Pumps are now among the primary machines in almost all industries. They are broadly categorized into two based on their working principles and mechanical configurations. These categories include dynamic or kinetic pumps and displacement pumps. Dynamic pumps will impart pressure and velocity to your fluid as it moves through the impeller and the pressure to push the fluid out. Centrifugal and vertical pumps are the categories of dynamic pumps.
Displacement pumps, on the other hand, are the most common ones chemical pump suppliers have in store. These have moving elements including the gear, lobe, rotor, piston, and plunger that displace the liquid in your cylinder or casing while increasing the liquid’s pressure. Unlike the kinetic pump, the displacement pump will only produce fluid flow without developing pressure. Diaphragm pumps are the most versatile ones among displacement pumps and can be used for food additives, dry powders, pharmaceuticals, wastewater, and chemicals. They contain no seals and thus have no risk of leaks since they have no seals, and are explosion-proof, self-priming, portable, energy-efficient, and inexpensive. The following are the alternatives available for diaphragm pumps.
Air-Operated Pumps
These are the leading choice of diaphragm pumps and work using compressed air. The pumps come with two assembly rooms and inlet and outlet check vales in both rooms. The air supply in these diaphragm pumps can thus be moved from one room to the other using a control device that is inbuilt into the pump. The recurrent air shifting from one assembly room to the next will force your liquid out of one room and into an expulsion pipe without the other assembly room being fluid-filled. You will adjust your pump’s flow by adjusting its air pressure.
Mechanical Pumps
These are operated using a robust and simple reciprocating mechanical link that will be directly attached to the pump’s diaphragm. Mechanical pumps generally have a gear mechanism or crank that will convert the motor’s rotation into the linkage’s reciprocating motion. The flow of a mechanical diaphragm pump will be changed by adjusting the pump’s speed or stroke length. In general, these pumps resemble plunger and piston pumps.
Hydraulic Pumps
These have two opposing sides of their diaphragm with one side implementing an intermediate hydraulic liquid on the other. The fluid will be pressurized by a piston or plunger that will flex the diaphragm. Hydraulic pumps work like mechanical pumps, but, the liquid will contact the diaphragm instead of the mechanical linkage. You will adjust the pump’s flow by changing its speed or the quantity of hydraulic fluid.
Solenoid Pumps
These comprise an electric motor that regulates a solenoid magnet. When your pump is activated, the solenoid generates a magnetic force that will interact with the ferromagnetic metal section of your diaphragm and cause its flexing and the outflow of fluid. A change in its speed adjusts the flow of the solenoid pump.
The above diaphragm pump types will all pulsate; an element that will be evidenced as pressure spikes. It is hence essential to fix a dampener at the top of your pump to reduce the pulsating. This way, the pulsating neither affect your pump’s operation nor shortens its service life.
