What Is a Pump Plunger?
A pump plunger is a type of pump used to supply and transfer liquids and gases.
They are designed to move liquid or gas by utilizing the volume change that occurs when a cylindrical piston (plunger) moves in a linear reciprocating motion inside a compartment in the pump housing.
Operating Principle and Structure
- Precise adjustment of the discharge volume is possible.
- High suction and discharge pressures can be set.
Therefore, pump plungers are used in equipment requiring high metering performance and discharge pressure.
Uses of Pump Plungers
Due to their ability to accurately adjust the discharge volume, pump plungers are used in the following applications where high quantitative performance is required:
- Chemical laboratory equipment
- Medical drug injectors used for insulin pump therapy, etc.
- Fuel supply for automobiles
- Mixing liquids in pharmaceutical production lines
- Injection of materials in food production lines
- Chlorine injection in water supply facilities
- Equipment for water quality control in water storage tanks
The ability to achieve high discharge pressure is also utilized in high-pressure household cleaners and high-pressure gas appliances.
Principles of Pump Plungers
The basic principle of operation is the same for all pumps. To repeat this process, the volume of the compartment in the housing is changed to apply pressure to the liquid or gas inside, providing sufficient energy for transfer. A pump with this principle of operation is called a positive displacement pump.
There are two main types of positive displacement pumps: reciprocating pumps and rotary pumps, depending on the difference in the internal mechanism that induces the volume change.
Reciprocating pumps use the same principle as a syringe to suck in and discharge liquid or gas by moving a moving part in a straight line back and forth.
When an impeller or rotor rotates, a rotary pump moves a certain amount of liquid or gas.
Because of their principle of operation and structural characteristics, positive displacement pumps are also referred to as metering pumps. They can suction and discharge a fixed amount of liquid or gas with a high degree of accuracy.
Pump plungers are a type of reciprocating pump, and as the name implies, the linear reciprocating motion of the plunger achieves the volume change inside the compartment.