What is Pump Priming?

A pump is a device that is used to impart mechanical energy to liquids in order to transport them from one location to another. Essentially, pumps are devices that pressurize the liquid. They are run by motors; the shaft is connected to an impeller. It is the movement of the impeller which leads to the movement of the liquid.

pump priming

what is pump priming?

When the pump is in stopped condition then the interior of the pump is only partially filled with water, the rest of the available space is filled with air. When the pump is started the water and air inside the pump will move together in the pump such that the density of the resulting liquid is reduced, enough vacuum pressure is not able to be produced in such a case that will suck the liquid to be transported.

The air must be removed by filling the partially filled pump with water until all available space is filled with water. This process is called pump-priming and it is done before the pump is started for any kind of operation.

If the pump is not primed before it is started then it will result in malfunctioning of the pump. The malfunctioned pump leads to downtime of the plant which means delayed production.

In order to prime pumps, the key valve to be opened is the vent valve. The air starts moving out of the vent valve and when the liquid starts coming out of the vent, the valve is closed. The liquid oozing out indicates that the interior of the pump is filled with liquid.

The self-priming pump is those which don’t need manual priming. They mix the water and air and when that mixed water is removed from the system the pump starts operating.