What type of pump is a rotary pump classified as?

A rotary pump is classified as a positive displacement pump. This classification is based on its mechanism of operation, where the pump moves fluid by trapping a fixed amount of it and forcing that trapped volume into the discharge pipe. As the rotor turns, it displaces the fluid in a continuous flow, regardless of changes in pressure conditions downstream.

This characteristic makes positive displacement pumps, including rotary types, particularly effective in applications requiring precise flow rates and the ability to handle viscous fluids. In contrast, dynamic pumps operate by adding energy to the fluid through mechanical means, which generates flow but does not displace a fixed volume in the same manner as rotary pumps do. Gravity pumps rely on gravitational force to move fluids, while volumetric pumps can refer to a broader category that includes positive displacement types but doesn’t specifically identify the rotary mechanism. Hence, understanding the operation and characteristics of rotary pumps solidly establishes them as positive displacement pumps.