Autogas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is unique because it can be stored and transported as a liquid but burned as a gas. Autogas dispensing installations frequently utilize regenerative turbine pumps.
While autogas applications present a
share of challenges, they are not unique.
In fact, many applications using hard-to-handle liquids, such as ammonia,
various refrigerants and many
hydrocarbons feature low viscosities,
sometimes as low as 0.1 centipoise (10
times thinner than water) and vapor
pressure near to normal atmospheric
pressure. This creates problems for
many pumping technologies, as these
fluids can be difficult to seal and the low
viscosity increases the risk of internal
slippage during operation.
One of the problems that comes from
pumping volatile liquids is cavitation.
If the pump’s inlet pressure falls below
the liquid’s vapor pressure, then vapor
bubbles will form in the liquid. These
bubbles will travel through the pumping
chamber and, as the pressure increases,
implode and cause cavitation, which
can damage the pumping hardware.
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