Do you know what centrifugal pumps are?

(Eduardo Secco – FAMAC Training)

To start this conversation, let's make it clear that in our context a bomb it comes to be a machine composed of a set of components whose purpose is to supply energy to a certain liquid, with the aim of promoting its movement. This pump, when coupled to an engine, is called motor pump. Simple as that, see?

Among the various models, both pumps and motor pumps, centrifuges are the most common. They are pumps in which energy is transferred to the liquid by the action of the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of a propeller, which is nothing more than a disc with blades, usually called rotor. This causes the mechanical work to be transformed into energy, which is transferred to the liquid, resulting in its pumping.

Was it difficult to understand? Then take a look at the figure below:

The centrifugal pump is based on the creation of two different pressure zones, one of low pressure (suction) and another of high pressure (discharge). For the formation of these two distinct zones to occur, it is necessary to transform the mechanical energy provided by the prime mover (the engine), first into kinetic energy, which will displace the fluid, and subsequently into pressure energy, which will add load. to the fluid so that it overcomes displacement heights.

As soon as the movement of the rotor and the liquid contained in the channels formed by the blades begins, the centrifugal force resulting from this movement creates a zone of greater pressure on the periphery of the rotor and, consequently, one of low pressure at its inlet, producing displacement of the rotor. liquid towards the outlet of the impeller channels and the pump delivery mouth.

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In which segments are centrifugal pumps used?

As you can imagine, this type of pump can be applied in several segments: in civil construction, in the agro-industry, in sanitation and in the manufacturing, food, chemical, pharmaceutical industries... each of these segments.

Motor Pumps for Civil Construction

The civil construction segment is comprehensive and includes infrastructure works (roads, bridges, ports, airports, etc.) and residential, building and industrial constructions. Due to this broad scope, the applications for pumps and motor pumps are the most diverse.

As it is a segment that involves works, the use of this equipment is based on what is being built. The most common applications are:

• in the residential area, pumping cisterns for elevated water tanks, suction from artesian wells, pumping sewage into the collection network, swimming pools and hot tubs;

• in the building scope, in addition to those similar to the residential one, pressurization for the upper floors, the fire-fighting system, the lowering of the water table, washing and draining of the elevator pits, footings and underground garages, both in construction and in case of floods; It is

• in the context of infrastructure works, the drainage of wastewater and the lowering of the water table are the most common applications.

Motopumps for Agroindustry

Agroindustry is the sector of the economy that involves a wide chain of activities, from plantation, livestock and fish farming, to the industrialization of products from these industries.

In agriculture, water is essential, so the transport systems for this liquid must be planned for each type of application, with the aim of obtaining better results both in the operation and in the final product.

The motor pumps used in the agroindustry have a wide scope, and can be pumped both clean water and turbid or raw water, or even fertilizers or some type of pesticide can be added.

They are used in applications of the most varied sizes, for various purposes such as:

• Irrigation of the most varied crops, whatever the method used (surface, sprinkler, cannon, reel or central pivot; localized, by micro-sprinkler or dripping, or sub-irrigation, directly on the roots of the plants);
• Drainage, pumping of dams and transfer of liquids between tanks;
• Washing environments, machinery and animals;
• Pulverization; It is
• Nebulization for acclimatization of aviaries and pigsties.

Also in the agricultural industry, hydroponics stands out, which is the technique of growing plants without soil. The roots receive a balanced nutrient solution that contains water and all essential nutrients for plant development. The water with the nutrients is in a closed circuit and a motor pump circulates this compound. There is also use in specific applications such as pumping manure, fertirrigation and biodigester.

motor pumps for Sanitation

In this segment, the applications involving the pumping of liquids are the capture, treatment and distribution of potable water, the collection and treatment of sewage and urban drainage.

Motor pumps are used both to capture water from reservoirs such as rivers, lakes and wells and to transport water in its natural state to Water Treatment Stations (ETAs), where impurities are removed so that the water becomes drinkable.

Water treatment is carried out sequentially in stages that include chemical and filtering procedures and aims to make the water potable, freeing it from any type of contamination and preventing the transmission of diseases. In addition to the procedures, several tests are carried out, including pH, turbidity, amount of chlorine, temperature, alkalinity, metals, odor and color, to certify that the treated water is suitable for human consumption.

From then on, the already treated water is pumped into waterproofed reservoirs and then goes to the distribution networks where consumers are connected to receive ready-to-drink water.

In this process, different types of centrifugal pumps are used and the definition of which type to use will depend on the stage of the water treatment process in which it will be installed.

In sanitary sewage systems, infrastructure, equipment such as motor pumps are used to collect, treat and transport domestic sewage, giving it a convenient and safe final destination. In this system, the Sewage Treatment Stations (ETE) receive water with impurities coming from homes, companies and industries and return the liquid treated in accordance with the standards required by environmental legislation.

In places with uneven ground where the Sewage Treatment Station is at a higher level (height) than the sewage outlet, lifting stations are installed with hydraulic pumps and electrical equipment capable of increasing the pressure of the liquid and thus being possible to pump it to the ETE.

In the sewage project of any building, as well as in the sewage system of a municipality, choosing the right equipment is essential. The type of pumped liquid will define which pump is ideal for each treatment phase: whether it is raw sewage, whether it has already been mechanically pre-treated or whether it is the final liquid, chemically and/or biologically treated. It is also important to know details such as the size of the solids, the concentration, the pH, the temperature and the density so that the necessary equipment can be selected to carry out the sewage treatment in a more assertive way.

In addition to the usual applications, such as capturing and distributing water and sewage treatment, sanitation processes that require motor pumps also include drainage to control floods and floods, in addition to extracting water from places such as rivers, seas, lakes and dams.

motor pumps for Manufacturing Industry

In this case, the original equipment manufacturers or OEM industries (from the original, in English Original Equipment Manufacturer) produce the pumps and motor pumps, which are later sold to manufacturing industries that use them as components for the manufacture of their own products. Thus, for this type of industry, pumps are used as an input for manufactured products, which are later sold to retailers or end users.

Often, for large manufacturing industries, the manufactured pumps or motor pumps follow specific configurations, sometimes even not having the manufacturer's brand on the product.

As an example, companies such as manufacturing industries that use pumps and motor pumps as components, those whose final product are:

• paint booths;
• cooling towers;
• industrial washing machines;
• heat exchangers; It is
• filtration systems and reverse osmosis.

Motor Pumps for the Food Industry

Pumping is an economically interesting and practical way of moving raw materials and finished products used in the food industry. This process can be used both for production and for packaging and cleaning materials. In any of these cases, motor pumps specially developed for this purpose are used.

Among the numerous applications in the food industry, the pumping of drinking water and other beverages and the pumping of components for the production of various products such as sauces, dairy products and confectionery products, for example, stand out.

In order to maximize the nutritional potential of a product, with a reduction in contamination by microorganisms or pathogenic agents throughout the entire process, the quality and reliability of the equipment used to transport food are essential. Therefore, motor pumps for these purposes have particular constructive characteristics, such as the motor made of stainless steel and antimicrobial and antibacterial paint.

motor pumps for Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry

In applications in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, motor pumps generally pump special liquids that can react in different ways with the material that makes up the equipment. Depending, for example, on whether the pumped liquid is more or less acidic, the elements that make up the pump may change. In this way, it is necessary to know in detail the product to be pumped in terms of composition, concentration, pH, temperature, viscosity and density, in order to better define the most suitable material for the production of the motor pump.

The most common application for pumps in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries is product pumping. Other specific applications also include metering, mixing and heating or cooling different types of solutions.

You must have realized how versatile centrifugal pumps are and of great applicability, right? In fact, there are a variety of models and sizes on the market designed for pumping and transferring fluids in different conditions, with or without solids in suspension, at low or high temperatures, and choosing the ideal equipment must primarily consider the pump's ability to meet the needs required by the system, in addition to questions regarding manufacturing reliability and the structure of the manufacturer's service and technical assistance network.

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