Uses Of The High Pressure Positive Displacement Pump

By Daphne Bowen


For a long time, pumps have changed the way machinery operates. The high pressure positive displacement pump is at the forefront of this. On the onset of its invention, it has been used in both the traditional and modern society.

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.

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.

The most monumental applications of PD pumps is in the oil industry. Here they mainly serve to pump the crude oil from the extraction site to the processing site. It was initially expensive to separately pump the constituents of the extracted matter which included the oil, gas, water and sand. This was largely due to the fact that it contained significantly large amounts of gas. However the ability of reciprocating pumps to transmit gases came in handy. The mixture was now being transmitted as it was without the need of building separate pumping stations for each element.

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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