The invention of the pump itself was a major breakthrough for mankind. It significantly simplified the supply of drinking water. With growing demands for a well balanced water supply, largely clear of pressure fluctuations, and at the same time increasing demands on the power efficiency of buildings, pumps are actually making their contribution as booster pumps. What their task is, how they function and what pressure switches do in the process is explained briefly and succinctly in the following paragraphs.
What exactly are booster pumps needed for?
A booster pump increases low water pressure and, with that, improves the flow rate. It offers an extra boost to bring the water pressure to the required level. Booster pumps are often used in pipelines to improve the pressure and so to move 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. By using such Sins , the water pressure is additionally stabilised and thus improved.
Booster pumps in operation
The figure gives an overview of the various 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 based on application demands. Rather than selecting one large pump, consider selecting multiple pumps with smaller horsepower. Booster pumps have an impeller that moves water that comes 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. Many 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 so that you can 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 really a resilient bellow which works against a spring mechanism having 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 we offer you for pumps and systems are available on the WIKA website. In case you have any questions, your contact will gladly assist you to.
Also read our articles
Mechanical pressure switches: How does one set the switch point?
Mechanical vs. electronic pressure switches: Functionality
Further blogs on mechanical pressure switches