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Classication of Pumps

One general source of pump terminology, denitions, rules, and standards is the Hydraulic Institute (HI) Standards,2 approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as national standards. A classication of pumps by type, as dened by the HI, is shown in Figure 1. Pumps are divided into two fundamental types based on the manner in which they transmit energy to the pumped media: kinetic or positive displacement. In kinetic displacement, a centrifugal force of the rotating element, called an impeller, impels kinetic energy to the uid, moving the uid from pump suction to the discharge. On the other hand, positive displacement uses the reciprocating action of one or several pistons, or a squeezing action of meshing gears, lobes, or other moving bodies, to displace the media from one area into another (i.e., moving the material from suction to discharge). Sometimes the terms inlet (for suction) and exit or outlet (for discharge) are used. The pumped medium is usually liquid; however, many designs can handle solids in the forms of suspension, entrained or dissolved gas, paper pulp, mud, slurries, tars, and other exotic substances, that, at least by appearance, do not resemble liquids. Nevertheless, an overall liquid behavior must be exhibited by the medium in order to be pumped. In other words, the medium must have negligible resistance to tensile stresses. The HI classies pumps by type, not by application. The user, however, must ultimately deal with specic applications. Often, based on personal experience, preference for a particular type of pump develops, and this preference is passed on in the particular industry. For example, boiler feed pumps are usually of a multistage diffuser barrel type, especially for the medium and high energy (over 1000 hp) applications, although volute pumps in single or multistage congurations, with radially or axially split casings, also have been applied successfully. Examples of pump types and applications and the reasons behind applicational preferences will follow.

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1999 CRC Press LLC

FIGURE 1 Types of pumps. (Courtesy of Hydraulic Institute.) 1999 CRC Press LLC