Introduction

Pumping in the chemical process industry involves the bulk movement of process liquids, the precise injection of reactants, and the provision and dissipation of energy. Pumping is the so-called “heart” of chemical processing, and it’s a good analogy. Successful pumping is thus of fundamental importance; achieving it involves getting all the following “right”: Conditions of service, pumping specification, procurementInstallation, operation maintenance. For convenience, these three functions are referred to as process, metering, and utility. The pump types reviewed are centrifugal, rotary, and reciprocating. For each type the review covers basic characteristics, specific configurations and their uses, then available materials of construction, all with a view to chemical process service.