PUMPS &

COMPRESSORS
 Objectives
List the types of pumps that are in use today.
Explain and calculate volumetric efficiency.
Explain and calculate the delivery of a pump.
Discuss some of the common problems that may
be encountered while troubleshooting a pump.
 Objectives
List the most common types of compressors
that are used in industry today and explain
their operation.
Discuss some of the common problems that
may be encountered while troubleshooting a
compressor.
 Hydraulic Pumps
A pump is a mechanical device that changes
mechanical power into fluid power.
A positive displacement pump is a pump that
allows very little leakage through its internal
components.
The word displacement refers to how much fluid
a pump can move in a single rotation.
 Hydraulic Pumps
The displacement of a pump is usually expressed
in cubic inches per revolution (CIR).
The flow volume of a pump is rated in gallons per
minute (gpm) at certain revolutions per minute
(rpm); therefore, the flow volume is proportional
to the shaft speed of the pump.
 Positive Displacement Pumps
There are generally three types of positive displace-
ment pumps:
The vane pump
The gear pump
The piston pump
Of these, the piston pump offers the best tolerances
among its internal components; therefore, it is
generally considered to carry a higher pressure
rating than the others.
 Other Pumps
There are other types of pumps that are not positive
displacement pumps:
Impeller pump
Centrifugal pump
These two types of pumps have very poor tolerances
between the internal components.
These pumps also produce a pressure that is too low
for most hydraulic systems.
 Vane Pumps
A vane pump
has vanes in
the rotor of
the pump.
 Vane Pumps
Vanes slide in and out of their slots as the rotor
rotates, causing fluid to be moved from the input
port to the output port of the pump.
Vane pumps can either be fixed displacement or
variable displacement.
Variable displacement pumps have a movable
cam ring that allows the displacement of the
pump to change.
 Balanced Vane Pump
In a balanced
vane pump,
the vanes
extend and
retract twice
during each
rotation.
 Gear Pumps
Since gears are solid in nature and cannot change
their shape or size, gear pump displacement is
fixed.
The only thing that can change while using a
gear pump is the output flow. This can be
accomplished by changing the speed of the pump.
 Gear Pumps
There are four types of gear pumps:
The external gear pump
The lobe pump
The internal gear pump
The gerotor pump
 External Gear Pump
The external
gear pump
has two gears
that mesh
externally.
 Internal Gear Pump
The internal
gear pump
has one
gear inside
another.
 Gerotor Gear Pump
The gerotor-type
gear pump is
very similar to
the internal gear
pump. Notice
that the shaft is
connected to the
inner element.
 Gerotor Pump
As the inner element is rotated, each tooth
maintains contact with the outer element at all
times.
However, because there is one less tooth on
the inner element, a void is produced as the tooth
reaches bottom dead center.
This void is what carries the fluid from the inlet
port to the outlet port.
 Piston Pumps
Piston pumps offer more pressure capabilities
compared with the vane and gear pumps.
Piston pumps all have closer internal tolerances.
Because of these close tolerances, piston pumps
operate at higher efficiencies than are possible
with the vane and gear pumps.
 Piston Pumps
When the piston moves out of the cylinder,
the fluid is pulled in through the inlet port.
When the piston moves back into the cylinder,
the fluid is pushed out through the outlet port.
 Piston Pumps
Piston pumps come in three varieties:
Straight-axis
Bent-axis
Radial
 Centrifugal Pumps
Centrifugal pumps are typically used in lower
pressure systems that move thinner fluids such
as water.
Centrifugal pumps rely on the centrifugal force
that is developed within the fluid as it is being
pumped through the propeller.
 Centrifugal Force
Centrifugal force is a force that tends to pull an
object outward, away from the center of rotation,
when the object is rotating rapidly around a center
point. Thus, a spinning propeller enclosed within
a housing causes a suction to be created at the
input (center) of the propeller and a discharge
of the fluid at the output of the pump.
 Pump Specifications
The displacement of a pump refers to the amount
of fluid that can be discharged from the pump in
one revolution.
Displacement is expressed in cubic inches per
revolution or cubic centimeters per revolution.
 Displacement
There are two types of displacement: theoretical
and actual.
The volumetric efficiency of a pump can be
found by dividing the theoretical displacement
(manufacturers rating) into the actual
displacement.
 Delivery of a Pump
The delivery of a pump is the rate at which the
hydraulic fluid is supplied to a system from the
pump in a specified amount of time.
The delivery is expressed in gpm.
The pump may have metric ratings on it as well.
In this case the delivery would be expressed as
liters per minute (lpm).
 Delivery
The delivery of a pump can be determined by
using the following formula:
 Power
Power is the equivalent of how much work is
produced in a certain amount of time.
Work can be defined, in this case, as inch-pounds.
Inch-pound refers to how far (in inches) a given
amount of weight (in pounds) moves.
 Power
Power can be determined by using the following
formula:
 Horsepower
Horsepower (hp) is a different rating from power.
Horsepower is a unit of power in the English
system of units.
One horsepower (hp) is equal to 33,000 foot-
pounds (ft.-lb.) per minute, or 550 ft.-lb. per
second.
 Horsepower
The formula for finding mechanical horsepower is
as follows:

or

or
 10-3 Pump Troubleshooting
Bearing failure is most common with the gear-
type pumps because gears produce a large amount
of side load.
Another common problem is that seals will
sometimes begin to leak.
If the fluid reservoir is not checked on a regular
basis, the drop in fluid may go unnoticed and the
pump may begin to suck in air.
 10-3 Pump Troubleshooting
Air bubbles will form and will be carried along
with the fluid stream. This is known as entrained
air.
Entrained air can cause cavitation.
Cavitation can be defined as vacuum void within
the fluid.
 Pump Troubleshooting
Common problems that occur with vane pumps
are that the vanes tend to wear out over time,
as do the cam ring and housing.
Most pumps have an inlet strainer. It is not
uncommon for this strainer to become clogged.
 Pump Troubleshooting
Sometimes vane springs may fail.
This could cause the walls of the pump to become
scarred, thus causing leakage.
The prime mover (motor) may fail.
The coupling between the motor and the pump
may fail.
 Air Compression
Compression occurs when air is forced into a
smaller space than it originally occupied.
It is important to know several laws that apply
when compressing air:
Pascals law
Boyles law
Charles law
 Pascals Law
Pascals law: Pressure set up in a confined body
of fluid acts equally in all directions, and always
at right angles to the containing surfaces.
 Boyles Law
Boyles law: At constant temperature, the absolute
pressure of a gas is inversely proportional to its
volume.
 Charles Law
Charles law: At constant pressure, the volume
of gas is proportional to its absolute temperature.
 Compressor Types
Just as with the hydraulic pumps, there are gear,
vane, axial piston, and radial piston-type
compressors, although the internal and external
gear compressors are not used very often.
All of these compressors work exactly the same
as the hydraulic pump except that they transfer air,
instead of oil, from the inlet port to the outlet port.
 Air Dryers
Whenever compressed air is compressed, the
air becomes extremely hot.
Condensation occurs when the air cools.
This introduces water and water vapor into the
pneumatic system.
Air dryers are needed to provide dry air for a
pneumatic system.
 Compressor Troubleshooting
Once again, the main type of failure is bearing
failure.
Another problem is that the intake filters get
clogged.
Another common problem is belt slippage.
 Summary
There are generally three types of positive
displacement pumps in use today: the vane
pump, the gear pump, and the piston pump.
A variable displacement adjustment changes
the area of the cavities in a pump, making them
smaller for minimum displacement and larger
for maximum displacement.
 Summary
The word displacement refers to how much
fluid a pump can move in a single rotation.
The displacement of a pump is usually expressed
in CIR.
The flow volume of a pump is rated in gpm
at a certain rpm; therefore, the flow volume is
proportional to the shaft speed of the pump.
 Summary
The volumetric efficiency of a pump can be
found by dividing the theoretical displacement
(manufacturers rating) into the actual
displacement.
The delivery of a pump is the rate at which the
hydraulic fluid is supplied to a system from the
pump in a specified amount of time.
 Summary
Power is the equivalent of how much work is
produced in a certain amount of time.
One of the most common problems with pumps
is bearing failure.
 Summary
Pascals law: Pressure set up in a confined body
of fluid acts equally in all directions, and always
at right angles to the containing surfaces.
Boyles law: At constant temperature, the absolute
pressure of a gas is inversely proportional to its
volume.
 Summary
Charles law: At constant pressure, the volume
of gas is proportional to its absolute temperature.
There are gear, vane, lobe, axial piston, and radial
piston-type compressors.