Different Types of Pumps

Pumps are devices that are used for fluid movement by either mechanical or physical action. There are different types of pumps, which are essentially designed in terms of how each mechanism move or transfer fluids such as slurries or other form of liquids, and their varying degree or load capacity. The following are just some of the varying types of pumps available in the market today.

Positive Displacement pumps

These types of devices work by displacing out intentionally trapped fluid towards the discharge pipe. Unlike other types of water pumps, these devices always produce a constant flow even if the discharge pressure changes. Positive displacement pumps are considered very efficient because of its designed. It uses natural force to move air away from the piping, meaning you will not need extra power to vacuum out the air along the lines in order to pull the fluid out.

Positive displacement pumps are also classified into the following types: rotary type, reciprocating type, and linear type. Rotary pumps use the vacuum created by rotation to draw in liquid, thus it is highly efficient and the need to manually remove the air is no longer necessary. The reciprocating type uses oscillating pistons for suction and discharge to lift up fluid. There are various types of reciprocating positive displacement pumps, such as piston displacement pumps, diaphragm pumps and plunger pumps.

Diaphragm pumps are one of the most commonly used positive displacement pumps in the shipping and processing companies. These pumps are designed fundamentally for safety, and are available in the market at a very reasonable price. Moreover, it is powered by compressed air, a rather modern approach to pumping fluids.

Centrifugal Pumps

A centrifugal pump uses an impeller to increase the flow rate, which in turn increases the pressure on the fluid. There are many kinds of centrifugal pumps. These types of pumps are generally used in moving any form of liquid through a piping system.

The most commonly used centrifugal pump is the radial flow type. Radial flow pumps, or more specifically, radial impeller, operate through the rotating impeller thereby pushing the fluid to flow radially out onto a chamber from which it exits to the outside piping.

On the other hand, axial flow pumps allow fluids to exit parallel to the direction of entry, except at a higher level. In this case, the rotating pump acts as a kind of propeller inside a tube.