Lobe Pump
What is a Lobe Pump (or Earlobe Pump)?
A lobe pump, also known as an earlobe pump, is a type of positive displacement pump that is primarily used to pump heavy liquids without damaging the product. These pumps are used in many industries, including the food industry, wastewater treatment, and in general, industries that use chemicals.
The popularity of these pumps is due to their attractive features such as high efficiency and reliability, the ability to pump fluids with solid particles, hygiene, and easy cleaning. The name of this type of pump is derived from the two lobes inside the pump housing.
Earlobe pumps work similarly to gear pumps, except that they use lobes instead of gears to move the fluid. Depending on the application, different designs have been offered, including single-lobe, double-lobe, triple lobe, and multi-lobe.
Features:
- Country of Origin: Spain
- Maximum Pressure: 16 bar
- Body Material: Stainless Steel 304
- Lobe Material: Stainless Steel 304
Features:
- Country of Origin: USA
- Maximum Working Pressure: 20 bar
- Body Material: Stainless Steel (304 or 316)
- Lobe Material: Stainless Steel (304 or 316)
Features:
- Country of Origin: Korea
- Maximum Pressure: 20 bar
- Body Material: Stainless Steel 316
- Lobe Material: Stainless Steel 316
Features:
- Country of Origin: Taiwan
- Body Material: Stainless Steel 316 or 304
- Lobe Material: Stainless Steel 316 or 304
Lobe Pump Operation
The lobes rotate independently in opposite directions, driven by external timing gears, to pump the fluid. Ideally, there is no metal-to-metal contact between the lobes, but in practice, due to pressure differences that cause shaft deflection, the lobes may come into contact with the housing. The flow enters the chamber from the suction side and with the rotation of the lobes and pumping, more flow enters the chamber and is transferred. Due to the fact that the output flow is independent of changes in pressure, the output flow rate of the fluid remains relatively constant.
The operation of a lobe pump can be summarized in three stages as shown in the figure below:
- As the lobes move away from the inlet of the chamber, a void is created, and the fluid fills this void. The fluid that fills the void in the inlet section is surrounded by the lobes and the housing.
- The fluid in the space between the housing moves with the rotation of the lobes but cannot move between the lobes.
- Finally, the lobe network forces the fluid to exit the pump under pressure.
Lobe Pump Components:
The architecture and components of lobe pumps vary from one another, but their basic structure is the same. The figure shows the components of a lobe pump, which are:
- Parallel shafts for transmitting power from the gear to the lobes
- Pump cover
- Lobes
- Driving gear
- External gearbox