Centrifugal and Positive Displacement Pump Fundamentals

Edward Brunet, Jr., P.E.

Overview

Pumps can be divided into two major categories - kinetic and positive displacement.  Kinetic pumps can be further subdivided into centrifugal pumps (the vast majority of kinetic pumps) and special effects pumps.  Jet pumps, reversible centrifugal, gas lift and electromagnetic are examples of special effect pumps, which are not covered in this course. 

The operating principle of centrifugal pumps and positive displacement pumps are quite different.  Centrifugal pumps operate by imparting velocity energy to the fluid, which is converted to pressure energy upon exiting the pump casing.  A positive displacement pump moves a fixed volume of fluid within the pump casing by applying a force to moveable boundaries containing the fluid volume.

Before attempting to select a pump for a particular application, it is important to understand the types of pumps available and how they operate.  This course covers the fundamentals of centrifugal and positive displacement pumps, including the major components of a pump, the operating principle and the different types of pumps available within each category.  The course material covers Module 3 - "Pumps" in the DOE Mechanical Science Fundamentals Handbook, which is an excellent source of information in the Engineering Sciences. 

The student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of fifteen questions at the end of this course to obtain PDH credits.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Attained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills: 

• Centrifugal pump principle of operation and major components

• Centrifugal pump types by impeller classification, flow classification (i.e. radial flow, axial flow, etc)

• Multi-stage centrifugal pump basics

• Centrifugal pump sealing components, such as wearing rings, stuffing boxes and lantern rings

• NPSH, as well as causes and mitigations for cavitation

• Centrifugal pump characteristic curves, pump protection and priming

• Positive displacement pump principle of operation

• Reciprocating pump types and applications

• Rotary pump types and applications

• Positive displacement pump flow and pressure characteristics and pump protection

Course

Click on the URL below to go to Module 3 - "Pumps" in the DOE Mechanical Science Fundamentals Handbook. 

Fundamentals - Pumps (722 KB)

To obtain PDH credits for this course, you will need to take a quiz for credit.  Click on the link below. 

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