lundi 7 septembre 2015

The Importance Of High Pressure Positive Displacement Pump In The Industry

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.

The rotary and reciprocating pumps constitute the two main classes of pumps. They are similar in that they both allow a constant rate of flow but different in a functional point of view. Rotary pumps require constant lubrication through the pumping process. Their suitability with highly viscous fluids is the corner stone of their operation. They however cannot transmit abrasive fluids like water and gas efficiently. Vaporized fluids can be pumped but for only limited periods of time. Reciprocating pumps on the other hand are more all rounded because they are better suited for both viscous and abrasive liquids.

PD pumps way of working is entirely dependent on pressure and viscosity. They transmit fluids by trapping say an amount equal to its volume and moving it through a discharge pipe. The effect of these two properties is on the flow rate and efficiency. The main cause in their efficiency is their ability to keep a uniform flow despite unpredictable changes in discharge pressure and viscosity.

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.

This desirable property has been effectively applied. Initially the extracted crude oil contained oil, gas, sand and water. Separation had to be done prior to transportation and each element mentioned above had to be transported separately. This was in essence quite expensive. PD drives however enabled the petroleum industry to tremendously reduce the cost of offshore oil production since there was no need of separating the initial mixture before moving it.

PD pumps also found their application in the chemical industry. This typically involved the food and beverage industry and the pharmaceutical companies. Bio technology also uses these types of pumps. During a chemical process, when the chemical solution is passed through the reactor, certain attributes change due to heating and other reactions. This includes the viscosity of the mixture. The process however demands a constant rate of flow through the procedure. This is why they are applied in the chemical industry.

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.

As a parting shot, each and every aspect of the transmitted fluid should be analyzed before choosing which pumps to use, however the PD pumps have been seen to be efficient at maintaining the rate of flow.




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