What Is a Tubing Pump?
A tubing pump is a type of liquid transfer pump. A tubing pump consists of three parts: a rotating part, a roller, and a tube. The motor rotates the roller and pushes out the liquid in the tube to pump it.
In Japan, it is sometimes called not only a tube pump but also a roller pump because of its principle. Overseas, they are called peristaltic pumps or tubing pumps.
They are good pumps with many advantages, but handling the tubing is difficult.
Uses of Tubing Pumps
The advantages of tubing pumps include continuous pumping, self-priming capability, resistance to breakage even after repeated operation, disposable tubing, and metered volume pumping.
Since the pump itself is not wetted, its use is particularly popular in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Disposal of the tubing allows the piping to be refreshed. On the other hand, since the liquid is pumped while crushing the tube, there are cases where the inner wall is scraped off and waste is produced.
Principle of Tubing Pumps
The casing of a tubing pump has a structure in which a single tube enters the casing and exits through the casing. Multiple rollers are placed around the tube to crush the tube. The rotating part rotates, causing the rollers to rotate, and a vacuum is created by crushing the tube. The vacuum draws in the liquid. The vacuumed liquid is then sent directly to the discharge side, where it is pumped. This process can be repeated for continuous transfer.
In principle, the vacuum operation only crushes the tube, so the tube is relatively unbreakable. However, there is a risk of scraping the inner wall of the tube. Also, when pressure is applied, the tubing is trapped between the rollers, which exerts a positive displacement effect on the pump. This prevents backflow even when the pump is not running. This eliminates the need for a check valve in the tubing, thus reducing costs.