Understanding Pressure Pumps and Why We Need Them
While water and other liquids will flow down a slope unaided, moving a significant volume of fluid uphill or even horizontally for any considerable distance would not be possible without a bit of help to overcome the opposing forces presented by gravity and friction. In such cases, pressure pumps will often be the solution of choice. We need to take a look at the design of these devices to understand how they work. How is it possible to draw in a volume of liquid and expel it with increased force? This effect results from geometry and the relationship between the rate at which a fluid is flowing and the pressure it exerts.
The relationship in question is inverse, which means increasing either of these parameters will automatically cause the other to reduce. Power washers rely on the action of pressure pumps for their operation. Water from a domestic tap is drawn into the device and accelerated by a rotating impeller. However, restricting the outlet’s diameter acts to reduce the rate at which the water can escape, transforming its kinetic energy into the desired additional thrust. By varying the speed of the motor or the diameter of the outlet orifice, a user can control either of these two parameters, adjusting them to best meet the requirements of the task at hand.
Pipelines are essential to supply water to our homes and businesses. Sometimes this would be impossible without pressure pumps. Consumers who live in areas distant from their municipal water source will often find their water lacks the power required for a decent shower and that it takes quite a while for their toilets to refill after flushing. In high-rise buildings, even where the supply pressure at ground level is excellent, it will drop steadily during the journey to the floors above. Also, high-rise dwellings are often required to install an automatic sprinkler system that will respond to the signal from a smoke detector. Such systems depend on the contents of a rooftop tank for their operation. Not surprisingly, it will require several pressure pumps to provide sufficient boost to keep that tank full while ensuring the residents on every floor enjoy the same quality of service as those at ground level.
These booster devices are generally powered by electricity and their consumption depends on their flow rate. For example, a unit designed to deliver 35 litres per minute will use around 600 watts when it’s working. However, because these boosters only draw power when someone turns on a tap or flushes a toilet, installing pressure pumps to improve the supply to all floors of a building should not add significantly to its day-to-day running costs.
In practice, the possible uses for these devices are not limited to providing a boost for an ailing domestic water supply and powering domestic power washers. When you visit your local filling station and pull into the drive-through car wash, the automatic washing, waxing and rinsing processes all rely on the power of one or more pressure pumps for their action. Chat to Bestline Manufacturing about options such as sewer jetting, dust suppression and other potential uses for these invaluable devices.