the cut-
tings back to the surface.[2] Drillers use triplex or even Flexible impeller pump Main article: Flexible im-
quintuplex pumps to inject water and solvents deep into peller
shale in the extraction process called fracking.[3]
1.3 Velocity pumps 7

1.2.1 Hydraulic ram pumps

Airlift pump vs. Geyser pump

Flexible impeller pump
The variation of vane volume during the rotation cause the dry
selfpriming feature of the pump. A hydraulic ram is a water pump powered by hydropower.
Pump is also reversible. It takes in water at relatively low pressure and high flow-
rate and outputs water at a higher hydraulic-head and
lower flow-rate. The device uses the water hammer ef-
fect to develop pressure that lifts a portion of the input
water that powers the pump to a point higher than where
the water started.
The hydraulic ram is sometimes used in remote areas,
where there is both a source of low-head hydropower, and
a need for pumping water to a destination higher in ele-
vation than the source. In this situation, the ram is often
useful, since it requires no outside source of power other
than the kinetic energy of flowing water.

1.3 Velocity pumps

The pulser pump

1.2 Impulse pumps

Impulse pumps use pressure created by gas (usually air).

In some impulse pumps the gas trapped in the liquid (usu-
ally water), is released and accumulated somewhere in the
pump, creating a pressure that can push part of the liquid
upwards.
Impulse pumps include:

• Hydraulic ram pumps – kinetic energy of a low-head

water supply is stored temporarily in an air-bubble
hydraulic accumulator, then used to drive water to a
higher head.

• Pulser pumps - run with natural resources, by kinetic

energy only. A centrifugal pump uses an impeller with backward-swept arms

• Airlift pumps - run on air inserted into pipe, push- Rotodynamic pumps (or dynamic pumps) are a type of
ing up the water, when bubbles move upward, or on velocity pump in which kinetic energy is added to the fluid
pressure inside pipe pushing water up. by increasing the flow velocity. This increase in energy
8 1 TYPES

is converted to a gain in potential energy (pressure) when fluid is pushed outward from the center or axis. Axial-
the velocity is reduced prior to or as the flow exits the flow pumps / Centrifugal design pumps operate at much
pump into the discharge pipe. This conversion of kinetic lower pressures and higher flow rates than radial-flow
energy to pressure is explained by the First law of thermo- pumps / cepumps.
dynamics, or more specifically by Bernoulli’s principle.
Dynamic pumps can be further subdivided according to 1.3.3 Mixed-flow pumps
the means in which the velocity gain is achieved.[5]
These types of pumps have a number of characteristics: Mixed-flow pumps function as a compromise between ra-
dial and axial-flow pumps. The fluid experiences both
1. Continuous energy radial acceleration and lift and exits the impeller some-
where between 0 and 90 degrees from the axial direction.
2. Conversion of added energy to increase in kinetic As a consequence mixed-flow pumps operate at higher
energy (increase in velocity) pressures than axial-flow pumps while delivering higher
discharges than radial-flow pumps. The exit angle of the
3. Conversion of increased velocity (kinetic energy) to flow dictates the pressure head-discharge characteristic in
an increase in pressure head relation to radial and mixed-flow.

A practical difference between dynamic and positive dis-

1.3.4 Eductor-jet pump
placement pumps is how they operate under closed valve
conditions. Positive displacement pumps physically dis-
Main article: Eductor-jet pump
place fluid, so closing a valve downstream of a positive
displacement pump produces a continual pressure build
up that can cause mechanical failure of pipeline or pump. This uses a jet, often of steam, to create a low pressure.
Dynamic pumps differ in that they can be safely operated This low pressure sucks in fluid and propels it into a higher
under closed valve conditions (for short periods of time). pressure region.

1.3.1 Radial-flow pumps 1.4 Gravity pumps

[6]
These simply referred to as centripetal design pumps. Gravity pumps include the syphon and Heron’s fountain.
The fluid enters along the axial plane, is accelerated by The hydraulic ram is also sometimes called a gravity
the impeller and exits at right angles to the shaft(radially). pump.in gravity pump the water is lift by gravitational
Radial-flow pumps operate at higher pressures and lower force.
flow rates than axial and mixed-flow pumps.

1.5 Steam pumps

1.3.2 Axial-flow pumps
Steam pumps have been for a long time mainly of histor-
Main article: Axial-flow pump ical interest. They include any type of pump powered by
These are referred to as centrifugal design pumps. The a steam engine and also pistonless pumps such as Thomas
Savery's or the Pulsometer steam pump.
Recently there has been a resurgence of interest in low
power solar steam pumps for use in smallholder irriga-
tion in developing countries. Previously small steam en-
gines have not been viable because of escalating ineffi-
ciencies as vapour engines decrease in size. However the
use of modern engineering materials coupled with alter-
native engine configurations has meant that these types of
system are now a cost effective opportunity.

1.6 Valveless pumps

Valveless pumping assists in fluid transport in various

biomedical and engineering systems. In a valveless
pumping system, no valves (or physical occlusions) are
Axial pump (propeller in pipe) present to regulate the flow direction. The fluid pumping
 9

efficiency of a valveless system, however, is not neces- more initially, but last much longer between repairs. The
sarily lower than that having valves. In fact, many fluid- MTBF of a better pump may be one to four years longer
dynamical systems in nature and engineering more or than that of its non-upgraded counterpart. Consider that
less rely upon valveless pumping to transport the work- published average values of avoided pump failures range
ing fluids therein. For instance, blood circulation in the from US$2600 to US$12,000. This does not include lost
cardiovascular system is maintained to some extent even opportunity costs. One pump fire occurs per 1000 fail-
when the heart’s valves fail. Meanwhile, the embry- ures. Having fewer pump failures means having fewer
onic vertebrate heart begins pumping blood long before destructive pump fires.
the development of discernible chambers and valves. In
As has been noted, a typical pump failure based on ac-
microfluidics, valveless impedance pumps have been fab- tual year 2002 reports, costs US$5,000 on average. This
ricated, and are expected to be particularly suitable for
includes costs for material, parts, labor and overhead. Ex-
handling sensitive biofluids. Ink jet printers operating on tending a pump’s MTBF from 12 to 18 months would save
the Piezoelectric transducer principal also use valveless
US$1,667 per year — which might be greater than the
pumping. The pump chamber is emptied through the cost to upgrade the centrifugal pump’s reliability.[7][8][9]
printing jet due to reduced flow impedance in that direc-
tion and refilled by capillary action.

3 Applications
2 Pump repairs

Examining pump repair records and mean time between

failures (MTBF) is of great importance to responsible and
conscientious pump users. In view of that fact, the pref-
ace to the 2006 Pump User’s Handbook alludes to “pump
failure” statistics. For the sake of convenience, these fail-
ure statistics often are translated into MTBF (in this case, Metering pump for gasoline and additives.
installed life before failure).[7]
In early 2005, Gordon Buck, John Crane Inc.’s chief engi- Pumps are used throughout society for a variety of pur-
neer for Field Operations in Baton Rouge, LA, examined poses. Early applications includes the use of the windmill
the repair records for a number of refinery and chemical or watermill to pump water. Today, the pump is used
plants to obtain meaningful reliability data for centrifu- for irrigation, water supply, gasoline supply, air condi-
gal pumps. A total of 15 operating plants having nearly tioning systems, refrigeration (usually called a compres-
15,000 pumps were included in the survey. The smallest sor), chemical movement, sewage movement, flood con-
of these plants had about 100 pumps; several plants had trol, marine services, etc.
over 2000. All facilities were located in the United States. Because of the wide variety of applications, pumps have
In addition, considered as “new”, others as “renewed” and a plethora of shapes and sizes: from very large to very
still others as “established”. Many of these plants—but small, from handling gas to handling liquid, from high
not all—had an alliance arrangement with John Crane. In pressure to low pressure, and from high volume to low
some cases, the alliance contract included having a John volume.
Crane Inc. technician or engineer on-site to coordinate
various aspects of the program.
Not all plants are refineries, however, and different re- 3.1 Priming a pump
sults occur elsewhere. In chemical plants, pumps have
traditionally been “throw-away” items as chemical attack Typically, a liquid pump can't simply draw air. The feed
limits life. Things have improved in recent years, but line of the pump must first be filled with the liquid that
the somewhat restricted space available in “old” DIN and requires pumping. An operator must introduce liquid into
ASME-standardized stuffing boxes places limits on the the system to initiate the pumping. This is called priming
type of seal that fits. Unless the pump user upgrades the the pump. Loss of prime is usually due to ingestion of air
seal chamber, the pump only accommodates more com- into the pump. The clearances and displacement ratios in
pact and simple versions. Without this upgrading, life- pumps for liquids, whether thin or more viscous, usually
times in chemical installations are generally around 50 to cannot displace air due to its compressibility.
60 percent of the refinery values.
Unscheduled maintenance is often one of the most sig- 3.2 Pumps as public water supplies
nificant costs of ownership, and failures of mechanical
seals and bearings are among the major causes. Keep One sort of pump once common worldwide was a hand-
in mind the potential value of selecting pumps that cost powered water pump, or 'pitcher pump'. It was com-
10 3 APPLICATIONS

Modern hand-operated community pumps are considered

the most sustainable low-cost option for safe water sup-
ply in resource-poor settings, often in rural areas in de-
veloping countries. A hand pump opens access to deeper
groundwater that is often not polluted and also improves
the safety of a well by protecting the water source from
contaminated buckets. Pumps such as the Afridev pump
are designed to be cheap to build and install, and easy to
maintain with simple parts. However, scarcity of spare
parts for these type of pumps in some regions of Africa
has diminished their utility for these areas.

3.3 Sealing multiphase pumping applica-

tions

Multiphase pumping applications, also referred to as tri-

phase, have grown due to increased oil drilling activity.
In addition, the economics of multiphase production is
attractive to upstream operations as it leads to simpler,
smaller in-field installations, reduced equipment costs and
First European depiction of a piston pump, by Taccola, improved production rates. In essence, the multiphase
c.1450.[10] pump can accommodate all fluid stream properties with
one piece of equipment, which has a smaller footprint.
Often, two smaller multiphase pumps are installed in se-
ries rather than having just one massive pump.
For midstream and upstream operations, multiphase
pumps can be located onshore or offshore and can be con-
nected to single or multiple wellheads. Basically, mul-
tiphase pumps are used to transport the untreated flow
stream produced from oil wells to downstream processes
or gathering facilities. This means that the pump may
handle a flow stream (well stream) from 100 percent gas
to 100 percent liquid and every imaginable combination
in between. The flow stream can also contain abrasives
such as sand and dirt. Multiphase pumps are designed
to operate under changing/fluctuating process conditions.
Irrigation is underway by pump-enabled extraction directly from Multiphase pumping also helps eliminate emissions of
the Gumti, seen in the background, in Comilla, Bangladesh. greenhouse gases as operators strive to minimize the flar-
ing of gas and the venting of tanks where possible.[12]

monly installed over community water wells in the days

before piped water supplies. 3.3.1 Types and features of multiphase pumps
In parts of the British Isles, it was often called the parish
pump. Though such community pumps are no longer Helico-Axial Pumps (Centrifugal) A rotodynamic pump
common, people still used the expression parish pump to with one single shaft that requires two mechanical seals,
describe a place or forum where matters of local interest this pump uses an open-type axial impeller. It’s often
are discussed.[11] called a Poseidon pump, and can be described as a cross
between an axial compressor and a centrifugal pump.
Because water from pitcher pumps is drawn directly from
the soil, it is more prone to contamination. If such water Twin Screw (Positive Displacement) The twin screw pump
is not filtered and purified, consumption of it might lead is constructed of two inter-meshing screws that move the
to gastrointestinal or other water-borne diseases. A noto- pumped fluid. Twin screw pumps are often used when
rious case is the 1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak. At pumping conditions contain high gas volume fractions
the time it was not known how cholera was transmitted, and fluctuating inlet conditions. Four mechanical seals
but physician John Snow suspected contaminated water are required to seal the two shafts.
and had the handle of the public pump he suspected re- Progressive Cavity Pumps (Positive Displacement) Pro-
moved; the outbreak then subsided. gressive cavity pumps are single-screw types typically
 11

used in shallow wells or at the surface. This pump is and outlet (in Pa), and Q, the volume flow-rate of the fluid
mainly used on surface applications where the pumped is given in m3 /s. The total pressure may have gravita-
fluid may contain a considerable amount of solids such as tional, static pressure and kinetic energy components; i.e.
sand and dirt. energy is distributed between change in the fluid’s gravita-
Electric Submersible Pumps (Centrifugal) These pumps tional potential energy (going up or down hill), change in
are basically multistage centrifugal pumps and are widely velocity, or change in static pressure. η is the pump effi-
used in oil well applications as a method for artificial lift. ciency, and may be given by the manufacturer’s informa-
These pumps are usually specified when the pumped fluid tion, such as in the form of a pump curve, and is typically
derived from either fluid dynamics simulation (i.e. solu-
is mainly liquid.
tions to the Navier–Stokes for the particular pump geom-
Buffer Tank A buffer tank is often installed upstream of etry), or by testing. The efficiency of the pump depends
the pump suction nozzle in case of a slug flow. The buffer upon the pump’s configuration and operating conditions
tank breaks the energy of the liquid slug, smoothes any (such as rotational speed, fluid density and viscosity etc.)
fluctuations in the incoming flow and acts as a sand trap.
As the name indicates, multiphase pumps and their me-
chanical seals can encounter a large variation in service (v22 − v12 ) ∆pstatic
∆P = + ∆zg +
conditions such as changing process fluid composition, 2 ρ
temperature variations, high and low operating pressures
and exposure to abrasive/erosive media. The challenge For a typical “pumping” configuration, the work is im-
is selecting the appropriate mechanical seal arrangement parted on the fluid, and is thus positive. For the fluid im-
and support system to ensure maximized seal life and its parting the work on the pump (i.e. a turbine), the work
overall effectiveness.[12][13][14] is negative. Power required to drive the pump is deter-
mined by dividing the output power by the pump effi-
ciency. Furthermore, this definition encompasses pumps
with no moving parts, such as a siphon.
4 Specifications
Pumps are commonly rated by horsepower, flow rate, out-
let pressure in metres (or feet) of head, inlet suction in
6 Pump efficiency
suction feet (or metres) of head. The head can be simpli-
fied as the number of feet or metres the pump can raise Pump efficiency is defined as the ratio of the power im-
or lower a column of water at atmospheric pressure. parted on the fluid by the pump in relation to the power
supplied to drive the pump. Its value is not fixed for a
From an initial design point of view, engineers often use given pump, efficiency is a function of the discharge and
a quantity termed the specific speed to identify the most therefore also operating head. For centrifugal pumps, the
suitable pump type for a particular combination of flow efficiency tends to increase with flow rate up to a point
rate and head. midway through the operating range (peak efficiency) and
then declines as flow rates rise further. Pump perfor-
mance data such as this is usually supplied by the man-
5 Pumping power ufacturer before pump selection. Pump efficiencies tend
to decline over time due to wear(e.g. increasing clear-
Main article: Bernoulli’s equation ances as impellers reduce in size).
When a system design includes a centrifugal pump, an
The power imparted into a fluid increases the energy of important issue it its design is matching the head loss-
the fluid per unit volume. Thus the power relationship flow characteristic with the pump so that it operates at or
is between the conversion of the mechanical energy of close to the point of its maximum efficiency.
the pump mechanism and the fluid elements within the Pump efficiency is an important aspect and pumps should
pump. In general, this is governed by a series of simulta- be regularly tested. Thermodynamic pump testing is one
neous differential equations, known as the Navier–Stokes method.
equations. However a more simple equation relating only
the different energies in the fluid, known as Bernoulli’s
equation can be used. Hence the power, P, required by
the pump: 7 See also
• Affinity laws
∆pQ
P = • Balancing machine
η
where Δp is the change in total pressure between the inlet • Beam pump and walking beam pump
12 10 EXTERNAL LINKS

• Bellows - a simple air pumping device [4] Tanzania water blog - example of grass roots researcher
telling about his study and work with the rope pump in
• Breast pump Africa.

• Bush Pump [5] Welcome to the Hydraulic Institute. Pumps.org. Re-

trieved on 2011-05-25.
• Chopper pump
[6] Dictionary centripetal
• Concrete pump
[7] Pump Statistics Should Shape Strategies. Mt-online.com
• Comparison of pumps 1 October 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2014.

[8] Submersible slurry pumps in high demand. Engineer-

• Cyclic pump ingnews.co.za. Retrieved on 2011-05-25.
• Fire pump [9] Wasser, Goodenberger, Jim and Bob (November 1993).
“Extended Life, Zero Emissions Seal for Process Pumps”.
• Gas compressor John Crane Technical Report (Routledge). TRP 28017.
• Gerotor [10] Hill, Donald Routledge (1996). A History of Engineering
in Classical and Medieval Times. London: Routledge. p.
• Honda pumps 143. ISBN 0-415-15291-7.
• Inductive Pump [11] “Online Dictionary – Parish Pump”. Retrieved 2010-11-
22.
• Intelligent pump
[12] Sealing Multiphase Pumping Applications | Seals. Pump-
• Jockey pump zone.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-25.

• Metering pump [13] John Crane Seal Sentinel – John Crane Increases Produc-
tion Capabilities with Machine that Streamlines Four Ma-
• Peristaltic pump chining Functions into One. Sealsentinel.com. Retrieved
on 2011-05-25.
• Pumping station
[14] Vacuum pump new on SA market. Engineer-
• Pumpjack (oil pump) ingnews.co.za. Retrieved on 2011-05-25.

• Scoop wheel

• Scroll pump, most used in scroll compressors 9 Further reading

• Sine pump • Australian Pump Manufacturers’ Association. Aus-
tralian Pump Technical Handbook, 3rd edition.
• Tesla turbine Canberra: Australian Pump Manufacturers’ Asso-
ciation, 1987. ISBN 0-7316-7043-4.
• Wind pump
• Hicks, Tyler G. and Theodore W. Edwards. Pump
• Slip factor
Application Engineering. McGraw-Hill Book Com-
• Biological pump - a phenomenon in nature studied pany.1971. ISBN 0-07-028741-4
in ecology and meteorology • Karassik, Igor, ed. (2007). Pump Handbook (4 ed.).
• Ion transporter - bio-chemical pump used in living McGraw Hill. ISBN 9780071460446.
cell membranes to transfer ions • Robbins, L. B. “Homemade Water Pressure Sys-
tems”. Popular Science, February 1919, pages 83–
• Pump organ - musical instrument using bellows
84. Article about how a homeowner can easily build
a pressurized home water system that does not use
electricity.
8 References
[1] Pump classifications. Fao.org. Retrieved on 2011-05-25. 10 External links
[2] “Drilling Pumps”. Gardner Denver.
• Water hammer pump
[3] “Stimulation and Fracturing pumps: Reciprocating, Quin-
tuplex Stimulation and Fracturing Pump”. Gardner Den- • www.pumpschool.com—Pump education devoted
ver. primarily to rotary positive displacement pumps
 13

• — See Jet Pumps

14 11 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

11 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

11.1 Text
• Pump Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pump?oldid=638442202 Contributors: Lee Daniel Crocker, Bryan Derksen, Ellmist, DrBob,
Heron, Topory, Patrick, Zanimum, Dcljr, IZAK, Ahoerstemeier, Mac, Theresa knott, Snoyes, Kingturtle, Ugen64, Glenn, Jschwa1, Samw,
SEWilco, Phoebe, Robbot, Jra, HaeB, Xanzzibar, Buster2058, Ancheta Wis, Giftlite, DocWatson42, DavidCary, Mintleaf, Wolfkeeper,
BenFrantzDale, Everyking, Pashute, Per Honor et Gloria, Solipsist, Antandrus, H Padleckas, Sam Hocevar, Ukexpat, Spiffy sperry, Diago-
nalfish, Discospinster, Brianhe, Yuval madar, Marsian, Vsmith, LindsayH, Notinasnaid, Inventor, Nabla, El C, Mwanner, RoyBoy, Femto,
Longhair, CrimsonFury, Giraffedata, Alansohn, Anthony Appleyard, Tobych, Atlant, Andrewpmk, Velella, Stephan Leeds, Gpvos, Shoefly,
Mikeo, Ttownfeen, Tr00st, Adrian.benko, Postrach, Mindmatrix, Brhaspati, Thivierr, Plek, Pol098, Rtdrury, Tabletop, Kmg90, Schzmo,
Cbdorsett, SCEhardt, SDC, Ryajinor, BD2412, MikeDockery, Josh Parris, Saperaud, Rjwilmsi, Missmarple, Dennyboy34, Driglaz, Krash,
Mariegriffiths, Allen Moore, FlaBot, Gurch, Chobot, John Dalton, Bgwhite, WriterHound, YurikBot, Wavelength, RussBot, DMahalko,
Ytrottier, Stephenb, Ivdla, David R. Ingham, NawlinWiki, Spike Wilbury, Grafen, JohJak2, Rick lightburn, Seegoon, Ravedave, Dmoss,
RL0919, Stevenwmccrary58, Syrthiss, Izuko, Kkmurray, User27091, TransUtopian, Calvin08, Emijrp, CQ, SilentC, Palx, Capz, Fang Aili,
E Wing, Chriswaterguy, Skittle, Katieh5584, Amberrock, Mejor Los Indios, Groyolo, CIreland, ChemGardener, SmackBot, Selfworm,
UbUb, David Kernow, Reedy, KnowledgeOfSelf, Jagged 85, KVDP, Gilliam, Ohnoitsjamie, Optikos, Jprg1966, Snori, SchfiftyThree,
Colonies Chris, Can't sleep, clown will eat me, Aremith, Proofreader, Jacob Poon, Cui Bono, Rrburke, Dripp, Kcordina, Mistress Selina
Kyle, Hgilbert, Pumpman, Gregzsidisin, Cosmix, Mion, Will Beback, Rory096, Harryboyles, Jaganath, Rijkbenik, Gregorydavid, As-
pirex, Aleenf1, 16@r, The real bicky, JHunterJ, Dicklyon, Geologyguy, [email protected], Laurence Salamey, Abog, ChaoticLlama,
Tawkerbot2, Lbr123, ChrisCork, SkyWalker, CmdrObot, Van helsing, Chrike, Rmallins, Revolus, Cydebot, A876, Mato, Go229, Gogo
Dodo, Studerby, Prof. Frink, Thijs!bot, Discostu5, Tonyle, Dtgriscom, Marek69, A. Balet, John254, Davidhorman, RoboServien, JE-
Brown87544, EdJogg, AntiVandalBot, Saimhe, Luna Santin, Mvjs, Mrshaba, DarkAudit, Daniel Kellis, Chill doubt, MVONeill, Gaius
Maius, JAnDbot, Husond, MER-C, PhilKnight, Magioladitis, BlueKfrog, Seyhanersoy, Jrssr5, Joerd, Engineman, Catgut, 454Casull, User
A1, Gun Powder Ma, Drjem3, MartinBot, SmokeySteve, R'n'B, CommonsDelinker, Johnpacklambert, Umbreo, Pekaje, CDM2, J.delanoy,
Xris0, Old ivan, Janus Shadowsong, Macomac, NewEnglandYankee, Bernard S. Jansen, Aatomic1, Tygrrr, Vanished user 39948282,
Bonadea, Inwind, Idioma-bot, Funandtrvl, Lights, VolkovBot, Designflavour, Turaj21, Philip Trueman, TXiKiBoT, Zamphuor, MrBeck,
Yegor Chernyshev, Ray Beebe, Jackfork, Bored461, BotKung, Sararaye, Constantinobel, Andy Dingley, Kilmer-san, Bluesincenew, Mik-
eRiggs, Tougar, Finnaries, Fingat, Northfox, Michael Frind, Matthias.haas, Eloc Jcg, D. Recorder, Lazworld, Biscuittin, SieBot, Brenont,
BotMultichill, Dawn Bard, Brunnian, Collrymis, GILDog, Allmightyduck, Phil Bridger, Oxymoron83, KatieDOM, OKBot, Correogsk,
Anakin101, Jcjack, Mr. Stradivarius, Wolfgang chen, Dolphin51, Denisarona, Elnon, BartYgor, ClueBot, Spudmagee, Kneedeep 07,
Drmies, MARKELLOS, PMDrive1061, Excirial, Kjramesh, Alexbot, Pmronchi, Arjayay, CFCW, SchreiberBike, Watsan, Terabucks, Ty-
ates23, Pine1587, MKTURBO, Egmontaz, Crowsnest, BarretB, XLinkBot, Gwandoya, SilvonenBot, Huiding, Airplaneman, Addbot, Some
jerk on the Internet, Subfish, Trinitite, MrOllie, Download, LaaknorBot, Ryoga Godai, Ccacsmss, Castlepumps, Peridon, Tide rolls, Light-
bot, Arbitrarily0, Snaily, Artichoke-Boy, Archiegem, Yobot, SwisterTwister, Username5000, Mindbuilder, South Bay, Daniele Pugliesi,
Plato071, Hmvont, Materialscientist, Plaugepony, ArdWar, Christopher Pritchard, GB fan, Xqbot, TheAMmollusc, Teresa Roanoke, Ken-
nro, ChrysalSnowlax, Capricorn42, Wdl1961, Sykes14, Amyharold, Smbrown123, Erik9, S. L. Abhyankar, FoolAmI, Riventree, Al-
muhammedi, Idyllic press, TawsifSalam, Jamesooders, Call me for a good time, Sm faysal, Pinethicket, GeVFR, Tjeenkwillink, Natty
34, Jschnur, Devisk, Twistlethrop, Emamnissar, Robvanvee, Drain064, ChemE50, Jwolla, Tbhotch, Henfracar, Mean as custard, Alph
Bot, Papacnktsp, EmausBot, Davejohnsan, Grupler, A556a, Pgdp123, RenamedUser01302013, Wikipelli, Мирослав Ћика, Gertdam,
Thecheesykid, Myusername99999, Leaderpro, AquaGeneral, Rajesh 2800, Kilopi, Amymaxwell139, Chatepandurang, Griffintok, Sob-
huev, Accotink2, Maaseppo, GrayFullbuster, Spicemix, Smeatz, Morgis, ClueBot NG, Incompetence, Bugwak, Satellizer, Piast93, Chester
Markel, Mavisding, Loginnigol, Millermk, Feedintm, Darkmag3, Widr, NeetuBarmecha21, 10elias10, Paulsimon294923874, Helpful
Pixie Bot, Hollywooddu, Supermunkyfm94, Group03, Wbm1058, BG19bot, Ymblanter, WTBChris, Strangepower, WebSolutions4Me,
PiusImpavidus, Altaïr, CitationCleanerBot, Probity incarnate, Pond101, Zedshort, Vanischenu, Darrenfiy, Ncastromarques, The Illusive
Man, ChrisGualtieri, Helloworld98, Lucky0415, BrightStarSky, T567, Rac2665, Holyhorseballs, Muik89, Jerry steriano, Acetotyce, I
am One of Many, Do better, Soebadri, Dmizell, InvincibleWiki, Ugog Nizdast, Jianhui67, ரோஜா, SarathPetece, Grabalot, JaconaFrere,
Rajeshrajraj, Gregpedia, TuxLibNit, Kpehlivanoglou, Primarily 1234, Chautrandvg, MatthewAtkinsonUK, Rajza112, Rohan.khariwale,
Xxx-pussymuncher-xxx and Anonymous: 552

11.2 Images
• File:Airlift_Pump_vs_Geyser_Pump.JPG Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Airlift_Pump_vs_Geyser_
Pump.JPG License: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: Gaomingwu
• File:Axial_2.png Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Axial_2.png License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: ?
Original artist: ?
• File:Centrifugal_2.png Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Centrifugal_2.png License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Con-
tributors: ? Original artist: ?
• File:Common_Lobe_Pump.png Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Common_Lobe_Pump.png License:
CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Brazosport College
• File:Commons-logo.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: ? Contributors: ? Original
artist: ?
• File:Dosierpumpe.gif Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Dosierpumpe.gif License: Public domain Contrib-
utors: www.thomas-magnete.com Original artist: THOMAS MAGNETE GmbH
• File:Drehkolbenpumpe.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Drehkolbenpumpe.jpg License: CC-BY-
SA-3.0 Contributors: Herold & Co. GmbH Original artist: Herold & Co. GmbH
• File:Eccentric_pump.gif Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/19/Eccentric_pump.gif License: PD Contributors: ? Orig-
inal artist: ?
11.3 Content license 15

• File:Flexible_impeller_pump.gif Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Flexible_impeller_pump.gif License:

GFDL Contributors: work
Previously published: www.liverani.com Original artist: Rac2665
• File:Gear_pump.png Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Gear_pump.png License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contrib-
utors: ? Original artist: ?
• File:Hand_pump.png Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Hand_pump.png License: Public domain Contribu-
tors: ? Original artist: ?
• File:Jet_pump.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Jet_pump.jpg License: Public domain Contributors:
Own work Original artist: KVDP
• File:Lobbenpomp.gif Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Lobbenpomp.gif License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contrib-
utors: Transferred from nl.wikipedia to Commons. Original artist: McDavid at Dutch Wikipedia
• File:Lysholm_screw_rotors.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Lysholm_screw_rotors.jpg License: CC
BY-SA 2.5 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Motorhead at English Wikipedia
• File:Pcp-thumb.gif Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Pcp-thumb.gif License: Public domain Contributors:
Own work Original artist: Petteri Aimonen
• File:Piston_VS_Plunger_Pump.png Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Piston_VS_Plunger_Pump.png Li-
cense: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: KVDP
• File:Pulser_pump.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Pulser_pump.jpg License: CC0 Contributors: Own
work Original artist: Rijkbenik
• File:Pump-enabled_Riverside_Irrigation_in_Comilla,_Bangladesh,_25_April_2014.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/
wikipedia/commons/8/88/Pump-enabled_Riverside_Irrigation_in_Comilla%2C_Bangladesh%2C_25_April_2014.jpg License: CC
BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Mohammed Tawsif Salam
• File:Pump-tah.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Pump-tah.jpg License: Public domain Contributors:
Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here. Original artist: Original uploader was Marian Gladis at en.wikipedia
• File:Rope_Pump.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Rope_Pump.svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contribu-
tors: Own work Original artist: Xofc
• File:Rotary_vane_pump.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Rotary_vane_pump.svg License: CC-BY-
SA-3.0 Contributors: Original Uploader was Rainer Bielefeld (talk) at 16:17, 16. Jul 2004. Original artist: Rainer Bielefeld0
• File:Taccola_first_piston.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Taccola_first_piston.jpg License: Public
domain Contributors: Reproduction [1] Original artist: Mariano di Jacopo
• File:Two_moving_spirals_scroll_pump.gif Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Two_moving_spirals_
scroll_pump.gif License: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: Cacycle
• File:Wasserwerk_pumpe01.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Wasserwerk_pumpe01.jpg License:
CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?

11.3 Content license

• Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0