A Study on the Operation of Pitot Tube Pumps

Abstract

While pitot tube pumps have been commercially available since 1970 little is known and less is published about their internal operation and design principles especially when operating off design. This paper is a culmination of research conducted over the past several years aimed at understanding the internal operation of pitot tube pumps in their different configurations. This research includes computational fluid dynamic (CFD) studies, and laboratory testing. While pitot tube pumps are classified as centrifugal pumps since they add energy to the fluid by increasing the fluid angular momentum and such follow many of the same laws. However, due to their unique construction they operate differently that typical “impeller” pumps. Understanding these differences is imperative in their successful application.