What role do industrial pumps play in today’s industry?

The use of pumps is becoming ever more frequent in today’s industry. When the time comes to choose the most appropriate type of pump, a successful choice will depend on different factors such as the criticality of the process, the hours needed to pump or the physical data of the pumping including the type of fluid to be pumped, flow, pressure, temperature and elevation.

At InoxMIM we have taken into account all the specifications of industrial pumps to offer our customers the best offer in terms of quality, price and performance. In this article, you will find information about what an industrial pump is and the different types available.

An industrial pump is a machine that transforms the mechanical energy it absorbs from an electric, thermal or other kinds of motor, and transfers it to a fluid as hydraulic energy. This allows the fluid to be transported from one place to another, on one level or different levels. 

The operation of an industrial pump is simple: the inlet tube of the pump sucks the water and then is driven by a motor that uses coils and magnets to create a magnetic field, which gets the impeller to rotate continuously.

There are two large groups of industrial pumps: firstly we have the dynamic ones, among which are centrifuges, peripheral and special pumps; and secondly, we have the positive displacement ones, which we can be grouped into reciprocating and rotating. 

Centrifugal pumps are the most widely used kind of hydraulic pump within the industry, as they are used to pump liquids in general and allow large amounts of water to be moved.

• Centrifugal Pumps:

These pumps are the most used in the chemical industry and the most effective for handling solid particles carried in a fluid suspension. The centrifugal pump is a type of hydraulic pump that transforms the mechanical energy of an impeller into kinetic or pressure energy of an incompressible fluid. From mechanic to hydraulic.

The chemical and processing industries use centrifugal pumps for things like paints, chemicals, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, cellulose, food production, beverages and sugar refining…

The main characteristics of these pumps are:

• Positive Displacement Pumps:

This type of industrial pump guides the fluid that moves along its entire trajectory, which is contained between the impeller and the housing or cylinder. They have a chamber that increases volume (suction) and decreases volume (drive). All types of rotary pumps are positive displacement pumps and include gear pumps, screw/spindle, rotating vanes and pistons.

• Helical Pumps

These pumps are known as progressive cavity pumps or helical screw pumps. They are positive displacement pumps and are ideal for the transfer of fluids with fragile solids. Suitable for viscous and abrasive fluids.

• Liquid ring vacuum pumps 

These pumps are positive displacement rotary machines that create a vacuum and are commonly used for all types of industrial processes in a wide range of industries including chemical, electrical, environmental, food and beverage processing and packaging, marine operations, mining and oil.

• Peristaltic Pumps:

The peristaltic pumps are a type of positive displacement hydraulic pump, used to pump a wide variety of fluids. The fluid is contained within a flexible tube recessed inside a circular cover of the pump so there is no contact between the mechanical elements and the product.

• Lobe Pumps:

Lobe pumps are rotary volumetric pumps. Pumping is produced by 2 lobes that rotate in the opposite direction, to conduct the liquid into the space between the body and a lobe. The effect is smooth, with good acceptance of large particles in suspension.

• Flexible impeller pumps

Flexible impeller pumps are designed to work in both directions and are characterized by being self-priming and very versatile. However, they are not suitable for working at high temperatures (>80ºC) due to the high friction between the impeller and the body.

• Rotary Pumps:

These industrial pumps discharge a continuous flow. Although they are generally considered pumps for viscous liquids, they can also handle almost any liquid that is free of abrasive solids. These are machines that develop pressure by transporting liquids in a defined path in a single direction. Some of the pumps mentioned above could also be included in this category although this term is generally used to talk about internal or external gear pumps. 

• Reciprocal or Alternative Pumps:

In these pumps, the fluid moves by alternative movement, when moving in one direction it sucks and in the opposite direction it expels. The best-known pump of this kind is the diaphragm.

InoxMIM is one of the leading manufacturers of centrifugal pumps nationwide, with high-performance machines and excellent results. In addition, our extensive experience allows us to offer the best pumping systems for the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and chemical industries.

We are committed to the needs of our customers, manufacturing pumps of different types that allow us to provide high-performance and quality pumping solutions for the chemical, food, cosmetic or pharmaceutical industries.

If you would like further information, just give us a call on +34 972 58 20 40, send an email to [email protected], or spend a few seconds completing the following form, so that one of our sales representatives can contact you as soon as possible.