What Is a Roller Pump?
A roller pump consists of a special elastic and resilient tube and a roller with multiple protrusions. The roller rotates and pushes the tube with its protrusions, pushing the fluid inside the tube to transport the fluid. It is also called a tube pump or hose pump. Since the fluid is transported by volume change in the tube, it is classified as a positive displacement pump. They are suitable for transporting fluids that are difficult to transport with gear pumps, such as slurries.
Uses of Roller Pumps
Roller pumps are used in situations such as medical equipment, chemical plants, commodity plants, and for transporting petroleum products. They are used in situations where they can be used to convey fluids that contain high levels of impurities, such as slurries, and in situations where changing pumps can take advantage of the characteristics that guarantee hygiene. When selecting a roller pump, it is necessary to consider the transport volume, low pulsation, power consumption, sanitation, and whether the fluid is suitable for transport by the roller pump.
Examples of roller pumps in use are shown below.
- Conveying blood for dialysis
- Conveying petroleum products to tanks
- Conveying drinking water to plastic bottles
Principle of Roller Pumps
This section describes the operation of a roller pump. A roller pump consists of a tube, a roller, a motor to rotate the roller, a suction port, and an outlet. The tubing is elastic and resilient, and the rollers have dimensional protrusions that completely seal the tubing and allow it to rotate. Some products are equipped with valves on the inlet and outlet ports to adjust the flow rate.
During operation, the roller rotates, and its projections crush and move the tube. Fluid in the tube is pushed out and transported through the outlet. The inside of the tube, crushed and restored by the protrusions, is in a state of vacuum, and fluid is drawn into the tube by opening the valve. Since the protrusions deform the tube and transport the fluid as if pushing it out, the fluid does not easily clog inside the tube and can be transported stably.