THE HISTORY

OF
By Michelle Segrest
B
PUMPS
T
he pump is one of civilization’s earliest inventions. Considering its use in
everyday life, it may be one of the most important.
Since the beginning of time, there has been a need to push, suck or lift
liquid
liq from one place to another. Pumps provide the solution, dating back to 2000
BC
BC when the Egyptians
gyyp
p invented the shadoof. he physics of this first known pump
wwas simple. A long suspended rod with a bucket on one end
aand n a weight on the other was used to draw water from wells.
hrough 4,000 years of evolution, the viscosity of the
lilliquid
i has varied and so has the direction that it flows. he mis-
sion
ssii remains the same—to move liquid from Point A to Point B.
hanks to the revolutionary innovation, creativity and vision
of
o the industry’s most forward-thinking people and companies,
it
it doesn’t matter whether the liquid is water, peanut butter or
oil—today
o there is a pump that will move it.
Monitors and digital controls now provide more efficiency.
Energy
E is saved through intelligent pumping with the onset of
variable
va
va speed and frequency drives. Globalization provides more
opportunities
op to expand the supply chain and reduce the costs of
Above left: An early 10 Series pump casting being machined manufacturing.
m A focus on engineering and design continues to
on a vertical lathe. Photo courtesy of Gorman-Rupp Co.
Bottom right: Large split case pump ready for delivery out- stregthen the industry’s development.
side Quincy, Ill. Peerless Pump photo courtesy of Grundfos All have contributed to the progression of pump technol-
ogy and society’s need for it.
While most of the industry’s key developments did not happen in recent years, veterans in the industry remember some of the
greatest moments that helped shape the course of pump history.
“Imagine a time when, to bypass a system, you had to excavate a temporary wet well and install submersible pumps,” says Ron
Askin, Director and VP of Sales for Xylem’s Dewatering Solutions Business. “Rental access to portable self-priming pumps revolu-
tionized infrastructure development and repair in the U.S. through faster, less intrusive and more economical solutions.”
hirty-three years ago, Lev Nelik (a.k.a. Dr. Pump), came to the U.S. from Russia with $50 in his pocket and a knowledge
of pump engineering. He remembers working as a pump designer for Ingersoll-Rand in the mid 1980s under Dr. Paul Cooper. “I
was involved in applying a so-called ‘bias-wedge’ impeller inlet
hydraulics that made significant advancements in improving the
cavitation characteristics of pumps,” says Nelik, who now runs
Pumping Machinery, a pump repair consulting company.
“his design was applied initially for U.S. Navy projects,
but also evolved into commercial applications, such as power
plants. It helped solve problems of measurable cavitation resis-
tance issues. It helped to further advance the work of such titans
as Igo Karassik, Warren Frazer and others. It was a true game
changer.”

THE ELECTRONICS AGE

Dennis Wierzbicki, president of Grundfos Pumps Corporation,
says electronic and digital advancements have created key inno-
vations for pump manufacturers, including, “From providing
tools to reduce quotations on large projects from weeks to hours/
s// Pumps on display for a product demonstration in 1960.
Photo courtesy of Blackmer

14 JANUARY 2012 www.pump-zone.com PUMPS & SYSTEMS

days, to industries that we can serve with process equipment for production,” he says. “But
most important, the electronics age has changed the technology shift in our products,
from mechanical variable speed of the 1960s and 1970s to variable speed electronically
integrated pump, motors and drives with integration to process management systems.”
In addition, Wierzbicki says, “Who would have thought a meticulously assembled
quote for a $5M capital project that took me as an application engineer a better part of a
week to do, can now be done in an afternoon?”
George Harris, president of Hydro, agrees. “Tools such as 3D modeling, CAD, CFD
and other powerful analysis tools enable companies to perform complex engineering anal-
ysis and to strengthen our value-added engineering services.
“In terms of the pump aftermarket, rapid prototyping can be an important technol- HydroAire mechanic Hank Deluca with a
ogy with the potential to bring pump Byron Jackson pump that Hydro repaired for
upgrades and rerates to market in a Inland Steel. Photo courtesy of Hydro, Inc.
Design, vision, technology much more responsive time frame
than the traditional pattern process.”
and a focus on efficiency have
shaped the evolution of the INTELLIGENT PUMPS, ENERGY
pump industry. EFFICIENT MOTORS & DRIVES
Mike Pemberton, manager of ITT
Performance Services remembers
when PumpSmart was introduced at the Chem Show in New York, N.Y., in November
1999. PumpSmart pump control systems provide real-time control and protection for
pumps while also providing process insight. “It is clear that this signaled the rapidly Photo courtesy of Freudenberg
expanding use of variable speed drive technologies for industrial pumping,” he says.
Pump system optimization became a key ingredient in all applications.
“I wonder if the idea of using adjustable speed drives and energy efficient motors to
drive pumps isn’t the major step for the pump industry,” says John Malinowski, senior
product manager for AC Motors at Baldor Electric Company. “Not only can pump
output be adjusted to control needed output, but this saves much electricity and the con-
trol can be based on a set point or process control built into the drive.”
Matt Lorenz, vice president and general manager of Eaton Corporation’s Industrial
Control Division, says accurate power control has been a revolutionary development. 52-year-old pump. Photo courtesy of GIW
“At the turn of the last century, the first automatic motor starter was developed, Industries
laying the foundation for the modern motor control industry,” Lorenz explains. “In the
following years, that technology was used to develop control equipment for the Panama
Canal.” Today, Eaton continues to provide sophisticated motor control equipment for
major Panama Canal upgrades.
A dramatic change happened during the past decade as the industry shifted from
thinking about just the pump to considering the entire pumping system, says Jack
Creamer, market segment manager for Schneider Electric.
“Sometimes advancements are seen as ‘leap frog’ technological advancements that lit-
erally change the game,” says Creamer. “In other cases, advancements are more evolution- Kalamazoo mechanical seal manufactur-
ary . . . that is, they provide incremental change opportunities that enhance and improve ing and research lab in the 1950s. Photo
the performance of systems. From a performance standpoint, the two primary drivers are courtesy of Flowserve
energy and intelligence.
“Intelligence includes the concept of a smart motor management approach that pro-
vides predictive and preventative maintenance along with remote alarming that allows
operators to better monitor and in turn, guarantee increased system performance and
availability. On the energy side, variable frequency drives reduce energy consumption for
an application. With the increasing application of ‘intelligence’ to VFDs, energy savings
potential expand beyond the affinity law explanation to cover such things as BEP match-
ing, load matching and other energy savings opportunities.”
Machine shop lathes department in Battle
Creek, Mich. Photo courtesy of American
SOME THINGS REMAIN THE SAME Marsh Pumps
As much as things have changed, many things have not, Wierzbicki says. “We are still an Image to left: Worthington Series Booster
industry that is a close network of people. We compete hard, but with high integrity and Pump. Circa 1915. Photo courtesy of
respect for each other. Even with all the advancements, it is still the people that make this Flowserve
a great industry.”
PUMPS & SYSTEMS www.pump-zone.com JANUARY 2012 15
 THROUGH
THE
YEARS
Editor’s Note: his timeline was developed through research, cred-
ible sources and the knowledge of friends in the industry.he history
of pumps is long and illustrious. his account represents highlights
of some of the major historical and technological developments. We
welcome your contributions and will include them with the full
version on www.pump-zone.com.

2000 BC Egyptians invent the shadoof to raise water. It

uses a long suspended rod with a bucket at one
end and a weight at the other.
Peerless
P
Pee
Peerle
rlee large split case design from the 1940s being installed in the fifiel
Peerless Pump photo courtesy of Grundfos
eld
eld.
d

200 BC Greek inventor and mathematician Ctesibius

invents the water organ, an air pump with valves
1687 French-born inventor Denis Papin develops the first
true centrifugal pump, one with straight vanes used
for local drainage.
on the bottom, a tank of water in between them and a row of
pipes on top. his is the principal design that is now known as
the reciprocating pump. 1738 In fluid dynamics, Bernoulli’s principle states that
for an inviscid flow, an increase in the speed of the
fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or a
200 BC Archimedean screw pump is designed by
Archimedes is considered one of the greatest
inventions of all time and is still in use today for pumping
decrease in the fluid’s potential energy. It is named after the
Dutch-Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli, who published
it in a book “Hydrodynamica.” he principle is applied to
liquids and granulated solids in both the industrialized world
various types of fluid flow and is loosely known as Bernoulli’s
and in the third world—where it is a preferred way to irrigate
equation.
agricultural fields without electrical pumps.

1475 According to Reti, the Brazilian soldier and historian

of science, the first machine that could be character-
1782 James Watt—who invented the steam engine’s con-
necting rod crank mechanism, which made it pos-
sible to convert the piston’s reciprocating motion into rotary
ized as a centrifugal pump was a mud lifting machine that
motion—designs an oscillating piston machine in which a
appeared in a treatise by the Italian Renaissance engineer
wing-shaped rotary blade made a near complete revolution
Francesco di Giorgio Martini.
uncovering inlet ports in a chamber separated by a curved
1588 Sliding vane water pump technology is described
by Italian engineer Agostino Ramelli in his book
radial wall.
“he Diverse and Artifactitious Machines of Captain Agostino
Ramelli,” which also included other pump and engine designs.
1790 Briton homas Simpson harnesses steam power to
pumping engines for municipal water applications
and founds the London company Simpson and hompson
1593 Frenchman Nicolas Grollier de Servière creates an
early design for a gear pump.
Co. (predecessor to Worthington Simpson).

1636 Pappenheim, a German engineer, invents the

double deep-toothed rotary gear pump, which is
1830 Modern screw pump is invented by Revillion.

still used to lubricate engines. his gear pump made it possible

to dispense with the reciprocating slide valves used by Ramelli.
1845 Henry R. Worthington invents the first direct-act-
ing steam pumping engine. Worthington Pump
designed its first products to power canal boats and U.S. naval
Pappenheim drove his machine by an overshot water wheel
vessels. Worthington later pioneered pump designs for boiler
set in motion by a stream and was used to feed w water
ater
ate
feed
feed,, oil
ed
feed, oil pipeline
p and hydro-electric applications.
fountains. he emperor Ferdinand II granted him i a
im
“privilege”—the equivalent of a patent--in respect
of this invention.
c
ct
M
1848
Mynderse
In Seneca Falls, N.Y., Seabury S. Gould
purchases the interests of Edward
and H.C. Silsby in Downs, Mynderse
1650 Otto van Guericke invents the piston
vacuum pump, which used leather
washers to prevent leakage between the cylin-
n
& Co., forming Downs & Co., later known as
G
Goulds Manufacturing Company.
der and the piston.
1849 Goulds casts and assembles the
world’s first all-metal pump.
1675 Sir Samuel Moreland—an English
academic, diplomat, spy, inventor and
mathematician—patents the packed plunger 1851 British
duces
inventor John Appold intro-
the curved vane centrifugal
pump, capable of raising great quantities of p
pump.
water with far less proportion of strength than
a chain or other pump. he piston had a leather
seal. Moreland’s pump may have been the first
1851 John Gwynne files his first centrifugal
pump patent. His early pumps were
us primarily for land drainage, and many can
used
use of a piston rod and stuffing box (packed in a Seabury S. Gould, 1848. Photo still stii be seen today in pump house museums.
st
cylinder) to displace water. courtesy of Goulds Pumps hey were usually powered by Gwynnes’ steam

16 JANUARY 2012 www.pump-zone.com PUMPS & SYSTEMS

engines. By the end of the 19th century, Gwynne was produc-
ing pumps of all sizes to cover all industrial applications, from
small electric pumps to those rated at 1,000 tons per minute.
1869 Downs & Company changes its name to Goulds
Manufacturing Company.

His company had also begun to produce scientific pumps,

e.g., porcelain pumps for chemical works. In the 1930s they
1870 UK Professor Osborne Reynolds develops an origi-
nal design of a centrifugal pump.
were producing almost 1,000 different models.
1871 Johannes Klein receives a patent on his “boiler feed
apparatus.” With Friedrich Schanzlin and Jakob
1857 Worthington produces the first horizontal, duplex,
direct-acting steam pumps for boiler feed.
Becker, he founds the company “Frankenthaler Maschinen-
& Armatur-Fabrik Klein, Schanzlin & Becker” (now known

1859 Jacob Edson invents the diaphragm pump and

founds the Edson Corporation in Boston, Mass., to
as KSB) to manufacture boiler feed equipment and valves.

manufacture and sell his pump. 1874 Wilson-Snyder grows into the premier line of slurry,
pipeline and refinery pumps.

1860 Adam Cameron founds the Cameron Steam Pump

Works, and becomes another pioneer in reciprocat-
ing steam pump engines. Like Worthington, Cameron’s first
1886 Jens Nielsen, founder of Viking Pump Company,
invents the internal gear pumping principal while
designing a pump to remove excess water that was seeping
products were used to power merchant marine and U.S. naval into his limestone quarry from a nearby creek.
vessels. Cameron pumps were later applied in water resources,
oil pipeline and refining and boiler feed.
1886 United Centrifugal Pumps is incorporated. It
becomes the world’s foremost supplier of high-pres-
1868 Stork Pompen of Hengelo, Netherlands, pioneers
the concrete volute pump for water drainage.
sure crude oil and reined product pipeline pumps.

HOW MOTORS HAVE CHANGED THE PUMP INDUSTRY

By William C. Livoti, Senior Principal Engineer, Baldor Electric Company, A Member of the ABB Group

E lectric motors have had a huge

impact on the pump industry.
While it is not certain how
Steam turbine technology
ccould be used in a number of the
ppump applications listed above.
centrifugal pumps were powered in HHowever, in today’s energy-con-
the early days, it is assumed with scious society, steam is more costly
sc
reasonable certainty that the power aand less efficient than electricity.
source was not as efficient or reliable he electric motor has become the
as an electric motor. Can you imag- ddriver of choice in about 75 percent
ine running a pump with a belt and oof all pump systems, but it cannot
pulley configuration powered by a ccure the energy crisis. he focus is
steam engine? nnow on the total system looking
Michael Faraday devised a Quality assurance testing (0 Turing to rotor OD on a three-phase bbeyond component efficiency.
rotor) 1920-30s. Photo courtesy of Baldor Electric Company
machine that generated electricity
from rotary motion (the electric motor), but it took almost 50 HISTORY OF ENERGY EFFICIENT MOTORS
years for the technology to reach a commercially viable stage. 1983 Motor industry begins to offer “premium
In 1895, the first modern electric power plant went online efficient” motors but no standard exists
using Nikola Tesla’s alternating current (AC) motor (genera-
October 1992 Energy Policy Act of 1992 signed
tor). Until then, all other motors had used direct current.
he industry quickly saw the value of AC motor tech- October 1997 Energy Policy Act of 1992 goes into effect
nology, coupling motors to pumping applications.he pump 1998 Consortium for Energy Efficiency establishes
industry now had the ability to efficiently vary the speed of the premium efficiency standards
pump using a stand-alone power source. Here are examples of August 2001 NEMA Premium® Efficiency Motor Standard
how electric motors helped advance pump technology: Defined
• Speed/process control using motor pole count July 2005 Energy Policy Act of 2005
• Compact pump packages
December 2007 Energy Independence & Security Act of
• Vertical pumping technology was developed around electric
2007 signed
motors
• High speed pumping technology (steam turbines were the February 2010 Small Motor Rule made by DOE
driver of choice) December 2010 Energy Independence & Security Act of
• Improved pump/system efficiency 2007 takes effect
• Variable speed technology
• Eddy current drives Timeline compiled by Pumps & Systems Editorial Advisory
• Variable frequency drives Board member John Malinowski, Sr. Product Manager, AC
Motors, Baldor Electric Company, A Member of the ABB Group.

PUMPS & SYSTEMS www.pump-zone.com JANUARY 2012 17

 1897
m
makes
Preston
K. Wood
the first deep
now occupied by the city of New Orleans. Some of Wood’s
pumps have been in continuous use for more than 80 years
without need of repairs. New ones continue to be built from
well
w turbine pump his designs.
in Los Angeles,
C
Calif. 1916 Aldrich produces the first direct motor-driven
reciprocating pump.

1899
in
invents
Robert
Blackmer
sliding vane
1916 While Armais Sergeevich Arutunof first invented
submersible pumps in Russia in 1916, their use in
the United States did not begin until the 1950s. Arutunoff
p
pump technology, first designed his pump for use in ships, water wells and
a vane-type pump mines. He altered the design to work in oil wells. hanks to
design
d that was an further refinements to Arutunoff’s design, there are more types
important
im
m departure of submersible pumps, allowing use in other applications such
from
f
fr the old gear as pumping drinking water, creating fountains and pumping
principle
p and pre- wastewater.
d
decessor of today’s
sliding
sl vane pumps.
1917 Hydraulic Institute is established.

A single and two stage pipeline pump assembly 1901 Byron

Jackson
in the 1960s at the Ruhrpumpen plant in Witten, develops the first
1917 Louis Bergeron invents the concrete volute pump
and founds Bergeron S.A.
Germany. Photo courtesy of Ruhrpumpen deep well vertical
turbine pump. 1918 Byron Jackson produces the first hot oil pumps for
the petroleum industry.

1902 Aldrich Pump Company begins manufacturing the

world’s first line of reciprocating positive displace- 1920 Viking builds its first domestic oil burner pump
using a mechanical seal.
ment pumps for steel mills and mine dewatering.
1921 Jeumont-Schneider begins manufacturing water
and slurry pumps in Jeumont, France. It later
1904 Jens Nielsen enlists George “Shorty” Mathes to
construct his gear pump design. develops solids-handling pumps and segmental ring section
multistage pumps.
1905 Multistage centrifugal pumps are developed.
1923 Byron Jackson demonstrates the first use of centrif-
ugal pumps for oil pipeline and the first automatic
1905 Two Goulds triplex pumps are installed in the New
York Times building, accomplishing the highest lift
booster station.
of water to date—387 feet, 6 inches.
1924 Durco Pump introduces the world’s first pump spe-
cifically designed for chemical processing. It would
1906 André Petit invents the eccentric disc pump and
starts his company, Mouvex, in Paris.
go on to establish undisputed global leadership in ANSI
pump design.
1908 Western Land Roller pioneers the design and
manufacture of irrigation pumps.
1926 Paciic Pump Company produces the first hot oil
double casing pump.
1911 Jens Nielsen builds the first internal gear pump,
founding the Viking Pump Company. he Viking
Rotary “Gear-Within-A-Gear” pump (the first of its kind) is
1926 O.H. Dorer receives a patent for the first inducer,
which reduces the required NPSH. Inducers did not
become incorporated into standard pump lines until
placed on the market.
the 1960s.
1912 Durion, a universally corrosion-resistant material, is
invented by the Duriron Castings Company (later
known as Durco Pump) and is applied to process equipment.
1927 Viking introduces a line of hazardous liquid pumps
for use in the fuel oil market.

1913 Inventor and engineer Albert Baldwin Wood invents

the Wood screw pump.

1915 Viking Pump Company wins the Panama Paciic

Award for internal gear design.
Photo collage courtesy of Viking Pump Co.

1915 Albert Baldwin Wood invents the Wood trash

pump. Wood spearheads the reclama-
tion from swamp and the efforts to
develop much of the land

18 JANUARY 2012 www.pump-zone.com PUMPS & SYSTEMS

1927 Aldrich produces the first variable stroke multi-
cylinder reciprocating pump. 1941 British Pump Manufacturers Association is
founded.

1928
supply.
Worthington-Simpson produces the world’s largest
steam-driven pumping engine for municipal water 1942 he Gorman-Rupp team creates the first com-
mercially available solids-handling trash pump to
respond to the contractor’s need for a pump to withstand the
considerable rigors of pumping out trash-laden septic tanks,
1929 Pleuger incorporates in Berlin, Germany. Its
first offerings are submersible motor pumps for cesspools and outhouses.
dewatering in the construction of underground railways and
subways. Pleuger pioneers the first successful application of
submersible motor pumps in offshore service.
1944 During World War II, Goulds extra-quiet trim
pumps are installed in every U.S. Navy submarine.
hat year, 157 Goulds men went to war and 157 women
took their places on the Goulds manufacturing floor. Goulds
1929 Byron Jackson uses the first double casing feed
pump in a power plant.
HOW SEALS HAVE CHANGED
1929 Stork Pompen produces the first concrete volute
pump for drainage, integrating the pump housing
in the civil construction of the pumping station.
THE PUMP INDUSTRY
1954 API Standard 610 1st Edition is released (with section

1930 While inventing a compressor for jet engines, avia-

tion pioneer René Moineau discovers that this prin-
ciple could also work as a pumping system. he University of
on mechanical seals).
1957 DuPont com-
mercializes the first
Paris awarded Moineau a doctorate of science for his thesis
fluoroelastomer
on “the new capsulism.” His pioneering dissertation laid the
(Viton A).
groundwork for the progressing cavity pump.
1957 Edge welded
1933 he original version of the Bush Pump is designed as
a closed-top cylinder pump. In 1960 the design was
modernized. he base of the well was from then on bolted to
metal bellows seal is
introduced.
the well casing and got its current name, he Zimbabwe Bush 1963 Tungsten carbide Special vibration control products: ultra
P
Pump, the National is used in mechanical bushes for mounting astronomic telescopes,
Milton Roy Sheen with
an early disc pump S
Standard for hand seals. 1979. Photo courtesy of Freudenberg
design. Photo courtesy p
pumps in Zimbabwe. 1965 Fluoroelastomer is used in elastomeric bellows seals.
of Milton Roy A Zimbabwe’s
After
in
independence in 1967 Alloy C-276 metal bellows seals are introduced.
1
1980, the govern- 1971 DuPont commercializes the first high temperature
m creates its own
ment Perfluoroelastomers.
m
modernized version 1972 Solid Reaction Bonded Silicon Carbide is used in
o the pump, B-type
of mechanical seals.
Z
Zimbabwe Bush
P
Pump. he pump is 1970s First standard for mechanical seals, European
to
today regarded as a Standard EN 12756 (formally DIN 24960) is developed.
n
national treasure. In 1976 Standard cartridge seals are introduced into
1
1997, it was pictured ANSI pumps.
o a postal stamp.
on
1976 Double balanced primary rings for inboard seals of
1933 J.C. Gorman and Herb Rupp introduce a pump
with a “non-clogging” feature. It outperforms any
other self-priming centrifugal pump previously invented.
double (dual) seals are introduced.
1984 Contacting containment face seals are introduced.
he company Gorman-Rupp is established. 1983 A true seal chamber for ANSI pumps is introduced.
1986 Split seals for pumps are introduced.
1936 Robert Sheen invents the metering pump. he core
of his invention was a method of controlled volume
that was inherent to the pump. he first pumps were assem-
1980s Sealless pump technology is introduced.
1990 Clean Air Act places limits on fugitive emissions
bled in the basement of his father, Milton Roy Sheen’s, home,
where the initial patterns for castings were made. from pumps.
1992 Dual gas seals are introduced for pumps.
1936 Robbins & Myers acquires the North American
license for the Moineau progressing cavity pump
and brands it with the name Moyno.
1994 API Standard 682 1st Edition is released.
1996 Modular cartridge seals for ANSI pumps are
1937 IDP produces the first radially split, pull-from-the-
rear process pump.
introduced.
1998 Non-contacting dual dry running mixer seals are
1937 Worthington produces the world’s first hydraulic
decoking systems.
introduced.
2007 Diamond coatings on seal faces are commercialized.
1939 Durco invents Alloy 20, which is the standard
industrial material for corrosive surfaces.
Compiled by Ralph P. Gabriel, Chief Engineer—Global, John Crane and
member of Pumps & Systems Editorial Advisory Board. Marcus Pillion,
President of EagleBurgmann, contributed to this report.

PUMPS & SYSTEMS www.pump-zone.com JANUARY 2012 19

 In 1955, Jim Wilden invented air-
operated double-diaphragm pump
technology. It had the right air valve
1968 Gorman-Rupp produces the first
fiberglass, below-ground, factory-built
sewage pumping station.
and diaphragms needed and was
tough and versatile enough to meet
the stringent demands of the mining
and heavy-construction industries.
1968 he ownership of Stenberg-Flygt AB
is transferred to the American multina-
tional enterprise ITT (International Telephone
During the 1980s, Wilden introduced
plastic AODD pumps that have the
& Telegraph Corporation). Prior to this transfer,
ability to stand up to the harsh oper- Stenberg-Flygt AB, AB Flygts Pumpar and Flygt
ating conditions and corrosive media International AB are consolidated as a single
transferred throughout the global company.
chemical market. Photo courtesy of
Wilden
1969 Mouvex launches the first sealless rotary
pump not based on magnets.
earned the prestigious Army-Navy “E” Award that year for
outstanding production of war materials. 1970s
selling OEM pump.
Viking introduces spur gear line of
pumps, which is the company’s largest

1947 Flygt’s Sixten Englesson, a master of engineering,

develops a prototype for the first submersible drain-
age pump, which is later known as the “parrot cage,” or 1970s Gorman-Rupp invents the bellows-metering
pump and the oscillating pump, while the
B-pump, used in mining for construction. Mansfield Division acquires the Roto-Prime pump.

1949 HMD Pumps invents and engineers the world’s first

magnet drive pump. 1970 Smith & Loveless engineer Frank Weis designs the
first-ever above-grade sewage pump lift station.

1954 Blackmer invents and manufactures the first practi-

cal positive displacement pump for liqueied
petroleum gas (LPG).
1973 Frank Weis pioneers the first-ever vortex grit
removal system for wastewater treatment plants.

1954 Worthington produces the world’s first high speed

(9,000 rpm) boiler feed pumps.
1973 KSB launches the BOA-H, the first maintenance-
free, standard cast iron valve.

1955 Jim Wilden invents the air-operated double-dia-

phragm (AODD) pump technology.
1978 KSB puts the BOA-W line onto the valve market.
he first soft-seated standard valve is able to cope
with dirt in the fluid.

1956 Sixten Englesson develops for Stenberg-Flygt AB

the submersible sewage pump, called the C-pump,
with a discharge connection and level regulator.
1980s Viking introduces the Universal Seal and Viking
Mag Drive lines of internal gear pumps—both
the first of their kind in the industry.

1956
pump.
Smith & Loveless engineer Frank Weis develops the
water industry’s first true solids handling, non-clog

1957 Ruhrpumpen Gmbh begins the production of pro-

cess pumps under the license of Paciic.

1959 Viking Pump Company launches abrasive liquid

heavy-duty pumps and handles the printing ink for
more than half of the major U.S. newspapers.
Right: Blackmer
sliding vane
hand pumps
used for the
1960s New lines of industrial pumps are developed by
Goulds Pumps, including large double suction
pumps, higher pressure pumps and non-metallic pumps.
transfer of
solvents by Pan
Am in the 1950s.
In home water systems, the jet water system is improved and a Photo courtesy
complete line of submersible pumps is completed. of Blackmer

1960 Europump is established.

1962 Sundstrand develops the first Sundyne

high-speed centrifugal pump and sells it
to Shell Chemical.

1962 Grundfos places the first circulator pump

into the market with variable speed
regulation.
Left: Marvin and

1964 In cooperation with German chemical

companies, KSB develops the CPK stan-
dardized chemical pump series to satisfy a newly-
Kathryn Summerfield
founded Cascade Pump
Company in 1948. They
are pictured here at an
published standard. industry tradeshow in

1968 Durco produces the first fully-lined PTFE

chemical processing pump.
the early 1950s. Photo
courtesy of Cascade
Pump Company

20 JANUARY 2012 www.pump-zone.com PUMPS & SYSTEMS


In 1933, J.C. Gorman and Herb Rupp introduced a pump which had a
“non-clogging” feature.Their competitors claimed the pump would not work
in a savage public awareness campaign to discredit the new design, which
resulted in about $100,000 worth of “free advertising.” At least one cus-
tomer was willing to try it. National Ice Company purchased the first pump,
and the company Gorman-Rupp was established. Photo courtesy of
Gorman-Rupp Company.
1980s Gorman-Rupp unveils the nutating pump, a special
purpose small pump used in health care applications;
additional energy-efficient, self-priming centrifugal pumps; a series
of lightweight portable pumps and high-pressure pumps with the
first digital-control panels.
1980s Electronic controls enter the industry to make pumps
more energy efficient.
1984 First Texas A&M Pump Users Symposium is held.
1984 Scienco produces the first specialized positive displace-
ment pumps specifically designed for agricultural
applications.
1989 Sier-Bath incorporates the first application of multiphase
pumps in paper stock.
1994 Two new major products are introduced by Goulds Pumps,
the Industrial Model 3298 Magnetic Drive Pump and the
Water Technologies Model GS “Global Submersible.”
1997 ITT Industries acquires Goulds Pumps, making ITT the
world’s largest pump company.
1999 PumpSmart is introduced at the ChemShow in New York.
2001 Flowserve introduces its MSP (medium speed pump) with
variable frequency drive.
2001 KSB presents the first “intelligent” submersible motor
pump. Ama-Porter ICS is sensor-controlled and needs no
float switches.
2008 Dover Corporation creates he Pump Solutions Group, a
conglomeration of Wilden, Blackmer, Mouvex, Neptune,
Almatec and Griswold pump companies.
2011 ITT Corporation spins off into three separately traded
companies, creating Xylem, Inc., the world’s largest water
technology company.
P&S
PUMPS & SYSTEMS www.pump-zone.com
THE PUMP SUPPLY CHAIN
By Henry Peck, President, Geiger Pumps & Equipment/Smith-
Koch, Inc., Pumps & Systems Editorial Advisory Board
T he distribution and sales of industrial pumps has
experienced great changes throughout the past
decades.
In the 1960s and 1970s, it was common for
pump manufacturers to have directly employed field
sales forces or to have independent sales agents and
representatives who engaged the onsite needs of cus-
tomers. he pump applications expertise of those sales
forces was often specialized in a narrow band of pump
products. hey had exceptional, even legendary, know-
how. Pump end users typically had complete installed
spares for each application—in addition to owning
uninstalled spare pumps and parts—and the in-house
resources to provide the labor needed for repairs.
With time, the pump business community has
progressed to a more efficient pump support model.
Today’s pump distributor is typically independent and
regionally based and has pumps for nearly every appli-
cation with expertise in variable speed, controls and
other related process equipment.
he average-size pump distributor has grown
along with the pump manufacturers they represent.
Consolidations have contributed to the increasing size
of pump distribution companies, as it has for pump
manufacturers and end users.
End users con-
tinue to make gains
in reducing idle
assets by standardiz-
ing pumps and out-
sourcing inventories
to the suppliers and
their distributors.
Distributors have
made productivity
gains through their
economies of scale, A Wilden distributor with one of the
including sourcing first AODD pumps. Photo courtesy of
through online
Wilden
inventories with manufacturers and other distributors.
Servicing the pumps that a distributor sells is no longer
an option. It is a competitive requirement.
Not everything changes. he on-time performance
for the supply of pumps is still challenged. Pumps and
parts travel by courier at roughly the same pace today
as many years ago. While reliability has increased dra-
matically, pumps are far from maintenance free.
he biggest cost in the life cycle of pumps contin-
ues to be energy consumption, with excess resources
consumed, and nearly every pump installation
having a more efficient alternative available. hese
are among the enduring reasons that we will find the
future pump supply chain more important than ever.
JANUARY 2012 21