A reciprocating pump is a class of positive-displacement

pump A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they u ...

s that includes the

piston pump A piston pump is a type of positive displacement pump where the high-pressure seal reciprocates with the piston. Piston pumps can be used to move liquids or compress gases. They can operate over a wide range of pressures. High pressure operation ...

plunger pump A plunger pump is a type of positive displacement pump where the high-pressure seal is stationary and a smooth cylindrical plunger slides through the seal. This makes them different from piston pumps and allows them to be used at higher pressures. ...

, and

diaphragm pump A diaphragm pump (also known as a Membrane pump) is a positive displacement pump that uses a combination of the reciprocating action of a rubber, thermoplastic or teflon diaphragm and suitable valves on either side of the diaphragm ( check valve ...

. Well maintained, reciprocating pumps can last for decades. Unmaintained, however, they can succumb to wear and tear. It is often used where a relatively small quantity of

liquid A liquid is a nearly incompressible fluid that conforms to the shape of its container but retains a (nearly) constant volume independent of pressure. As such, it is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, gas, a ...

is to be handled and where delivery

pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and e ...

is quite large. In reciprocating pumps, the chamber that traps the liquid is a stationary cylinder that contains a piston or plunger.

Types

;By source of

work Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an animal tr ...

* Simple hand-operated reciprocating pump. The simplest example is the

bicycle pump A bicycle pump is a type of positive-displacement air pump specifically designed for inflating bicycle tires. It has a connection or adapter for use with one or both of the two most common types of valves used on bicycles, Schrader or Pre ...

, which is used ubiquitously to inflate

bicycle tire A bicycle tire is a tire that fits on the wheel of a bicycle or similar vehicle. These tires may also be used on tricycles, wheelchairs, and handcycles, frequently for racing. Bicycle tires provide an important source of suspension, generate ...

s and various types of sporting

ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...

s. The name "bicycle ''pump''" is not really the most correct term because it generates more

compression Compression may refer to: Physical science *Compression (physics), size reduction due to forces *Compression member, a structural element such as a column *Compressibility, susceptibility to compression * Gas compression *Compression ratio, of a ...

than volume displacement. * Power-operated deep well reciprocating pump ;By mechanism * Single-acting reciprocating pump consists of a piston of which only one side engages the fluid being displaced. The simplest example would be a

syringe A syringe is a simple reciprocating pump consisting of a plunger (though in modern syringes, it is actually a piston) that fits tightly within a cylindrical tube called a barrel. The plunger can be linearly pulled and pushed along the inside ...

. * Double-acting reciprocating pump engage with both sides of the piston, each stroke of the piston carries out both suction and expulsion at the same time. Thus it require two inflow pipes and two outflow pipes. *Triple-acting reciprocating pump ;By Numbers of Cylinders * Single cylinder - consists of a single cylinder connected to a shaft. * Double cylinder - consists of two cylinders connected to a shaft. *Triple cylinder - consists of three cylinders connected to a shaft.

Main components of reciprocating pump

Reciprocating pump has wide application and to clear the basic idea it is necessary to know the basic parts. The basic parts along with its function; * Water reservoir - it is not a part of reciprocating pump, however, it is the main source where from the reciprocating pump takes the water. It may be a source of other fluid as well. * Strainer - It removes all impurities from the liquid to avert chocking the pump. * Suction Pipe - It is a pipe by which pump takes the water from the reservoir. * Suction Valve - It is a non-return type valve installed on the suction pipe and helps to flow from reservoir to pump not the vice versa. * Cylinder or liquid cylinder - The main component where pressure is increased. It is a hollow cylinder with coatings. It consists of a piston along with piston rings. * Piston or plunger and Piston rod - Piston is directly connected to a rod that is the piston rod. This piston rod is again connected to the connecting rod. Piston makes the reciprocating motion in forward and backward motion and creates pressure inside the cylinder. * Piston rings - Piston rings are small but one of the vital parts to protect the piston surface as well as cylinder inner surface from wear and tear. It helps to operate the pump smoothly. * Packing - Packing is necessary for all pumps, to have a proper sealing between cylinder and piston. It helps to stop leakage. * Crank and Connecting rod - Crank is connected to the power source and connecting rod makes connection between crank and piston rod. These component helps to change the circular motion into linear motion. * Delivery valve (non-return valve) - Like suction valve delivery valve is also non return type and it helps to built up the pressure. It protect the pump from back flow. * Delivery pipe - It helps to supply the fluid at destination. * Air Vessel - Few reciprocating pumps may have an air vessel, it helps to reduce the frictional head or acceleration head.

Reciprocating Pump Application

Application of Reciprocating pumps, are as follows: * Vessel, pipe, tank, tube, condensate pipe, heat exchanger etc. cleaning, * Oil drilling, refineries, production, disposal, injections. * Pneumatic pressure applications. * Vehicle cleaning. * Sewer line cleaning. * Wet sandblasting * Boiler feeding * High-pressure pumps for the RO system (Reverse osmosis) * Hydro testing of tanks, vessels, etc. * Firefighting system. * Wastewater treatment system.

Examples

Examples of reciprocating pumps include *

Wind mill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some par ...

water and oil pump *

Hand pump Hand pumps are manually operated pumps; they use human power and mechanical advantage to move fluids or air from one place to another. They are widely used in every country in the world for a variety of industrial, marine, irrigation and leis ...

* Axial piston pump

References

Pump Handbook third edition
(EDITED BY Igor J. Karassik Joseph P. Messina Paul Cooper Charles C. Healdeald)]
Roymech.co.uk
Pumps {{Tech-stub