Different types of liquid transfer pumps

The transfer and dispensing of liquids from bulk containers is handled in various ways and with various equipment. The classification and material being handled plays a vital role in the process and compatibility of equipment suitable for the job.

Submersible pumps

As the name suggests, submersible pumps are designed to be submerged in water to handle pumping under pressure. These are commonly used for the supply or extraction of water where the source is either very deep or difficult to reach. These pumps are hermetically enclosed in a compact chassis for placement in confined cavities.

Submersible pumps work by using the energy from the water and pushing the material to the surface.

These pumps are used in slurries, effluent and sewerage applications and are able transfer a wide range of viscosity.

The main advantage of these pumps allows for self-priming and the use of the underwater kinetic energy provides a more power efficient function.

Borehole Pumps

Borehole pumps can be either of the submerged type or centrifugal. Centrifugal pumps will be used for shallow boreholes that are not deeper than 7.5 metres. They are more affordable, easier to maintain and therefore suited for residential boreholes.

Centrifugal pumps sit above the ground and use electrical energy to turn an internal motor to create enough suction that pulls water from the earth.

Drum Pumps

Drum pumps are designed to dispense liquid materials from larger bulk sources into smaller containers. Found in many industries to dispense from flowbins and drums, these pumps vary greatly in their design and application. The main differences being the input of energy. Drum pumps can be manually operated by the operator in a rotary or piston and plunger style mechanism, or electrically powered.

Manually powered drum pumps find their use in industrial and home applications as they are more affordable and have less moving parts than electrical pumps. Electrical drum pumps are more suited to higher volume dispensing and require additional maintenance and servicing. They are able to handle higher viscosity mediums which are commonplace in the mining and commercial manufacturing sectors.

Manually operated pumps such as the Ezi-action series of Drum Pumps require the operators input to function. Serfilco is an example of a well-known electrical drum pump, where the pump is powered with a touch of a button or trigger

Drum pumps are constructed of varying materials to ensure compatibility across the many different chemical mediums. There will always be a compromise on the pumps material of construction for what it is compatible to pump. It’s very important to match the pump to the liquid that is to be dispensed.