Aerospace Pumps

Pump selection is dependent upon a few key variables: 

• Flowrate

• Pressure rise (head)

• Operating fluid

• Fluid pressure and temperature operating ranges

• Available power source 

PDT uses these inputs, along with information about the system and/or vehicle application, to select the optimum pump for each installation. Pumps broadly fall into two types: dynamic or positive displacement. Among each type there exist several variations which are selected based on the variables listed above and other considerations for the intended usage of the pump. PDT currently designs and supplies centrifugal (dynamic) pumps as well as gear and gerotor (positive displacement) pumps. 
 
The performance of centrifugal pumps is characterized by a pronounced inverse relationship between flowrate and pressure rise; that is, as the outlet restriction on the pump discharge is increased, the flow developed by the pump falls markedly. Positive displacement pumps display this effect as well, but to a much smaller degree. It is common for a positive displacement pump to have less than 25% decrease in flow over a discharge pressure range of several hundred psig. All pumps are typically sized for a nominal or rated performance point where efficiency is optimized. In a properly designed system, the rated performance point of the pump will coincide with the main operating condition, where the system will spend most of its functional life and overall efficiency is paramount. 
 
Although most of the pumps produced by PDT are driven by an electric motor, shaft-driven pumps are typically used in engine or gearbox lubrication systems. PDT can supply either motor-driven or shaft-driven pumps, depending upon the needs of the application.