When you need to transport liquid from a low place to a high place, such as drawing water out of a deep underground reservoir, few options are better than a vertical turbine pump. These pumps are specific in their application and built for heavy-duty use.
In this article, we will briefly look at what a vertical turbine pump is, and how it works.
What You Need to Know About Vertical Turbine Pumps
A vertical turbine pump is a type of centrifugal pump, based around having an elevator motor connected to a long shaft that descends into the liquid to be pumped. This makes them different from typical pumps, which often have the motor submerged along with the rest of the pumping apparatus.
This is of great benefit since it makes the engine far easier to access when doing repairs or replacements. In addition, these pumps can have a wider range of fuel options, including power sources that cannot be used in a submerged engine.
A vertical turbine pump typically requires several steps to move liquid from below to above.
1 – Liquid enters the pump through a port called the suction bell because it’s bell-shaped. This is powered by an impeller which adds acceleration and draws the liquid upwards.
2 – The liquid enters a storage area called the diffuser bowl. Here, the liquid is put under pressure, so that its upward voyage requires less mechanical power to achieve.
3 – A larger / longer vertical turbine pump will often have several cycles of this, sending the liquid between impellers and diffuser bowls, to keep it moving upwards.
4 – After the final round of impellers and diffuser bowls, the liquid reaches the well bore. It enters a spinning shaft, supported by brushings, which send the liquid to the surface. In many cases, the liquid also acts as the lubricant for this operation.
5 – Finally, the fluid enters a discharge head which redirects the flow into surface pipes that will send the fluid to its next destination.
Applications And Features of a Vertical Turbine Pump
These pumps are highly versatile within their use case and can handle widely varying amounts of fluid. Anywhere from 50 to 30,0000 gallons per minute can be achieved, depending on demand and the power of the attached motor. This gives operations a lot of flexibility in how they pump, and how much.
Some typical applications include:
- Drawing groundwater
- Supplying water to irrigation systems
- Industrial use, transporting fluids across large-scale plants
- Pumping from open bodies of water, such as lakes
In addition, vertical turbine pumps may even be used in situations where a submerged pump might otherwise be used. The additional power they can achieve, and the ease of maintenance, makes them preferable to submerged pumps.
All this makes vertical turbine pumps one of the most common types of centrifugal pumps in operation.
FloRight Pump & Controls Knows Pumps
For over thirty years, FloRight Pump & Controls has been a leader in sales, installation, and servicing of pumps throughout the country. If your business relies on pumping, we can help ensure smooth operation for years to come. Contact us to discuss about pump distribution and repair.
