Pressure Pumps – How They Work and Some Typical Uses

While their presence may not always be evident, pressure pumps are all around us, and they perform a plethora of valuable tasks that most of us are only likely to become aware of if they should happen to malfunction. Regardless of the specific application in which they may be involved, the primary role of these devices is to control the flow of a liquid or gas within a pipeline.

Pressure Pumps – The Theory

To understand how these gadgets work, it will help to consider the action of a ship’s propellor. These comparatively massive structures mimic the centrifugal action that drives pressure pumps, and consist of several shaped blades mounted on a rotating shaft driven by the vessel’s engine. Whereas the ship is free to move forwards as the propellor blades push against the water, a pump is a fixture and cannot be moved in this way so, instead, it is the water that will be propelled forwards.

In practice, there is an essential difference between the design of the blades used in each of the mechanisms described. Whereas the propellor’s blades are angled so that they push the water away, pressure pumps operate in reverse. Accordingly, the rotating component is known as an impeller, and its blades’ design acts to pull a liquid or gas inwards through an inlet pipe and then to discharge it via a suitable outlet. On the journey between the inlet and outlet points, it is ordinarily possible to control the flow rate (speed), and the pressure at which the contents travel. In the more advanced models, built-in sensing devices regulate one or both of these parameters automatically.

Pressure Pumps – The Practice

As implied earlier, the applications for pressure pumps are manifold. While similar devices circulate the lubricating oil in marine, aircraft and motor vehicle engines, the units under discussion serve mainly to transport water. Municipal water treatment plants use them to deliver a continuous supply to the taps in our homes. Without the boost they provide, the flow to many houses could decrease or even stop. In the cities also, modern high-rise office and apartment blocks pose an even greater challenge. To ensure running water on every floor will often require the assistance of several pressure pumps connected in series.

Over the years, we have learned to expect our taps to keep flowing, apart from the occasional interruption for maintenance work. However, prolonged periods of drought in the Western Cape and other parts of South Africa have served as a wake-up call that has seen many people resorting to rainwater harvesting and even installing water treatment equipment. When the time comes to transfer the harvested water to an irrigation system or, after the necessary treatment, to channel it into the domestic supply, once again, pressure pumps will be the answer.

Get in Touch with Bestline Manufacturing

Industry also uses these devices extensively, to perform tasks such as delivering the feed water to boilers or transporting chemicals and slurries. In most cases, they perform a crucial function that depends upon reliable equipment. Bestline Manufacturing is located in the Johannesburg suburb of Honeydew and is a leading supplier of high-quality pressure pumps.