PROCESS TECHNOLOGY LEVEL 2

Unit Title: Plant and Plant Services

Lesson 3: Transfer of Fluids I

PT2-6-3

© University of Teesside 2005

 Published by COLU for University of Teesside

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INTRODUCTION
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The transfer of fluids from one piece of equipment or plant to another is

a central feature of industrial operation, and a wide range of pumps is
used for this purpose. In this lesson you will be introduced to various
types of pump in current use, and to the factors to be considered when
choosing a pump for a given duty.

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YOUR AIMS
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When you have finished this lesson you should understand:

• the factors to be considered in choosing a pump

• the construction and operation of:
(i) the RECIPROCATING pump
(ii) the DIAPHRAGM pump.

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STUDY ADVICE
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If you are already familiar with the pumps used in industry, then this and
the following two lessons will be mostly a form of revision for you. If,
however, this is your first 'contact' with pumps, then you may need to
study the lessons quite closely. You are not required, at this stage, to
memorise details of the construction of the pumps, rather the intention is
that you understand how each pump works; that you are aware of the
good and bad points of each pump; and that you understand how the
characteristics of a pump influence the choice of a pump for a given task.

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POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A PUMP

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The transfer of fluids in industry can be a hazardous and often complex

task. Before selecting a pump to do a particular job, the engineer must
take into account the following factors.

First, the fluid:

• is the liquid viscous, i.e. does it only flow with difficulty?

• does it contain suspended solids?
• how hot is the fluid in relation to its boiling point?
• is the fluid corrosive, toxic, flammable?

Second, the job itself:

• what pumping rate (m3 h–1) will be required?

• what is the required 'pressure' or 'delivery head' of the pump?

(That is, what resistances will it have to overcome to reach the
required destination?)

• what suction head will the pump have to overcome? (That is, will
liquid flow into the pump by gravity – a positive suction head – or
will the pump have to 'lift' the liquid up into the pump? If the latter
is the case, only pumps which are capable of filling themselves
with liquid – self priming pumps – can be used.)

Thus, rather than using the nearest pump at hand to do a job, the
engineer must carefully assess what is needed and make a choice based
on that assessment. As you study the characteristics of the various
pumps mentioned in this and the next lesson, bear these points in mind.

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TYPES OF PUMP
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Pumps can be classified into three main types:

• RECIPROCATING (or PISTON)

• ROTARY
• CENTRIFUGAL

(By a further classification, the reciprocating and rotary pumps are of

the 'positive' displacement type and the centrifugal is classed as
'dynamic' or 'persuasive'.)

In this lesson we will examine the construction, operation and

characteristics of RECIPROCATING pumps. We will deal with the
other two types in our next lesson.

Reciprocating pumps are, in the main, of two types – the ordinary

reciprocating pump, and its modified version, the DIAPHRAGM pump.
We will look at each one in turn.

THE RECIPROCATING PUMP

Study FIGURES 1(a) and 1(b) as you read the text which follows.

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Discharge valve
Pump chamber
closed

Inlet
valve open
From supply
[a] Piston drawing fluid into cylinder
Discharge
valve
open

Inlet
valve closed

[b] Piston imposing pressure on fluid

FIG. 1

The diagrams illustrate the operating principles of a 'single acting'

reciprocating pump.

The operation of the pump is similar to that of a bicycle pump:

• a closely fitting piston moves backwards and forwards inside a

cylinder.

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Unlike a bicycle pump (where the piston is driven by human effort!),

this piston is driven, through a system of gears and cranks, by an
electric motor.

As the piston moves back (FIGURE 1(a)), known as the suction stroke,
'space', i.e. a vacuum, is created in the pump chamber. This space will
need to be filled. The ball at the bottom of the pump will be sucked
inwards enabling liquid to enter through the inlet. The ball at the top of the
pump will be sucked into the opening on the discharge line and will
prevent liquid entering from the discharge pipeline. When the piston has
travelled the full length of its suction stroke, it now moves in the forward
direction (FIGURE 1(b)), known as the discharge or delivery stroke. The
piston moving forward must now push liquid out of the pump chamber. In
attempting this, it pushes the ball at the bottom of the pump over the inlet
line preventing liquid from leaving at that point. However, it also pushes
the ball at the top of the pump out of its seat, opening up the discharge
line so that liquid can leave through it. (The balls are held in retaining
'cages' which prevent them from passing fully out of the discharge line or
into the pump cylinder.) Thus the movement of these balls creates one
way flow through the pump chamber. They are 'one-way' valves, only
allowing liquid in through the inlet and out through the outlet.

The cycle of operation is then repeated – a suction stroke drawing

liquid in, followed by a delivery stroke forcing liquid out.

This type of pump 'compels' a fixed quantity of fluid to discharge at

each delivery stroke, thus giving what is called positive displacement
of the fluid. It is often referred to as a 'positive displacement pump'.

The term 'positive displacement' refers to the fact that once liquid has
been drawn into the pump, it must leave the pump on the discharge
stroke. For this reason this type of pump can not and must never
operate against a closed inlet or discharge valve. To prevent excessive
pressure build-up if the discharge valve is accidently closed, these

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pumps are fitted with a relief valve which automatically opens if the
pressure goes above a pre-set limit.

The flow from a reciprocating pump is uneven, or pulsating. Such a

flow can be undesirable for some applications. A more even flow can
be obtained if two reciprocating pumps work together. Thus, Number 1
pump will be on its suction stroke while Number 2 is on its delivery
stroke. On the next cycle Number 1 will be on its delivery stroke as
Number 2 pump is on its suction stroke. If the delivery from each
piston goes into a common outlet, then the flow will be more even.
'Double acting' reciprocating pumps, of the kind shown in FIGURE 2,
are designed to work along similar lines, but involve only a single piston
and chamber. They have two sets of inlet/outlet valve arrangements
one at each end of the chamber. The piston can then be pulling liquid
in from one end as it moves away from that end whilst pushing liquid
out of the other end as it moves towards that end.

FIGURE 2 also shows a more detailed cross-section of a double-acting

reciprocating pump. The drive gear, but not the drive motor, is shown
on the diagram. While the inlet (suction) and discharge (delivery)
valves are in different positions relative to the piston and are spring
loaded rather than the balls shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the
principle of operation is basically the same.
Delivery valves
Suction valves
Drive

Oil Piston
FIG. 2

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We will now go on to look at the 'good' and 'bad' characteristics of the

reciprocating pump. Before moving on, you may wish to try and work out
for yourself what some of those good and bad points might be. If so, then
have another read of the notes at the beginning of the lesson on the
factors to be considered when choosing a pump for a given job, jot down
your notes and then compare your points with those on the next page.

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NOTES
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CHARACTERISTICS OF RECIPROCATING PUMPS

Advantages

• Reciprocating pumps will deliver fluid at high pressure, i.e. at a

high 'delivery head' as the fluid must be forced out of the chamber
as the piston moves forward.

• On the backward stroke a vacuum is created which will suck liquid

into the pump. This makes reciprocating pumps 'self-priming', i.e.
it is not necessary to fill the pump chamber manually before
pumping can commence.

Disadvantages

• Reciprocating pumps produce a pulsating flow.

• The filling of the cylinders on the suction stroke is difficult when the
fluid being pumped is very viscous.

• Reciprocating pumps are expensive to make, since many of the

parts, particularly the pistons and cylinders, have to be made to
very accurate sizes. This need for close fits also causes
maintenance problems, especially when the pump is handling
fluids with suspended solids, as the particles can enter the fine
clearance spaces and cause severe wear. The reciprocating
pump, therefore, must not be used for pumping slurries. (A slurry is
solid suspended in liquid.)

• Looking at FIGURE 2 you should note that the pumping chamber is

only a small part of the overall pump. Thus they give low volume
rates of flow compared to other pumps of a similar overall size.

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• As the liquid must leave on each discharge stroke, a fixed volume

is discharged per stroke. One way of controlling flow is to vary the
speed of the pump. Closing the discharge valve will not control
flow (and is dangerous) unless a recycle line is present.

Did you try working these points out for yourself? How many did you
identify?

THE DIAPHRAGM PUMP

Because of the inability of the reciprocating pump to pump liquids

containing suspended solid, possibly abrasive, particles, a modified
version of the pump has been developed for this purpose. This is the
diaphragm pump.

FIGURE 3 illustrates the basic construction and operation of the pump.

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Fluid From drive

outlet mechanism
Outlet
valve

Piston

Fluid
filled cavity

Flexible
Inlet diaphragm
valve

Fluid inlet

FIG. 3

You will see in FIGURE 3 a diaphragm which, while fixed and sealed at
its edges, is flexible and free to move at its centre. The piston, in its
chamber, is isolated from the liquid or slurry by the diaphragm. As the
piston moves up and down, the centre of the diaphragm is caused to
move 'in and out', or ‘backwards and forwards', thus drawing in and
forcing out the liquid through the one-way valves.

The cavity between the piston and the diaphragm is filled with a fluid to
transmit the pumping action. This is usually air for larger machines,
and hydraulic fluid for smaller pumps, which tend to operate at higher
pressures.

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Advantages

• A principal advantage of the diaphragm pump is that, although the

reciprocating action is maintained, the moving piston, with its fine
clearances, does not contact the liquid being pumped. The piston
can therefore be made out of relatively cheap and easily machined
materials even if the liquid being pumped is corrosive. Thus only
the diaphragm and pump body need to be made of corrosion
resistant materials when corrosive liquids are transferred.

• Another advantage of the diaphragm pump is that the fluid being

pumped should not be contaminated by lubricant from the
operating system as the diaphragm acts as a barrier between
them.

Disadvantages

• A disadvantage of the diaphragm pump is that, in time, the flexible

diaphragm must be expected to split, and consideration needs to
be given as to how this problem is then dealt with, to avoid
contamination of material being pumped.

• Movement of the diaphragm is restricted and this limits throughput.

• Diaphragm pumps produce a pulsating flow.

In order that you might test your grasp of the work covered in this
lesson, the following Self-Assessment Questions are provided (followed
by answers).

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SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
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1. State two advantages and three disadvantages of reciprocating

pumps.

2. Why is the diaphragm pump capable of handling slurries and

corrosive liquids?

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NOTES
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ANSWERS TO SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

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1. Your answer should have been along the following lines:

Two advantages of reciprocating pumps are:

• they are self-priming

• they can produce high pressures

Three disadvantages of reciprocating pumps from the following:

• they produce pulsating flow

• they cannot operate against a closed valve without causing

damage unless a relief valve is fitted.

• they give low volume rates of flow compared to other types of

pump

• they are expensive to construct and maintain

• they are unsuitable for pumping slurries unless the diaphragm

system is adopted

• they are unsuitable for pumping viscous liquids as filling the

pumps is difficult.

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2. Diaphragm pumps have a flexible diaphragm (made of flexible and

corrosion resistant material) which separates the piston (with its
close clearances) from the fluid being pumped. This diaphragm is
moved backwards and forwards by the piston, creating
reciprocating motion. There are no small gaps for solids to collect
in and cause wear by abrasion, hence slurries can be handled.

Since the diaphragm is easily made and easily installed, it can be

made relatively cheaply, even if it has to be made out of corrosion
resistant material. Thus the pump is suitable for pumping corrosive
liquids.

© University of Teesside 2005

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SUMMARY
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When choosing a pump for a particular job, two main factors need to be
considered:

• the nature of the fluid

• the job the pump has to do.

There are three main classes of pump:

• reciprocating 

 both of which are positive displacement types
• rotary 

• centrifugal persuasive type.

In this lesson we have looked at:

• the basic reciprocating piston pump which produces high pressure

and is self priming but cannot handle slurries, gives low flow rates,
is expensive and produces pulsating flow

• the diaphragm pump which also has reciprocating action but can
handle corrosive liquids and slurries.

© University of Teesside 2005