Pumping 101: How Irrigation Pumps Move Water (Part 1 of 4)
However, in our last post we only covered pumps in terms of lifting against gravity. But since fluids always experience resistance as a change in pressure, any resistance the fluid encounters can be characterized the same way. That's typically referred to as lift.
Another important point to note is that other than being acted upon by gravity, fluids cannot be pulled. They can only be pushed. Everything that happens in a fluid distribution network takes place exactly and only because of this. So that brings us to: suction.
1. Impeller surfaces rotate in indicated direction:
2. Impeller surfaces push on fluid:
3. As impeller surfaces push water away, local static equilibrium is broken, and the water in the center pushes its way in the intake. The water is expelled from the discharge end:
It's helpful to think about a pumping system as a simple electrical system, in which there’s a power source connected to resistances. From a flow and power perspective, all the various complex things happening in a fluid distribution network can be generalized the same way. Pipe friction, for example, is analogous to electrical resistance.
For our next tutorial, we'll cover Anatomy of Pumps: Centrifugal Pump Parts (Part 3 of 4).