Types of positive displacement pump

Types of positive displacement pump

·        Rotary pumps

·       Reciprocating (piston) pumps

·       Gear pumps

1.Rotary Pumps

In Rotary pumps, movement of liquid is achieved by mechanical displacement of liquid produced by rotation of a sealed arrangement of intermeshing rotating parts within the pump casing.

2.The gear pump Construction and Operation:

In this pump, intermeshing gears or rotors rotate in opposite directions, just like the gears in a vehicle or a watch mechanism. The pump rotors are housed in the casing or stator with a very small clearance between them and the casing. (The fluid being pumped will lubricate this s mall clearance and help prevent friction and therefore wear of the rotors and casing).

In this type of pump, only one of the rotors is driven. The intermeshing gears rotate the other rotor. As the rotors rotate, the liquid or gas, (this type of machine can also be used as a compressor), enters from the suction line and fills the spaces between the teeth of the gears and becomes trapped forming small 'Slugs' of fluid between the teeth.

The slugs are then carried round by the rotation of the teeth to the discharge side of the pump.

At this point, the gears mesh together and, as they do so, the fluid is displaced from each cavity by the intermeshing teeth.

Since the fluid cannot pass the points of near contact of the intermeshed teeth nor between the teeth and casing, it can only pass into the discharge line.

As the rotation continues, the teeth at the suction end are opened up again and the same amount of fluid will fill the spaces and the process repeated. The liquid at the discharge end is constantly being displaced (moved forward).

Thus gear pumps compel or force a fixed volume of fluid to be displaced for each revolution of the rotors giving the 'Positive Displacement' action of the pump.

Gear pumps are generally operated at high speed and thus give a fairly pulse-free discharge flow and pressure. Where these pumps are operated at slower speeds, as in pumping viscous liquids, the output tends to pulsate due to the meshing of the tee th. Any gas or air drawn into the pump with the liquid, will be carried through with the liquid and will not cause cavitation. This action of the pump means that it's a 'Self Priming' pump. The discharge pressure may however, fluctuate.

The output from this type of pump is directly proportional to the speed of ope ration. If the speed is doubled, the output will be doubled and the pressure will have very little effect. (At higher pressures, due to the fine clearances between the teeth and between the casing and the rotors, a small leakage back to the suction side will occur resulting in a very small drop in actual flow rate. The higher the discharge pressure, the more likely that internal leakage will occur).

Rotary pumps are widely used for viscous liquids and are self -lubricating by the fluid being pumped. This means that an external source of lubrication cannot be used as it would contaminate the fluid being pumped. However, if a rotary pump is used for dirty liquids or slurries, solid particles can get between the small clearances and cause wear of the teeth and casing. This will result in loss of efficiency and expensive repair or replacement of the pump.