What is a Boiler Feed Pump? A boiler feed pump is a vital element in steam boiler systems and is responsible for supplying water to the boiler. This water serves as the raw material for steam generation, making the boiler feed water pump essential in the entire process.
What is a Boiler Feed Pump & How Does it Work? - Pumpworks
A boiler feedwater pump is a specific type of pump used to pump feedwater into a steam boiler. The water may be freshly supplied or returning condensate produced as a result of the condensation of the steam produced by the boiler.
Boiler feed pumps operate at fluid temperatures of 160 to 210 ºC. In exceptional cases the temperature of the fluid handled may be higher still. Feed pumps for 1600 MW nuclear power stations are constructed for mass flow rates of up to 4000 tonnes/h and feed pump discharge pressures of 70 to 100 bar.
However, there are two main styles of boiler feed pumps to note — horizontal and vertical pumps. The primary difference between horizontal and vertical pumps is the shaft orientation and the pressures they can generate.
Explore the main types of boiler feed pumps—centrifugal, multistage, positive displacement, and turbine pumps. Learn how each type works, their pros and cons, and how to select the best feed pump for your industrial boiler system.
Boiler feed pumps (BFPs) consist of feeding to a steam generator (e.g. boiler) a quantity of feedwater corresponding to the quantity of steam generated. Operating parameters (flow, head, temperature) of boiler feed water are calculated by a boiler designer.