Types of Pumps in Oil and Gas Industry

Atamamedov Ysmayyl
Pumps are one of the most used equipment in oil , gas and
petrochemical industry. Pumping equipment is extremely diverse,
varying in type, size, driver and materials of construction.
Industrial pumps are essential devices required in every phase of oil
and gas operations. Basically, they help transfer process fluids from
one point to another.
For example, a pump can be used to
transfer crude oil from a storage tank to
a pipeline and mud pumps are used to
circulate drilling mud into the annulus
of a drill bit and back to a storage tank
for re-purification.
In oil and gas operations, process fluids
can range from easy to
difficult. Depending on the nature of
the substance you want to transfer and
your required flow rate, you’ll need a
suitable pump for your needs.
 Types of Pumps

Pumps are classified into

two fundamental types
based on the manner they
transmit energy to the
pumped liquid: kinetic or
positive displacement.
Kinetic pumps are of
centrifugal type. Whereas
positive displacement
pumps are divided into
rotary reciprocating types.
 Centrifugal pumps
Centrifugal pumps are the most common types of pumps used in the
oil and gas industry. Centrifugal pumps use centrifugal force through rotation
of the pump impeller to draw fluid into the intake of the pump and force it
through the discharge section via centrifugal force. The flow through the
pump is controlled by discharge flow control valves. Centrifugal pumps are
economical pumps comparing to other types. Maximum discharge pressure is
around 500 bar.
 Regenerative turbine pumps
The regenerative turbine pump is a rotodynamic pump that
combines the high discharge pressure of a positive displacement pump
with the flexibility of a centrifugal pump. They excel at transferring
fluids with high pressure, low flow and low viscosity while handling
entrained vapors or fluids at or near their boiling point. Regenerative
turbine pumps are known as turbine pumps, peripheral pumps and many
other names.
 Positive displacement Pumps
Positive displacement pumps are intended to move the fluid
forward by trapping and pushing it along the casing. These pumps are
capable of generating large pressure difference and are suitable for high-
pressure applications. Generally, in oil and gas applications, positive
displacement pumps are not as common as centrifugal pumps. They are
used for specific applications as below:
• Metering (dosing) applications where there is a need for addition of
precise amount of chemical into process fluid.
• Extremely high-pressure applications where centrifugal pumps are not
able to operate.
• Applications with low flowrate where the use of centrifugal pumps is not
economical due to low efficiency.
• Direct-acting steam driven , in which the motive steam is directly used
as source of power.
• Pumping of high viscosity liquids such as turbo-machinery lube oil.
 Rotary pumps
Rotary pumps, which are kind of
positive displacement class, consist of
fixed casing containing vanes, gears,
screws, etc.., operating with minimum
clearance.
Their working principle is by
trapping the liquid, pushing it around the
casing, causing a smooth flow at the
outlet. Maximum discharge pressure in
rotary pumps is not as high as other types.
Most frequently used rotary pumps are
screw, gear ,lobe and vane.
 Screw pumps
Screw pumps typically consist of two suitably threaded screws
turning to a fix casing. Their working principle is like meat grinders.
Fluid is trapped and transported between the screw threads, along the
axis of screw.
 Gear pumps
Gear pumps are the simplest rotary pumps. There are two types
of gear pumps: external and internal. External gear pump consists of
two rotating gears. These gears rotate at opposite directions. Main
application is for pumping of lubrication oil.
Lobe pumps

Lobe pumps have two or

more lobes in each rotor.
As the lobes rotate, the
liquid fills the space
between lobes and casing’s
wall and is pushed out
through the discharge
nozzle. Lobe pumps can be
utilized as vacuum
packages in order to create
partial vacuum condition.
 Vane pumps
The most common vane pump is the sliding vane pump. Their working
principle is based on sliding vanes rotating about a non-concentric cam.
In order to tackle the problem of abrasion, vane pumps are often
utilized with an inner oil or liquid ring.
 Reciprocating Pumps
Reciprocating pumps, which are a kind
of positive displacement class, discharge a
definite quantity of liquid by piston or plunger
movement through the stroke distance.
Reciprocating pumps often provide less smooth
flow at discharge with periodic pulsation. By
means of power driver, reciprocating pumps are
classified as below:
• Direct acting steam-driven
• Power pumps
Reciprocating pumps are classified into
three common groups: piston, plunger and
diaphragm pumps.
 Piston pumps
Piston pumps are the simplest reciprocating pumps. They
resemble internal combustion engine of conventional cars. They
consist of an inlet and outlet check valves and a crankshaft
connected to a disk(piston).
 Plunger pumps
Plunger pumps can withstand higher pressure and are suitable
for extremely high-pressure applications. In plunger type, the entire
plunger is in contact with the liquid.
 Diaphragm pumps
Diaphragm pumps are
a combination of a
piston and diaphragm.
The diaphragm is
often made from
flexible nonmetallic
material to withstand
the corrosive and
erosive environment.
They are often utilized
as metering pumps to
handle acid and
alkaline chemicals.
Thank you for listening!