Pumps Basic Types & Operation

In process operations, liquids and their movement and transfer from place to place, plays a large part in the process. Liquid can only flow under its own power from one elevation to a lower elevation or, from a high pressure system to a lower pressure system. The flow of liquid is also affected by friction, pipe size, liquid viscosity and the bends and fittings in the piping. To overcome flow problems, and to move liquids from place to place, against a higher pressure or to a higher elevation, energy must be added to the liquid. To add the required energy to liquids, we use ' PUMPS '. A pump therefore is defined as ' A machine used to add energy to a liquid '. Pumps come in many types and sizes. The type depends on the function the pump is to perform and the size (and speed) depends on the amount of liquid to be moved in a given time.