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Question about pumps and the effect of the atmosphere.?
Are water pumps effect by atmospheric pressure? Say I have a full and empty water tank in a pressurized chamber, would the pump have to work harder to more the water from one tank to another? Thanks in Advance!
4 Answers
- 8 years agoFavorite Answer
Well, it depends on the type of pump.
But, yes, a pump can/is affected by atmospheric pressure but this is not intuitive as is illustrated by the other answer(s).
A pump does not actually "suck" liquid any more than you suck liquid through a straw.
Like your mouth over the straw, a pump creates a negative pressure zone and atmospheric pressure pushes the liquid to fill this void and equalize pressure.
There is a physical limit to pump operation due to pressure external to the pump. That limit is one of the key components to the Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH) of the pump.
On the suction (inlet) side, you will be able to draw a higher column of water than with 1 atm (about 33.9 feet, but not practically attainable due to friction loss, etc). On the discharge side, you will not be able to push a column as high as when there is only 1 atm. This is the "head" of the system.
So, for a given height and fluid, the pump will have to work harder with a higher atmospheric pressure if it can do it at all.
Source(s): 30 years engineering - PhilomelLv 78 years ago
Not if it is all inside the chamber at the same pressure.
Think about an aircraft. It changes pressure when it climbs up to 9o,ooo feet and all of the pumps still pump fuel from one tank to another inside the wings and to the engines with no problem because they are all at the same altitude( Pressure).
- 8 years ago
No I don't think atmospheric pressure affect water pump.. Pressure is required when you have to fill upper water thank from lower.. For any query regarding pumps you can contact Heat Pumps Brisbane...
Source(s): http://www.heatpumpsbrisbane.com.au/ - kasabLv 78 years ago
If the whole setup is included in that pressurized chamber, then the answer is NO.