The invention of the pump itself was a significant breakthrough for mankind. It significantly simplified the supply of normal water. With growing demands for a stable water supply, largely free from pressure fluctuations, and at the same time increasing demands on the power efficiency of buildings, pumps are now making their contribution as booster pumps. What their task is, how they function and what pressure switches do along the way is explained briefly and succinctly on this page.
What exactly are booster pumps necessary for?
A booster pump increases low water pressure and, with that, improves the flow rate. It provides an extra boost to create the water pressure to the required level. Booster pumps tend to be used in pipelines to improve the pressure therefore to go the liquid along to another pump, and also for pumping in residential houses or large commercial buildings. An expansion vessel can extend a pressure booster system. Through the use of such an expansion vessel, the water pressure is additionally stabilised and thus improved.
Booster pumps in operation
The figure gives an overview of the different measuring points inside a pressure booster system:
1 Input pressure ? Pressure
2a Dry run protection ? Pressure
2b Dry run protection ? Level
3 Output pressure ? Pressure
4 Pump performance ? Differential pressure
How does a booster pump work?
Booster pumps are selected predicated on application demands. Instead of selecting one large pump, consider selecting multiple pumps with smaller horsepower. Invasion have an impeller that moves water that will come in through the inlet and exits through the outlet. A motor makes the impellers spin. The pumps differ in how they draw the water in and push it out. Some of them work with a spinning propeller, others use an oscillating diaphragm or other pump principles.
What do mechanical pressure switches in booster pumps do?
The mechanical pressure switches in booster pumps are used for the direct control/monitoring of safety functions to be able to protect pumps with insufficient input pressure against dry running. An example of here is the WIKA PSM-520 pressure switch.
How do mechanical pressure switches work?
The pressure element of the switch is a resilient bellow which works against a spring mechanism with an adjustable pre-load force. On the spring mechanism there is a contact arm for actuating the change-over switch contact. The switch is actuated when the force generated by the pressure in the pressure element is greater than the set pre-load force.
Note
Further information on the various measurement solutions which you can expect you for pumps and systems are available on the WIKA website. Should you have any questions, your contact will gladly help you.
Also read our articles
Mechanical pressure switches: So how exactly does one set the switch point?
Mechanical vs. electronic pressure switches: Functionality
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