Pumps and pumping system

The pump is a machine which converts mechanical energy into potential energy,
kinetic energy, thermal energy, and pressure energy of the fluid, and is used to raise
liquid from low level to high level. The pump serves as a means of transporting fluid.

A marine pump is an important auxiliary equipment in maritime industry. It is widely

used in all kinds of marine vessels.
These marine pumps can be serviced for cooling, circulating, ballast, general service
(G/S), fire-fighting, boiler feed water, condensate water, fresh (drinking) water,
sanitary water, bilge & sludge, F.O transfer, L.O. transfer, cargo pumping, cargo
stripping, hydrophore tank unit, sewage treatment unit, oil water separator,
incinerator, fresh water generator and so on.
There are many types of pumps namely Centrifugal pumps, Axial flow pumps,
plunger pumps, mixed pumps that are used on ships for different applications.

Use of Pumps On Ship

Pumps are widely used on-board ships for the following purpose:

1) Domestic freshwater supply to the bathroom, washbasin, galley, etc.

2) Fire main/Sanitary supply of seawater.
3) Machinery cooling by seawater/freshwater.
4) Pumping out the bilge and flooded compartments.
5) Supply of fluid for operation of steering gear, stabilizer, and hydraulic
machinery.
6) Circulation of brine in air conditioning plants.

Different Types of Pumps

Pumps are broadly classified into two main types namely:

Positive displacement pump and Dynamic pressure pump (Roto-dynamic pump).

1. Positive Displacement Pumps
Positive Displacement pump is defined as the pump, which creates suction by
increasing the volume by mechanical variation at the suction side and achieve
discharge by mechanically reducing the volume of the chamber in which fluid is
trapped.

Positive displacement means that once the fluid is trapped in the chamber by suction
has no way to go back to suction, it has to be discharged, which means it is absolutely
necessary to operate a Positive displacement pump with its discharge valve open.

If Positive displacement pump works against the closed discharge valve, the pressure
will increase tremendously until there is a burst in pump piping or severely damaged
to the pump itself -or both.

To prevent such a mishap, relief, or safety valve must be provided at the discharge
line, they may be internal or external. An internal safety valve is provided as the
precaution whereas the external relief valve feedback to the suction line.

1.1 Reciprocating pumps :

Reciprocating pump is the term that is used for the pumps that perform to and fro
motion to displace fluid from suction line to discharge line. Reciprocating pumps
move water or other liquids by a plunger or piston that travels back and forth inside
a cylinder.

Under Reciprocating pumps comes. (a)Piston Pumps (b)Plunger Pump (c)Bucket

pumps.

Piston pump: This pump consists of a piston, that moves to-and-fro to pump fluid
from low level to high level, this may further be divided into two types, single acting,
and double-acting.
This type of pump is in common use as a bilge pump or tank stripping pump. The
design is simple, robust, and reliable. Materials are very much dependent on the
usage, but bronze is common for larger parts and stainless steel for piston rods.

Plunger pump: This pump consists of a plunger (Cylinder), that moves to-and-fro
to pump fluid. this pump is similar to the piston pump, the only difference is that a
piston is replaced with the plunger. A smooth cylinder slide and High-pressure seal
prevent any leakage from the pump.

Bucket Pump: A simple bucket pump is similar to the lift-Disc pump without the
use of a pipe to draw the liquid.
Historically bucket pumps were used in old turbine ships and now used as a high-
pressure complex bucket pump for lubrication. The modern bucket pump is used on
a ship to insert or disperse a predefined volume of Greece or lube oil while the
pump’s plunger is operated.

1.3 Rotary Pumps

Rotary Pumps are those pump which pumps fluid by rotary motion, don’t get it
confused with centrifugal pumps, because in this pump the fluid is trapped in a cavity
as the pump rotate and the only flow of fluid is forward and not backward that is
toward the suction neither it can churn.

Rotary Pumps are further divided into (a) Constant Delivery Pump (b) Variable
Delivery Pump

Constant Delivery Pump

A Constant Delivery Pump is a pump where the discharge rate is constant throughout the
working of the pump.

( i ) Gear Pump: Gear Pump works on the principle of meshing in and out of gears,
the fluid is trapped in the cavity that is formed between the gear and the casing of
the pump.
The clearance between the top-land and casing is very small like 0.002 mm, this tight
clearance with the high speed of rotation, effectively prevent the fluid from leaking
backward. One gear is driving gear and another is driven gear.

( ii ) Screw Pump: Screw Pump uses one or more screws to move fluid from suction
to discharge, screw rotate on its axis inside of the cylinder, fluid is trapped in the
cavity, and is pushed forward. Application: Fuel oil transfer pump, Main Engine Lub
oil pump.
2.1 Centrifugal Pump
Centrifugal pump is a machine that uses rotation to impart velocity to a liquid, it then
converts that velocity into the flow. This definition tells us two things about
centrifugal pumps

(1) Energy is imparted to liquid in the form of velocity by the impeller.

(2) Energy is getting converted into flow by the casing of the centrifugal pump. This
pump is an impeller and a casing working in unison to create a steady pressured
flow.
Application: General service firefighting main pump, Nozzle cleaning, Hydrophore
supply…

A. Volute Casing Centrifugal Pump

Volute Casing Centrifugal Pump is the casing of a centrifugal pump in which the cross-section of
the casing increases gradually as a fluid moves toward discharge.

This increase in cross-section result in a decrease of fluid velocity, that is a decrease in kinetic
energy and convert it into pressure energy. The shaft is eccentric in a volute centrifugal pump.