Why is the head of a reciprocating pump unlimited?

The head pressure of a reciprocating pump is not limited because its working principle involves the use of a plunger or piston that moves back and forth within a gas or liquid to generate pressure. The level of this pressure depends mainly on factors such as the pump’s operating frequency, the area of the plunger or piston, and the resistance encountered by the pump; therefore, it can be said that the head pressure of a reciprocating pump is unlimited. A centrifugal pump pushes the liquid toward the outlet through the rotor under the action of centrifugal force, and the limitation on its head is mainly determined by the pump’s rotational speed and the design of the impeller. The head of a centrifugal pump increases as the speed of rotation increases, but once the speed reaches a certain level, the head begins to decrease as the rotational speed of the impeller rises. This is one of the characteristics of centrifugal pumps. .

For diaphragm pumps, how is the pressure at the outlet defined? Is it calculated in the same way as for centrifugal pumps? I’ve found that in many cases, reciprocating pumps are calculated using the same methods as centrifugal pumps. So, according to HG20570.5, how should the acceleration losses and pulse loss coefficients in the inlet and outlet pipes of reciprocating pumps be determined in practical engineering applications? I mentioned this issue in another post about reciprocating pumps, but no one responded. I wonder how the calculations for reciprocating pumps are carried out in practical engineering applications What is the process?

For reciprocating pumps, there is no limit – once the outlet is blocked, pressure is applied to the liquid and it can reach extremely high levels. The limitation for centrifugal pumps lies in the motor power, as well as the design constraints of the pump impeller and other components

For positive displacement pumps, as long as the power is infinite, the head will also be infinite