Diaphragm Pumps - upstream pulsation dampening

[Subystud]

I had a rep suggest to use a pulsation dampener upstream of a diaphragm pump to reduce hammering.

Can anyone find a reason for this? I thought it was only on the discharge.

Thanks -

 

[MikeHalloran]

The inlet flow starts and stops with each cycle, just as the outlet flow does.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[bimr]

Pulsations on the suction side of a reciprocating pump can cause the same problems with vibration and hammer that are seen on the discharge side. The problem that is caused may be partial or complete cavitation.

Is this a new installation or a fix of an installation. For a new installation, a less expensive solution is to oversize to oversize the piping.

 

[BigInch]

As is suggested above, the constant acceleration needed to regain flow velocity during each cycle requires extra force. Keeping pressure high enough on the suction side to re-accelerate the fluid column is important to prevent possible vaporization in the low pressure regions and hence prohibit hammering that can come with liquid column separation, as well as inefficient pumping of vapors and cavitation at the pump suction.

Independent events are seldomly independent.

 

[ccfowler]

Unless the piping runs are very, very short, generous pulsation dampers are best used at both the inlet and discharge ports. Failure to use generously sized pulsation damers is almost always an invitation to operating problems.

Valuable advice from a professor many years ago: First, design for graceful failure. Everything we build will eventually fail, so we must strive to avoid injuries or secondary damage when that failure occurs. Only then can practicality and economics be properly considered.