Why are gear pumps only used to pump oil?

The statement that gear pumps are “only used to pump oil” is not accurate. However, gear pumps are often employed for oil pumping purposes because they have certain advantages that make them particularly suitable for this application. Below are several reasons why gear pumps are often the go-to choice for pumping oil.

Gear pumps are good at handling viscous fluids such as oils and lubricants. This type of pump transports thick liquids in a smooth flow which might pose a challenge for other types of pumps like centrifugal pumps.

For instance, the flow rate in gear pumps is constant regardless of pressure making them ideal for applications requiring an unvarying supply of oil. Thus, while gear pumps can maintain their output at a given level regardless any changes in viscosity, other types may fail to work properly when it comes to this issue.

Efficiency:

In comparison with other types of pumps, gear pumps have minimal leak paths and generate less heat waste; this makes them more energy-efficient and cost-effective over time – crucial requirement in industries where huge quantities of liquid must be pumped out.

Durability and Reliability：

Typically, gear pumps tend to be robust and long-lasting as compared to any other types of pump requiring much less maintenance. It is particularly useful in cases where some downtime could result into significant costs incurred thereby being very effective under the industrial circumstances.

Low Shear:

Shear strongly affects properties of oils or lubricants that might become shear-thinning when subjected to high shear forces. The technique employed by gears minimizes shear ensuring thus preservation of quality during fuel transportation activities

Simple Design：

As regards gears itself only features – its construction is quite simple since there are relatively-few movable parts; therefore these machines can also be maintained and repaired easily reducing their total cost of ownerships.

Versatility：

Even though people frequently employ lose term “gear pump” considering it as a synonym for oil pumping mechanism only but actually they possess versatility characteristic within the design. Additionally, they are used in chemical industries, food processing and for pumping some paints and resins.

Limitations:

It is worth mentioning that gear pumps do not operate well under certain circumstances. They may face difficulties when handling highly abrasive or corrosive fluids; the pump’s lifespan can be significantly reduced due to flow of solid particles in a fluid through it.

To sum up, gear pumps are often used for oil pumping purposes due to their combination of different benefits such as high efficiency, durability, low shear as well as constant flow rate required for working with viscous liquids which may undergo shear thinning like oil. Nevertheless, they are not only limited to this particular usage but have various applications throughout all branches of industry.