A horizontal pump is used to propel liquids through horizontal pipelines. These pumps are not required to raise the liquid up and out of a well or a storage facility; instead it pushes liquid across vast expanses of pipeline from one location to another. The horizontal pump maintains flow as well as pressure while moving the fluid to its destination.
Structures such as oil field pipelines use a horizontal pump to move crude oil from the well to storage facilities and refineries that can often be great distances apart. The horizontal pump maintains an even flow of crude oil at a specific pressure in order for the refinery to properly process the product. Once refined, the station will pipe the gasoline, oil and other products to pumping stations using a horizontal pump. The product will then be loaded onto tanker ships or trucks to be delivered to a final destination.
Agricultural use of the horizontal pump is not limited to irrigation, where it is widely used. Dairy producers often use this type of pumping system to transport raw milk from the milking parlor to storage tanks. The milk is then cooled and stored until being loaded onto a tanker truck, again utilizing a horizontal pump to transfer the milk from one storage container to another. To complete the process, it often requires use of many pumps working in unison.
Irrigation is the act of watering fields and crops from large wells or water supplies such as rivers and reservoirs. In the case of the latter, a horizontal pump is often employed to push the water great distances to irrigation lines which distribute the water like large lawn sprinklers. The pumps are called upon to deliver great quantities of water at predetermined pressure in order to apply the correct amount of water to ensure proper growth of the crop.
This pumping method is also used by many city utilities to bring water over long distances to be used by the households it serves. Often, water is a hard-found commodity in certain areas of the world. The ability to pump large quantities through extremely long pipelines allows people to enjoy a normal, healthy life in drought prone areas. The pump houses are often a matter of life and death and are occasionally protected by a country's military. If water truly is the life blood of a community, the pumping station is the heart.