COMPRESSOR

A compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. An
air compressor is a specific type of gas compressor.

Compressors are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure on a fluid and both can transport the fluid
through a pipe. As gases are compressible, the compressor also reduces the volume of a gas. Liquids are
relatively incompressible; while some can be compressed, the main action of a pump is to pressurize
and transport liquids.

A small stationary high pressure breathing air compressor for filling scuba cylinders

Types of compressors

The main and important types of gas compressors are illustrated and discussed below:
Contents
 1 Types of compressors

1.1 Positive displacement

 1.1.1 Reciprocating compressors

 1.1.2 Ionic liquid piston compressor
 1.1.3 Rotary screw compressors
 1.1.4 Rotary vane compressors
 1.1.5 Rolling piston
 1.1.6 Scroll compressors
 1.1.7 Diaphragm compressors

1.2 Dynamic

 1.2.1 Air bubble compressor

 1.2.2 Centrifugal compressors
 1.2.3 Diagonal or mixed-flow compressors
 1.2.4 Axial-flow compressors

1.3 Hermetically sealed, open, or semi-hermetic

Positive displacement

A positive displacement compressor is a system which compresses the air by the displacement of a
mechanical linkage reducing the volume (since the reduction in volume due to a piston in
thermodynamics is considered as positive displacement of the piston).[vague]
Reciprocating compressors
Main article: Reciprocating compressor

A motor-driven six-cylinder reciprocating compressor that can operate with two, four or six cylinders.

Reciprocating compressors use pistons driven by a crankshaft. They can be either stationary or portable,
can be single or multi-staged, and can be driven by electric motors or internal combustion engines.[1][2][3]
Small reciprocating compressors from 5 to 30 horsepower (hp) are commonly seen in automotive
applications and are typically for intermittent duty. Larger reciprocating compressors well over 1,000 hp
(750 kW) are commonly found in large industrial and petroleum applications. Discharge pressures can
range from low pressure to very high pressure (>18000 psi or 180 MPa). In certain applications, such as
air compression, multi-stage double-acting compressors are said to be the most efficient compressors
available, and are typically larger, and more costly than comparable rotary units.[4] Another type of
reciprocating compressor, usually employed in automotive cabin air conditioning systems,[citation needed] is
the swash plate or wobble plate compressor, which uses pistons moved by a swash plate mounted on a
shaft (see axial piston pump).

Household, home workshop, and smaller job site compressors are typically reciprocating compressors
1½ hp or less with an attached receiver tank.

A linear compressor is a reciprocating compressor with the piston being the rotor of a linear motor.
Ionic liquid piston compressor
Main article: Ionic liquid piston compressor

An ionic liquid piston compressor, ionic compressor or ionic liquid piston pump is a hydrogen compressor
based on an ionic liquid piston instead of a metal piston as in a piston-metal diaphragm compressor.[5]
Rotary screw compressors

Diagram of a rotary screw compressor

Main article: Rotary screw compressor

Rotary screw compressors use two meshed rotating positive-displacement helical screws to force the
gas into a smaller space.[1][6][7] These are usually used for continuous operation in commercial and
industrial applications and may be either stationary or portable. Their application can be from 3
horsepower (2.2 kW) to over 1,200 horsepower (890 kW) and from low pressure to moderately high
pressure (>1,200 psi or 8.3 MPa).

The classifications of rotary screw compressors vary based on stages, cooling methods, and drive types
among others.[8] Rotary screw compressors are commercially produced in Oil Flooded, Water Flooded
and Dry type. The efficiency of rotary compressors depends on the air drier,[clarification needed] and the
selection of air drier is always 1.5 times volumetric delivery of the compressor.[9]

Designs with a single screw [10] or three screws [11] instead of two exist.
Rotary vane compressors

Eccentric rotary-vane pump

See also: Rotary vane pump

Rotary vane compressors consist of a rotor with a number of blades inserted in radial slots in the rotor.
The rotor is mounted offset in a larger housing that is either circular or a more complex shape. As the
rotor turns, blades slide in and out of the slots keeping contact with the outer wall of the housing.[1]
Thus, a series of increasing and decreasing volumes is created by the rotating blades. Rotary Vane
compressors are, with piston compressors one of the oldest of compressor technologies.

With suitable port connections, the devices may be either a compressor or a vacuum pump. They can be
either stationary or portable, can be single or multi-staged, and can be driven by electric motors or
internal combustion engines. Dry vane machines are used at relatively low pressures (e.g., 2 bar or
200 kPa or 29 psi) for bulk material movement while oil-injected machines have the necessary
volumetric efficiency to achieve pressures up to about 13 bar (1,300 kPa; 190 psi) in a single stage. A
rotary vane compressor is well suited to electric motor drive and is significantly quieter in operation
than the equivalent piston compressor.

Rotary vane compressors can have mechanical efficiencies of about 90%.[12]

Rolling piston

Rolling piston compressor

The Rolling piston in a rolling piston style compressor plays the part of a partition between the vane and
the rotor.[13] Rolling piston forces gas against a stationary vane.
2 of these compressors can be mounted on the same shaft to increase capacity and reduce vibration and
noise. A design without a spring is known as a swing compressor.

In refrigeration and air conditioning, this type of compressor is also known as a rotary compressor, with
rotary screw compressors being also known simply as screw compressors.

Scroll compressors

Mechanism of a scroll pump

Main article: Scroll compressor

A scroll compressor, also known as scroll pump and scroll vacuum pump, uses two interleaved spiral-
like vanes to pump or compress fluids such as liquids and gases. The vane geometry may be involute,
archimedean spiral, or hybrid curves.[14][15][16] They operate more smoothly, quietly, and reliably than
other types of compressors in the lower volume range.

Often, one of the scrolls is fixed, while the other orbits eccentrically without rotating, thereby trapping
and pumping or compressing pockets of fluid between the scrolls.

Due to minimum clearance volume between the fixed scroll and the orbiting scroll, these compressors
have a very high volumetric efficiency.

These compressors are extensively used in air conditioning and refrigeration because they are lighter,
smaller and have fewer moving parts than reciprocating compressors and they are also more reliable.
They are more expensive though, so peltier coolers or rotary and reciprocating compressors may be
used in applications where cost is the most important or one of the most important factors to consider
when designing a refrigeration or air conditioining system.

This type of compressor was used as the supercharger on Volkswagen G60 and G40 engines in the early
1990s.
Diaphragm compressors
Main article: Diaphragm compressor

A diaphragm compressor (also known as a membrane compressor) is a variant of the conventional

reciprocating compressor. The compression of gas occurs by the movement of a flexible membrane,
instead of an intake element. The back and forth movement of the membrane is driven by a rod and a
crankshaft mechanism. Only the membrane and the compressor box come in contact with the gas being
compressed.[1]

The degree of flexing and the material constituting the diaphragm affects the maintenance life of the
equipment. Generally stiff metal diaphragms may only displace a few cubic centimeters of volume
because the metal can not endure large degrees of flexing without cracking, but the stiffness of a metal
diaphragm allows it to pump at high pressures. Rubber or silicone diaphragms are capable of enduring
deep pumping strokes of very high flexion, but their low strength limits their use to low-pressure
applications, and they need to be replaced as plastic embrittlement occurs.

Diaphragm compressors are used for hydrogen and compressed natural gas (CNG) as well as in a
number of other applications.

A three-stage diaphragm compressor

The photograph on the right depicts a three-stage diaphragm compressor used to compress hydrogen
gas to 6,000 psi (41 MPa) for use in a prototype compressed hydrogen and compressed natural gas
(CNG) fueling station built in downtown Phoenix, Arizona by the Arizona Public Service company (an
electric utilities company). Reciprocating compressors were used to compress the natural gas. The
reciprocating natural gas compressor was developed by Sertco.[17]

The prototype alternative fueling station was built in compliance with all of the prevailing safety,
environmental and building codes in Phoenix to demonstrate that such fueling stations could be built in
urban areas.
Dynamic

Dynamic compressors depend upon the inertia and momentum of a fluid.

Air bubble compressor

Also known as a trompe. A mixture of air and water generated through turbulence is allowed to fall into
a subterranean chamber where the air separates from the water. The weight of falling water
compresses the air in the top of the chamber. A submerged outlet from the chamber allows water to
flow to the surface at a lower height than the intake. An outlet in the roof of the chamber supplies the
compressed air to the surface. A facility on this principle was built on the Montreal River at Ragged
Shutes near Cobalt, Ontario in 1910 and supplied 5,000 horsepower to nearby mines.[18]

Centrifugal compressors

A single stage centrifugal compressor

Main article: Centrifugal compressor

Centrifugal compressors use a rotating disk or impeller in a shaped housing to force the gas to the rim
of the impeller, increasing the velocity of the gas. A diffuser (divergent duct) section converts the
velocity energy to pressure energy. They are primarily used for continuous, stationary service in
industries such as oil refineries, chemical and petrochemical plants and natural gas processing
plants.[1][19][20] Their application can be from 100 horsepower (75 kW) to thousands of horsepower. With
multiple staging, they can achieve high output pressures greater than 1,000 psi (6.9 MPa).

This type of compressor, along with screw compressors, are extensively used in large refrigeration and
air conditioning systems. Magnetically levitated and air bearing centrifugal compressors exist.

Many large snowmaking operations (like ski resorts) use this type of compressor. They are also used in
internal combustion engines as superchargers and turbochargers. Centrifugal compressors are used in
small gas turbine engines or as the final compression stage of medium-sized gas turbines.
Diagonal or mixed-flow compressors

Diagonal or mixed-flow compressors are similar to centrifugal compressors, but have a radial and axial
velocity component at the exit from the rotor. The diffuser is often used to turn diagonal flow to an axial
rather than radial direction.[21] Comparative to the conventional centrifugal compressor (of the same
stage pressure ratio), the value of the speed of the mixed flow compressor is 1.5 times larger.[22]

Axial-flow compressors

An animation of an axial compressor.

Main article: Axial-flow compressor

Axial-flow compressors are dynamic rotating compressors that use arrays of fan-like airfoils to
progressively compress a fluid. They are used where high flow rates or a compact design are required.

The arrays of airfoils are set in rows, usually as pairs: one rotating and one stationary. The rotating
airfoils, also known as blades or rotors, accelerate the fluid. The stationary airfoils, also known as stators
or vanes, decelerate and redirect the flow direction of the fluid, preparing it for the rotor blades of the
next stage.[1] Axial compressors are almost always multi-staged, with the cross-sectional area of the gas
passage diminishing along the compressor to maintain an optimum axial Mach number. Beyond about 5
stages or a 4:1 design pressure ratio a compressor will not function unless fitted with features such as
stationary vanes with variable angles (known as variable inlet guide vanes and variable stators), the
ability to allow some air to escape part-way along the compressor (known as interstage bleed) and being
split into more than one rotating assembly (known as twin spools, for example).

Axial compressors can have high efficiencies; around 90% polytropic at their design conditions.
However, they are relatively expensive, requiring a large number of components, tight tolerances and
high quality materials. Axial-flow compressors are used in medium to large gas turbine engines, natural
gas pumping stations, and some chemical plants.
Hermetically sealed, open, or semi-hermetic

A small hermetically sealed compressor in a common consumer refrigerator or freezer typically has a
rounded steel outer shell permanently welded shut, which seals operating gases inside the system.
There is no route for gases to leak, such as around motor shaft seals. On this model, the plastic top
section is part of an auto-defrost system that uses motor heat to evaporate the water.

Compressors used in refrigeration systems are often described as being either hermetic, open, or semi-
hermetic, to describe how the compressor and motor drive are situated in relation to the gas or vapor
being compressed. The industry name for a hermetic is hermetically sealed compressor, while a semi-
hermetic is commonly called a semi-hermetic compressor.

In hermetic and most semi-hermetic compressors, the compressor and motor driving the compressor
are integrated, and operate within the pressurized gas envelope of the system. The motor is designed to
operate in, and be cooled by, the refrigerant gas being compressed.

The difference between the hermetic and semi-hermetic, is that the hermetic uses a one-piece welded
steel casing that cannot be opened for repair; if the hermetic fails it is simply replaced with an entire
new unit. A semi-hermetic uses a large cast metal shell with gasketed covers with screws that can be
opened to replace motor and compressor components.

The primary advantage of a hermetic and semi-hermetic is that there is no route for the gas to leak out
of the system. Open compressors rely on shaft seals to retain the internal pressure, and these seals
require a lubricant such as oil to retain their sealing properties.

An open pressurized system such as an automobile air conditioner can be more susceptible to leak its
operating gases. Open systems rely on lubricant in the system to splash on pump components and seals.
If it is not operated frequently enough, the lubricant on the seals slowly evaporates, and then the seals
begin to leak until the system is no longer functional and must be recharged. By comparison, a hermetic
or semi-hermetic system can sit unused for years, and can usually be started up again at any time
without requiring maintenance or experiencing any loss of system pressure.

The disadvantage of hermetic compressors is that the motor drive cannot be repaired or maintained,
and the entire compressor must be replaced if a motor fails. A further disadvantage is that burnt-out
windings can contaminate whole systems, thereby requiring the system to be entirely pumped down
and the gas replaced (This can also happen in semi hermetic compressors where the motor operates in
the refrigerant). Typically, hermetic compressors are used in low-cost factory-assembled consumer
goods where the cost of repair and labor is high compared to the value of the device, and it would be
more economical to just purchase a new device or compressor. Semi-hermetic compressors are used in
mid-sized to large refrigeration and air conditioning systems, where it is cheaper to repair the
compressor rather than buying and installing a new one. A hermetic compressor is simpler and cheaper
to build than a semi-hermetic compressor.

An advantage of open compressors is that they can be driven by non-electric power sources, such as an
internal combustion engine or turbine. However, open compressors that drive refrigeration systems are
generally not totally maintenance-free throughout the life of the system, since some gas leakage will
occur over time.
PUMP
A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical
action. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they use to
move the fluid: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps.[1]

Pumps operate by some mechanism (typically reciprocating or rotary), and consume energy to
perform mechanical work moving the fluid. Pumps operate via many energy sources, including
manual operation, electricity, engines, or wind power, come in many sizes, from microscopic
for use in medical applications to large industrial pumps.

Mechanical pumps serve in a wide range of applications such as pumping water from wells,
aquarium filtering, pond filtering and aeration, in the car industry for water-cooling and fuel
injection, in the energy industry for pumping oil and natural gas or for operating cooling towers.
In the medical industry, pumps are used for biochemical processes in developing and
manufacturing medicine, and as artificial replacements for body parts, in particular the artificial
heart and penile prosthesis.

When a casing contains only one revolving impeller, it is called a single-stage pump. When a
casing contains two or more revolving impellers, it is called a double- or multi-stage pump.

In biology, many different types of chemical and biomechanical pumps have evolved;
biomimicry is sometimes used in developing new types of mechanical pumps

A small, electrically powered pump

TYPES OF PUMP
Contents
 Types
o 1.1 Positive displacement pumps
o 1.2 Impulse pumps
o 1.3 Velocity pumps
o 1.4 Gravity pumps
o 1.5 Steam pumps
o 1.6 Valveless pumps

Mechanical pumps may be submerged in the fluid they are pumping or be placed external to
the fluid.

Pumps can be classified by their method of displacement into positive displacement pumps,
impulse pumps, velocity pumps, gravity pumps, steam pumps and valveless pumps. There are
two basic types of pumps: positive displacement and centrifugal. Although axial-flow pumps are
frequently classified as a separate type, they have essentially the same operating principles as
centrifugal pumps.[2]

Positive displacement pumps

Lobe pump internals

A positive displacement pump makes a fluid move by trapping a fixed amount and forcing
(displacing) that trapped volume into the discharge pipe.

Some positive displacement pumps use an expanding cavity on the suction side and a
decreasing cavity on the discharge side. Liquid flows into the pump as the cavity on the suction
side expands and the liquid flows out of the discharge as the cavity collapses. The volume is
constant through each cycle of operation.

Positive displacement pump behavior and safety

Positive displacement pumps, unlike centrifugal or roto-dynamic pumps, theoretically can

produce the same flow at a given speed (RPM) no matter what the discharge pressure. Thus,
positive displacement pumps are constant flow machines. However, a slight increase in internal
leakage as the pressure increases prevents a truly constant flow rate.

A positive displacement pump must not operate against a closed valve on the discharge side of
the pump, because it has no shutoff head like centrifugal pumps. A positive displacement pump
operating against a closed discharge valve continues to produce flow and the pressure in the
discharge line increases until the line bursts, the pump is severely damaged, or both.

A relief or safety valve on the discharge side of the positive displacement pump is therefore
necessary. The relief valve can be internal or external. The pump manufacturer normally has
the option to supply internal relief or safety valves. The internal valve is usually used only as a
safety precaution. An external relief valve in the discharge line, with a return line back to the
suction line or supply tank provides increased safety.

Positive displacement types

A positive displacement pump can be further classified according to the mechanism used to
move the fluid:

 Rotary-type positive displacement: internal gear, screw, shuttle block, flexible vane or sliding
vane, circumferential piston, flexible impeller, helical twisted roots (e.g. the Wendelkolben
pump) or liquid-ring pumps
 Reciprocating-type positive displacement: piston pumps, plunger pumps or diaphragm pumps
 Linear-type positive displacement: rope pumps and chain pumps

Rotary positive displacement pumps

Rotary vane pump

These pumps move fluid using a rotating mechanism that creates a vacuum that captures and
draws in the liquid.[3]

Advantages: Rotary pumps are very efficient[4] because they can handle highly viscous fluids
with higher flow rates as viscosity increases.[5]
Drawbacks: The nature of the pump requires very close clearances between the rotating pump
and the outer edge, making it rotate at a slow, steady speed. If rotary pumps are operated at
high speeds, the fluids cause erosion, which eventually causes enlarged clearances that liquid
can pass through, which reduces efficiency.

Rotary positive displacement pumps fall into three main types:

 Gear pumps – a simple type of rotary pump where the liquid is pushed between two gears
 Screw pumps – the shape of the internals of this pump is usually two screws turning against
each other to pump the liquid
 Rotary vane pumps – similar to scroll compressors, these have a cylindrical rotor encased in a
similarly shaped housing. As the rotor orbits, the vanes trap fluid between the rotor and the
casing, drawing the fluid through the pump.

Reciprocating positive displacement pumps

Simple hand pump

Antique "pitcher" pump (c. 1924) at the Colored School in Alapaha, Georgia, US

Main article: Reciprocating pump

Reciprocating pumps move the fluid using one or more oscillating pistons, plungers, or
membranes (diaphragms), while valves restrict fluid motion to the desired direction. In order
for suction to take place, the pump must first pull the plunger in an outward motion to
decrease pressure in the chamber. Once the plunger pushes back, it will increase the pressure
chamber and the inward pressure of the plunger will then open the discharge valve and release
the fluid into the delivery pipe at a high velocity.[6]

Pumps in this category range from simplex, with one cylinder, to in some cases quad (four)
cylinders, or more. Many reciprocating-type pumps are duplex (two) or triplex (three) cylinder.
They can be either single-acting with suction during one direction of piston motion and
discharge on the other, or double-acting with suction and discharge in both directions. The
pumps can be powered manually, by air or steam, or by a belt driven by an engine. This type of
pump was used extensively in the 19th century—in the early days of steam propulsion—as
boiler feed water pumps. Now reciprocating pumps typically pump highly viscous fluids like
concrete and heavy oils, and serve in special applications that demand low flow rates against
high resistance. Reciprocating hand pumps were widely used to pump water from wells.
Common bicycle pumps and foot pumps for inflation use reciprocating action.

These positive displacement pumps have an expanding cavity on the suction side and a
decreasing cavity on the discharge side. Liquid flows into the pumps as the cavity on the suction
side expands and the liquid flows out of the discharge as the cavity collapses. The volume is
constant given each cycle of operation and the pump’s volumetric efficiency can be achieved
through routine maintenance and inspection of its valves.[7]

Typical reciprocating pumps are:

 Plunger pumps – a reciprocating plunger pushes the fluid through one or two open valves,
closed by suction on the way back.
 Diaphragm pumps – similar to plunger pumps, where the plunger pressurizes hydraulic oil which
is used to flex a diaphragm in the pumping cylinder. Diaphragm valves are used to pump
hazardous and toxic fluids.
 Piston pumps displacement pumps – usually simple devices for pumping small amounts of liquid
or gel manually. The common hand soap dispenser is such a pump.
 Radial piston pumps - a form of hydraulic pump where pistons extend in a radial direction.

Various positive-displacement pumps

The positive displacement principle applies in these pumps:

 Rotary lobe pump

 Progressive cavity pump
 Rotary gear pump
 Piston pump
 Diaphragm pump
 Screw pump
 Gear pump
 Hydraulic pump
 Rotary vane pump
 Peristaltic pump
 Rope pump
 Flexible impeller pump
Gear pump

Gear pump

Main article: Gear pump

This is the simplest of rotary positive displacement pumps. It consists of two meshed gears that
rotate in a closely fitted casing. The tooth spaces trap fluid and force it around the outer
periphery. The fluid does not travel back on the meshed part, because the teeth mesh closely in
the center. Gear pumps see wide use in car engine oil pumps and in various hydraulic power
packs.

Screw pump

Screw pump

Main article: Screw pump

A screw pump is a more complicated type of rotary pump that uses two or three screws with
opposing thread — e.g., one screw turns clockwise and the other counterclockwise. The screws
are mounted on parallel shafts that have gears that mesh so the shafts turn together and
everything stays in place. The screws turn on the shafts and drive fluid through the pump. As
with other forms of rotary pumps, the clearance between moving parts and the pump's casing
is minimal.

Progressing cavity pump

Main article: Progressive cavity pump
Widely used for pumping difficult materials, such as sewage sludge contaminated with large
particles, this pump consists of a helical rotor, about ten times as long as its width. This can be
visualized as a central core of diameter x with, typically, a curved spiral wound around of
thickness half x, though in reality it is manufactured in single casting. This shaft fits inside a
heavy duty rubber sleeve, of wall thickness also typically x. As the shaft rotates, the rotor
gradually forces fluid up the rubber sleeve. Such pumps can develop very high pressure at low
volumes.

Roots-type pumps

A Roots lobe pump

Main article: Roots-type supercharger

Named after the Roots brothers who invented it,this lobe pump displaces the liquid trapped
between two long helical rotors, each fitted into the other when perpendicular at 90°, rotating
inside a triangular shaped sealing line configuration, both at the point of suction and at the
point of discharge. This design produces a continuous flow with equal volume and no vortex. It
can work at low pulsation rates, and offers gentle performance that some applications require.

Applications include:

 High capacity industrial air compressors

 Roots superchargers on internal combustion engines.
 A brand of civil defense siren, the Federal Signal Corporation's Thunderbolt.
Peristaltic pump

360° Peristaltic Pump

Main article: Peristaltic pump

A peristaltic pump is a type of positive displacement pump. It contains fluid within a flexible
tube fitted inside a circular pump casing (though linear peristaltic pumps have been made). A
number of rollers, shoes, or wipers attached to a rotor compresses the flexible tube. As the
rotor turns, the part of the tube under compression closes (or occludes), forcing the fluid
through the tube. Additionally, when the tube opens to its natural state after the passing of the
cam it draws (restitution) fluid into the pump. This process is called peristalsis and is used in
many biological systems such as the gastrointestinal tract.

Plunger pumps
Main article: Plunger pump

Plunger pumps are reciprocating positive displacement pumps.

These consist of a cylinder with a reciprocating plunger. The suction and discharge valves are
mounted in the head of the cylinder. In the suction stroke the plunger retracts and the suction
valves open causing suction of fluid into the cylinder. In the forward stroke the plunger pushes
the liquid out of the discharge valve. Efficiency and common problems: With only one cylinder
in plunger pumps, the fluid flow varies between maximum flow when the plunger moves
through the middle positions, and zero flow when the plunger is at the end positions. A lot of
energy is wasted when the fluid is accelerated in the piping system. Vibration and water
hammer may be a serious problem. In general the problems are compensated for by using two
or more cylinders not working in phase with each other.

Triplex-style plunger pumps

Triplex plunger pumps use three plungers, which reduces the pulsation of single reciprocating
plunger pumps. Adding a pulsation dampener on the pump outlet can further smooth the pump
ripple, or ripple graph of a pump transducer. The dynamic relationship of the high-pressure
fluid and plunger generally requires high-quality plunger seals. Plunger pumps with a larger
number of plungers have the benefit of increased flow, or smoother flow without a pulsation
damper. The increase in moving parts and crankshaft load is one drawback.

Car washes often use these triplex-style plunger pumps (perhaps without pulsation dampers).
In 1968, William Bruggeman reduced the size of the triplex pump and increased the lifespan so
that car washes could use equipment with smaller footprints. Durable high-pressure seals, low-
pressure seals and oil seals, hardened crankshafts, hardened connecting rods, thick ceramic
plungers and heavier duty ball and roller bearings improve reliability in triplex pumps. Triplex
pumps now are in a myriad of markets across the world.

Triplex pumps with shorter lifetimes are commonplace to the home user. A person who uses a
home pressure washer for 10 hours a year may be satisfied with a pump that lasts 100 hours
between rebuilds. Industrial-grade or continuous duty triplex pumps on the other end of the
quality spectrum may run for as much as 2,080 hours a year.[8]

The oil and gas drilling industry uses massive semi trailer-transported triplex pumps called mud
pumps to pump drilling mud, which cools the drill bit and carries the cuttings back to the
surface.[9] Drillers use triplex or even quintuplex pumps to inject water and solvents deep into
shale in the extraction process called fracking.[10]

Compressed-air-powered double-diaphragm pumps

One modern application of positive displacement pumps is compressed-air-powered double-

diaphragm pumps. Run on compressed air these pumps are intrinsically safe by design,
although all manufacturers offer ATEX certified models to comply with industry regulation.
These pumps are relatively inexpensive and can perform a wide variety of duties, from pumping
water out of bunds to pumping hydrochloric acid from secure storage (dependent on how the
pump is manufactured – elastomers / body construction). These double-diaphragm pumps can
handle viscous fluids and abrasive materials with a gentle pumping process ideal for
transporting shear sensitive media.[11]

Rope pumps
Rope pump schematic

Main article: Rope pump

Devised in China as chain pumps over 1000 years ago, these pumps can be made from very
simple materials: A rope, a wheel and a PVC pipe are sufficient to make a simple rope pump.
Rope pump efficiency has been studied by grass roots organizations and the techniques for
making and running them have been continuously improved.[12]

Impulse pumps

Impulse pumps use pressure created by gas (usually air). In some impulse pumps the gas
trapped in the liquid (usually water), is released and accumulated somewhere in the pump,
creating a pressure that can push part of the liquid upwards.

Conventional impulse pumps include:

 Hydraulic ram pumps – kinetic energy of a low-head water supply is stored temporarily in an air-
bubble hydraulic accumulator, then used to drive water to a higher head.
 Pulser pumps – run with natural resources, by kinetic energy only.
 Airlift pumps – run on air inserted into pipe, which pushes the water up when bubbles move
upward

Instead of a gas accumulation and releasing cycle, the pressure can be created by burning of
hydrocarbons. Such combustion driven pumps directly transmit the impulse from a combustion
event through the actuation membrane to the pump fluid. In order to allow this direct
transmission, the pump needs to be almost entirely made of an elastomer (e.g. silicone rubber).
Hence, the combustion causes the membrane to expand and thereby pumps the fluid out of the
adjacent pumping chamber. The first combustion-driven soft pump was developed by ETH
Zurich.[13]

Hydraulic ram pumps

A hydraulic ram is a water pump powered by hydropower.[14]

It takes in water at relatively low pressure and high flow-rate and outputs water at a higher
hydraulic-head and lower flow-rate. The device uses the water hammer effect to develop
pressure that lifts a portion of the input water that powers the pump to a point higher than
where the water started.
The hydraulic ram is sometimes used in remote areas, where there is both a source of low-head
hydropower, and a need for pumping water to a destination higher in elevation than the
source. In this situation, the ram is often useful, since it requires no outside source of power
other than the kinetic energy of flowing water.

Velocity pumps

A centrifugal pump uses an impeller with backward-swept arms

Rotodynamic pumps (or dynamic pumps) are a type of velocity pump in which kinetic energy is
added to the fluid by increasing the flow velocity. This increase in energy is converted to a gain
in potential energy (pressure) when the velocity is reduced prior to or as the flow exits the
pump into the discharge pipe. This conversion of kinetic energy to pressure is explained by the
First law of thermodynamics, or more specifically by Bernoulli's principle.

Dynamic pumps can be further subdivided according to the means in which the velocity gain is
achieved.[15]

These types of pumps have a number of characteristics:

1. Continuous energy
2. Conversion of added energy to increase in kinetic energy (increase in velocity)
3. Conversion of increased velocity (kinetic energy) to an increase in pressure head

A practical difference between dynamic and positive displacement pumps is how they operate
under closed valve conditions. Positive displacement pumps physically displace fluid, so closing
a valve downstream of a positive displacement pump produces a continual pressure build up
that can cause mechanical failure of pipeline or pump. Dynamic pumps differ in that they can
be safely operated under closed valve conditions (for short periods of time).
Radial-flow pumps

Such a pump is also referred to as a centrifugal pump. The fluid enters along the axis or center,
is accelerated by the impeller and exits at right angles to the shaft (radially); an example is the
centrifugal fan, which is commonly used to implement a vacuum cleaner. Generally, a radial-
flow pump operates at higher pressures and lower flow rates than an axial- or a mixed-flow
pump.

Axial-flow pumps
Main article: Axial-flow pump

These are also referred to as All fluid pumps. The fluid is pushed outward or inward and move
fluid axially. They operate at much lower pressures and higher flow rates than radial-flow
(centrifugal) pumps. Axial-flow pumps cannot be run up to speed without special precaution. If
at a low flow rate, the total head rise and high torque associated with this pipe would mean
that the starting torque would have to become a function of acceleration for the whole mass of
liquid in the pipe system. If there is a large amount of fluid in the system, accelerate the pump
slowly.[16]

Mixed-flow pumps function as a compromise between radial and axial-flow pumps. The fluid
experiences both radial acceleration and lift and exits the impeller somewhere between 0 and
90 degrees from the axial direction. As a consequence mixed-flow pumps operate at higher
pressures than axial-flow pumps while delivering higher discharges than radial-flow pumps. The
exit angle of the flow dictates the pressure head-discharge characteristic in relation to radial
and mixed-flow.

Eductor-jet pump
Main article: Eductor-jet pump

This uses a jet, often of steam, to create a low pressure. This low pressure sucks in fluid and
propels it into a higher pressure region.

Gravity pumps

Gravity pumps include the syphon and Heron's fountain. The hydraulic ram is also sometimes
called a gravity pump; in a gravity pump the water is lifted by gravitational force and so called
gravity pump
Steam pumps

Steam pumps have been for a long time mainly of historical interest. They include any type of
pump powered by a steam engine and also pistonless pumps such as Thomas Savery's or the
Pulsometer steam pump.

Recently there has been a resurgence of interest in low power solar steam pumps for use in
smallholder irrigation in developing countries. Previously small steam engines have not been
viable because of escalating inefficiencies as vapour engines decrease in size. However the use
of modern engineering materials coupled with alternative engine configurations has meant that
these types of system are now a cost effective opportunity.

Valveless pumps

Valveless pumping assists in fluid transport in various biomedical and engineering systems. In a valveless
pumping system, no valves (or physical occlusions) are present to regulate the flow direction. The fluid
pumping efficiency of a valveless system, however, is not necessarily lower than that having valves. In
fact, many fluid-dynamical systems in nature and engineering more or less rely upon valveless pumping
to transport the working fluids therein. For instance, blood circulation in the cardiovascular system is
maintained to some extent even when the heart’s valves fail. Meanwhile, the embryonic vertebrate
heart begins pumping blood long before the development of discernible chambers and valves. In
microfluidics, valveless impedance pumps have been fabricated, and are expected to be particularly
suitable for handling sensitive biofluids. Ink jet printers operating on the Piezoelectric transducer
principle also use valveless pumping. The pump chamber is emptied through the printing jet due to
reduced flow impedance in that direction and refilled by capillary action..
REFERENCES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressor#Types_of_compressors

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pump
 RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY

COMPRESSOR
AND
PUMP