Whether it is filling gas in the car at a local gas station, pumping water into the backyard pool or blowing balloons for a kid’s birthday party, pumps have played an important part in our lives since their discovery several centuries ago.
A pump is a mechanical device used to lift, transfer or increase the pressure of a fluid or to create a vacuum in an enclosed space by the removal of gas. The history of the first pump traces back to several centuries. The first known pump is the Archimedes screw pump in the 3rd century BC. The concept behind pumps has remained the same since then.
We encounter pumps in all aspects of life. From medicine and industry to entertainment and household uses, the pump has been a vital part of our lives over the years. Pumps can be broadly classified into two categories: positive displacement pumps and dynamic pumps. The former type forces the fluid from one chamber to another by reducing the volume of the first chamber while increasing the volume of the second. A pump usually maintains a constant flow unless the intake pressure drops below a certain limit and causes a phenomenon called ‘cavitation’. Moreover, when the pressure exceeds the capacity of the pump, the pump may fail. Reciprocating pumps, power pumps, steam pumps and rotary pumps are a few examples of positive displacement pumps.
The second type, dynamic pumps, causes the fluid to move from the inlet to the outlet under its own momentum. Unlike the positive displacement pumps, dynamic pumps do not need a release valve for the extra pressure. Today, these simple devices have become an integral part of our lives. Pumps have certainly influenced our lives in a positive way.
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