Thursday, 10 September 2015

Uses Of The High Pressure Positive Displacement Pump

By Daphne Bowen


The revolution and diversification of industries can all be attributed to the invention of the pump. The applications of high pressure positive displacement pump has been extended well beyond the common usage of pumping water from a borehole. Modern industry relies heavily on this technology.

There are two main types that constitute the positive displacement pumps. These are the rotary and reciprocating pumps. They are both used when the main aim is to obtain a constant flow. Their main difference arises from the type of fluids they transmit. The rotary type is best suited for moving highly viscous fluids. This means that abrasive fluids will not be efficiently transmitted. Reciprocating types are well known for their ability to move both highly viscous and abrasive fluids with ease efficiently.

The efficiency and rate of flow of pumps is hugely dependent on two physical properties, that is, the viscosity of fluids and the pressure. The preference of PD pumps stems from their ability to maintain a constant flow rate given the ever changing physical properties.

There have been numerous applications of this types of pumps. A major milestone that has been achieved is in the oil and petroleum trade. The centrifugal pump was abandoned since it could not move fluids with gas. The gas content constituted part of the crude oil along with water and sand residues. Specific designs however allowed the PD pumps to move significantly large quantities of gas. Even the most basic designs could transmit up to 50 percent gas quantities.

The properties above helped curb the cost of transmitting oil from offshore countries since oil and gas mixture could be pumped through one mechanism only.

In the field of chemical engineering, PD drives are vital to the pumping mechanisms. A standard chemical reaction results in huge changes in viscosity of the underlying mixture. This implies that other pumps such as the centrifugal types would not sufficiently carry the mixture through the reactor. PD drives will be able to transmit the mixture constantly irregardless of the fluctuations. This is the major reason why its uses extend to the pharmaceutical, foods and beverages and the biotechnology industries.

A similar application can be seen in paper milling industries. Paper mills are fueled by a mixture of fibers from the wood and liquid chemical. During the process the resulting mixture usually undergoes changes in density as it is burnt. Other problems such as clogging and erosion of passageways is also a common phenomena. Since the process of paper manufacturing is a highly regulated procedure, a constant flow of fuel is required. Using any other type of pumps despite these associated problems will not yield the required results. The reciprocating type pumps therefore offer the best solution for paper millers.

In summary, positive displacement pumps are the most efficient when rate of flow is a major requirement. One should properly understand all the physical properties of the fluid intended to be transmitted before settling on a choice of pumping mechanism.




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