Definition of Jet Pumps and Their Uses

October 27, 2015

It takes an innate sense of mechanics, a basic knowledge of physics, and a healthy dose of fluid know-how to draw water from wells. Jet pumps excel in this department. They're the workhorse sealed motors and pumps that plunge long pipes into deep holes and suck water to the surface, providing solutions for groundwater problems when that water is deeply isolated by 25 feet (7.62 metres) or more of geological matter.

The Physics of Suction

All sorts of annoying laws exist in nature to stop engineers from designing machines to do tasks. In the case of dragging water up from a well, suction is possible, but, as depth increases, obstacles start to pop up and slow the rise of the life-giving liquid. Water in a long, narrow pipe gets heavier. Bubbles restrict the amount of water, the volume that can climb up the pipe. As long as the well is shallow, below roughly 7.6 metres deep, a high-powered jet pump can draw that water to ground level, but it will fail in this task when used in deeper pits. Creative physics gets round this issue by incorporating an additional pipe into the design profile of jet pumps. This secondary tube employs what's known as the Venturi Effect, a means of reducing long pipe constriction by pushing water down into the well to create a partial vacuum within a diffusing mechanism.

Applications for Jet Pumps

The innovative thought processes used to enable deep well pumping applications can give even the most mechanically attuned minds headaches, but the principle does work. Additionally, unlike a submerged pump, the motor and its moving parts are located above the water, so maintenance issues can be easily managed. As for applications, the two conduit principle is a champion in scenarios where groundwater is hard to reach. Indeed, the high-velocity stream, once primed, can access and extract precious water from a depth that couldn't be reached by a standard centrifugal pump. Even submerged models have a question mark over their normally useful housings in this situation because geological features can be unpredictable. Thankfully, the rugged two pipe outline used in the jet piping options can easily penetrate beyond 33 feet and have a trickle of clean, filtered water in the mouths of thirsty users in no time.

Finally, the isolating characteristics of this pump type make it a favoured candidate for scenarios where hot or volatile fluids need to be pumped. The chemical processing and fuel storage industries are prime examples of the need for isolating a machine with many moving parts from a hazardous flow of fluid. In this situation, the jet solution is divorced from the fluid, and a network of pipes and a diffuser chamber channel the toxic chemicals on their circuitous journey.

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