PUMPS

FUNDAMENTALS

Muhammad Hussain Imran

What is a pump?
A pump is a mechanical device that is used to give energy to a flowing liquid such that the liquid

can overcome the resistance in the hydraulic system. Simply the pump converts mechanical

energy into hydraulic energy given to the flow.

Applications
• Pumping oil and petroleum derivatives from production or storage site to the market.

• Pumping drinking/waste water to/from homes.

• Firefighting applications.

• In any automobile exists at least three pumps of different types:

✓ Lubrication pump.

✓ Cooling water pump.

✓ Fuel pump.

PUMPS TYPE

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POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT Pump
PDPs displace a fixed amount of liquid from suction side to discharge side. These pumps give
very high pressures but little flow rates. So they are used in fluid power applications to pump oil
in heavy duty machines (cranes, excavators, etc.).

Dynamic Head Pumps (DHP)

DHPs increase the kinetic energy of the flow which is then converted to pressure. These pumps
give very large quantities at low pressures. So they are used in liquid transportation to pump e.g.
to pump water from treatment stations to homes.

COMPARISON

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1. POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
The pump delivers a fixed amount of liquid (displacement) whatever
the system pressure.

The decrease of flow rate at high pressures occurs due to increased

leakage.

The flow rate of any PDP can be given by the following formula:
𝑁
𝑄 = 𝜂𝑣 𝑉𝑑
60
Where;
𝜂𝑣 = volumetric efficiency that compensates for pump leakage, slip, (=100% for zero leakage pump)
𝑉𝑑= volumetric displacement of the pump (depends on the pump geometry, equals the chamber
volume for piston pump and the space between teeth and casing for gear pump) (m3)

𝑁 = pump speed (rpm)

Performance of PDPs
The figure shows the change of pump parameters (Q,𝜂𝑣,𝜂𝑂𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑙, Psh) with pump man-metric
pressure and speed. The volumetric efficiency decreases as the pressure difference increases.
This is due to increase of leakage through pump clearances at high pressures. Also, as the pump
speed increases the liquid can be displaced by minimum leakage i.e. the volumetric efficiency
increases.

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1.2 TYPE OF POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT PUMP
A. Reciprocating Pump
A.1 Piston Pump
The piston pump is the simplest and may be oldest type of pumps. This pump produces very high
pressures and can pump slurries and heavy liquid. It consists of a piston that reciprocates inside
a cylinder. As the piston retards, the volume of the space increases and a new amount of liquid is
sucked through inlet check valve. As the piston advances, the volume decreases and hence delivers
the liquid through the outlet check valve.

A.2 Diaphragm Pump

The pump will function when a diaphragm is forced into reciprocating motion by mechanical linkage,
compressed air, or fluid from a pulsating, external source. The pump construction eliminates any
contact between the liquid being pumped and the source of energy. This eliminates the possibility
of leakage, which is important when handling toxic or very expensive liquids. Disadvantages include
limited head and capacity range, and the necessity of check valves in the suction and discharge
nozzles.

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B. Rotary Pump
Rotary pumps operate on the principle that a rotating vane, screw, or gear traps the liquid in the
suction side of the pump casing and forces it to the discharge side of the casing. These pumps
are essentially self-priming due to their capability of removing air from suction lines and
producing a high suction lift. In pumps designed for systems requiring high suction lift and self-
priming features, it is essential that all clearances between rotating parts, and between rotating
and stationary parts, be kept to a minimum in order to reduce slippage. Slippage is leakage of fluid
from the discharge of the pump back to its suction.

B.1 Gear Pump

External Gear Pump: It consists of two meshing gears that rotate inside a fit casing. As the
teeth separate, the space between them increases and sucks a certain amount of liquid. The
trapped liquid moves with the teeth till they get in contact again and the space between them
become zero. The only way the liquid has is the delivery port.

With the large number of teeth usually employed on the gears, the discharge is relatively smooth
and continuous, with small quantities of liquid being delivered to the discharge line in rapid
succession.

An external precision gear pump is usually limited to a maximum working pressure of 210 bars
(21,000 kPa) and a maximum speed of 3,000 rpm. Some manufacturers produce gear pumps with
higher working pressures and speeds but these types of pumps tend to be noisy and special
precautions may have to be made.

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Internal Gear Pump: An internal gear pump works on a similar principle except the two linking
gears sizes are different with one revolving within the other. The rotor is a larger gear and also
an inner gear, and it has the teeth projecting inside.

A permanent semi-circular formed divider otherwise spacer seals the void shaped through the
off-center mounting location of the idler & performs like a seal among the ports like inlet & outlet.
When the gears appear from the mesh on the pump’s inlet side, they make an extended quantity.
Fluid supplies into the cavities as well as trapped with the teeth of gear because the gears
continue for rotating next to the casing of the pump. The trapped liquid can be moved from the
inlet side to the discharge side in the region of the casing.

When the gears teeth become linked on the discharge surface of the pump, then the amount can
be decreased & the liquid is forced out beneath force. Inner gear pump plans only utilize spur
gears.

Advantages Disadvantages

• High speed • Four bushings in liquid area

• High pressure • No solids allowed
• No overhung bearing loads • Fixed End Clearances
• Relatively quiet operation
• Design accommodates wide variety of
materials

Applications

• Various fuel oils and lube oils

• Chemical additive and polymer metering
• Chemical mixing and blending (double pump)
• Industrial and mobile hydraulic applications (log splitters, lifts, etc.)
• Acids and caustic (stainless steel or composite construction)
• Low volume transfer or application.

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B.2 Lope Pump Lobe pumps are similar to external gear pumps in operation in that fluid
flows around the interior of the casing. Unlike external gear pumps, however, the lobes do not
make contact. Lobe contact is prevented by external timing gears located in the gearbox. Pump
shaft support bearings are located in the gearbox, and since the bearings are out of the pumped
liquid, pressure is limited by bearing location and shaft deflection which reduces the noise levels
of this pump

B.3 Screw Pump is equipped with screws that mesh together and rotate within a cylindrical
cavity or liner. The fluid enters from the suction side of the pump and moves linearly along these
intermeshing screws to the discharge side of the pump. The clearances between the screws and
the liner are very small hence the fluid gains pressure while moving through the pump.

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B.4 Vane Pump The pump consists of a cylindrically bored housing with a suction inlet on
one side and a discharge outlet on the other. A cylindrically shaped rotor with a diameter smaller
than the cylinder is driven about an axis placed above the centerline of the cylinder. The clearance
between rotor and cylinder is small at the top but increases at the bottom. The rotor carries
vanes that move in and out as it rotates to maintain sealed spaces between the rotor and the
cylinder wall. The vanes trap liquid or gas on the suction side and carry it to the discharge side,
where contraction of the space expels it through the discharge line. The vanes may swing on
pivots, or they may slide in slots in the rotor.

Characteristics of vane pump

✓ Polished hardened vanes and cam ring

✓ High efficiency (95%) even for low viscosity liquids.

✓ Automatic wear compensation.

✓ Low pressures (200 bar).

✓ Low noise at low speed.

✓ Widely used in mobile equipment.

✓ Used for high speed services or springs are needed to hold the vanes out against the ring.

✓ Tolerate dirt.

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2. Dynamic Head Pumps (DHP)

2.1 Centrifugal Pump

Centrifugal pumps basically consist of a stationary pump casing and an impeller mounted on a
rotating shaft. The pump casing provides a pressure boundary for the pump and contains channels
to properly direct the suction and discharge flow. The pump casing has suction and discharge
penetrations for the main flow path of the pump and normally has small drain and vent fittings to
remove gases trapped in the pump casing or to drain the pump casing for maintenance.

The pump casing guides the liquid from the suction connection to the center, or eye, of the
impeller.

The vanes of the rotating impeller impart a radial and rotary motion to the liquid, forcing it to
the outer periphery of the pump casing where it is collected in the outer part of the pump casing
called the volute.

The volute is a region that expands in cross-sectional area as it wraps around the pump casing.
The purpose of the volute is to collect the liquid discharged from the periphery of the impeller
at high velocity and gradually cause a reduction in fluid velocity by increasing the flow area.

This converts the velocity head to static pressure. The fluid is then discharged from the pump
through the discharge connection.

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Diffuser: Some centrifugal pumps contain diffusers. A
diffuser is a set of stationary vanes that surround the
impeller. The purpose of the diffuser is to increase the
efficiency of the centrifugal pump by allowing a more
gradual expansion and less turbulent area for the liquid to
reduce in velocity. The diffuser vanes are designed in a
manner that the liquid exiting the impeller will encounter
an ever-increasing flow area as it passes through the
diffuser. This increase in flow area causes a reduction in
flow velocity, converting kinetic energy into flow pressure.

Impeller: Impellers of pumps are classified based on the number of points that the liquid can
enter the impeller and also on the amount of webbing between the impeller blades. Impellers can
be either single suction or double-suction. A single-suction impeller allows liquid to enter the
center of the blades from only one direction. A double-suction impeller allows liquid to enter the
center of the impeller blades from both sides simultaneously. Figure 4 shows simplified diagrams
of single and double-suction impellers.

Impellers can be open, semi-open, or enclosed. The open impeller consists only of blades attached
to a hub. The semi-open impeller is constructed with a circular plate (the web) attached to one
side of the blades. The enclosed impeller has circular plates attached to both sides of the blades.
Enclosed impellers are also referred to as shrouded impellers. Figure 5 illustrates examples of
open, semi-open, and enclosed impellers.

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Types of Centrifugal Pump
The theory of operation of the centrifugal pump is based on the centrifugal force. This
centrifugal force would be generated (there will be flow from suction to delivery pipes) whatever
the shape of the impeller blades. However, the backward blades have “self-limiting” power
characteristics that protect the motor from overload.

As is evident from the power-discharge characteristics of the radial and forward vane centrifugal
pump, the power requirement increases monotonically with an increase in discharge. Hence, if the
pump motor is rated for maximum power, then it will remain under-utilized for most of the
operating time, and result in an increased cost due to its higher rating. On the other hand, if a
motor is rated at the design point, and due to some reason the flow-rate exceeds the design flow
rate, then the power requirement will shoot up(in case of forward and radial vanes only), causing
overloading and motor failure.
However, for backward curve-vane centrifugal pumps, if the flow-rate exceeds the design flow
rate (occurs quite close to the maximum of the power-discharge curve), then contrary to the
earlier case, the power requirement drops down as evident from the curves. This enables the
motor which is rated at the design power to handle the entire range of flow-rates without any
problems. The actual design point is located corresponding to the flow-rate at which maximum
efficiency occurs.

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Imprtant Note

𝑯𝒔𝒕: 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑯𝒎: 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒉𝒍𝒔: 𝑺𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑳𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔

𝑯𝒔𝒔: 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑺𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑯𝒎𝒔: 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝑺𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒉𝒍𝒅: 𝑫𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑳𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔

𝑯𝒔𝒅: 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑫𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑯𝒎𝒅: 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝑫𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑽𝟐/𝟐𝒈 ∶ 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑬𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚

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