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Water pumps have multiple uses in a construction site. It is mainly used for clearing rainwater from a construction site or dewatering a reservoir where some construction work will be processed. There is no ideal construction water pump available that can suit in every occasion, contractors or engineers use one or more water pumps depending on the situation. These water pumps are evaluated on the basis of their performance, buying price, maintenance cost, and durability.
Types of construction water pumps
Scores of water pumps are available. They possess different capacities and other features. However, the water pumps used in construction works can be broadly classified under two heads:
- Centrifugal water pumps
- Positive displacement water pumps
Centrifugal water pumps are mainly used in construction sites while positive displacement water pumps have a wide-ranging utility in different industries.
Centrifugal water pumps
These are the most-used water pumps can be used for displacing any kinds of thin liquids including water. Centrifugal pumps are very helpful in removing low-density liquids too. In this water pump, one or more rotating impellers are used for driving water into the pump and discharge it under high pressure. Centrifugal water pumps are available in the different specification in the market; however, the following are the most common types of water pumps in this genre:
- Axial Flow Pumps – In this pump water enters and passes out without changing the direction and the direction remains parallel to the rotating impeller. These pumps do not create very high pressure inside to discharge the water.
- Peripheral Pumps – These are also called turbines. In the pump’s casing, a rim like channel is fixed around which the impeller rotates. The impeller has blades on both sides of the rim, as the water or liquid inside rotates repetitively, the discharge pressure increases remarkably.
- Radial Flow Pumps – These are the most used pumps in the construction industry. Water enters the pump along the axial plane, it’s speed is enhanced by the rotating impeller and exits at a higher pressure at the right angle to the shaft. Radial Flow pumps function at higher pressures but lower rates of discharge than axial Flow Pumps.
- Mixed Flow Pumps – It is a combination of an axial flow pump and radial flow pump. It exits the pump at an angle that may be anything in between 0 to 90 degrees.
- Jet Pumps – These pumps are normally used to extract water from very deep reservoirs or wells. A jet pump possesses two parts, one that is fixed under the ground for pumping water and another above the ground for generating flow.
Benefits of construction water pumps
These pumps can be used in building and bridge construction works where water is needed constantly. A radial flow pump or mixed flow pump is generally used if any usable reservoir is available nearby. Otherwise, a peripheral or jet water pump may be used to bring water from a distant place or collect it from the underground natural water. The axial water pump is generally used to drain water that is stored due to rain or flood on a construction site.