When an application needs real pressure but only a modest flow, a standard centrifugal pump is often the wrong tool. Peripheral pumps, also called regenerative or turbine pumps, are built for exactly that: high head at low flow, from a compact, affordable unit. A bladed impeller spins in a narrow concentric channel, and the liquid picks up energy repeatedly as it circulates around the casing, building far more pressure than a centrifugal impeller of the same size could manage.
We supply peripheral pumps from Calpeda, Ebara, Lowara, Pedrollo and Pentax, and can source other makes for a specific duty. The ranges are below, or call +44 1332 913500 for help choosing.
A peripheral pump has a disc impeller with many small blades around its rim, turning inside a casing with a matching ring-shaped channel. Rather than passing through the impeller once like a centrifugal pump, the liquid is flung outward and back into the blades over and over as it travels round the channel, gaining a little pressure each time. By the time it reaches the outlet it has been worked many times over, which is how such a small pump produces such high head.
The give-and-take is flow: peripheral pumps move relatively little liquid, so they are made for pressure rather than volume. They also need clean, uncontaminated liquid, because the tight clearance between impeller and casing that makes them efficient is easily damaged by solids or abrasives.
The defining difference is the performance curve. A centrifugal pump’s head falls away quickly as flow rises, and it flattens off at low flow. A peripheral pump holds a steep, near-linear curve, so it keeps delivering high pressure even as flow drops right back. That makes it the better choice for duties that demand steady high pressure at a trickle of flow, where a centrifugal pump would either be oversized or simply unable to reach the pressure. The trade-off is efficiency at higher flows and a need for clean liquid, so the two pump types suit genuinely different jobs.
We stock peripheral pumps from five manufacturers, covering domestic through to industrial duty:
With several manufacturers and many ranges between them, we can match a pump closely to your duty, and source elsewhere if something specific is needed.
Selecting a peripheral pump rests on the head you need, the flow you need, and confirming the liquid is clean. Because a peripheral water pump is made for high pressure at low flow, the key is checking your duty point sits in that part of the map rather than out in high-flow territory where a centrifugal pump would serve better. The liquid must be free of solids and abrasives to protect the fine internal clearances. As peripheral pump suppliers working with several of the leading peripheral pump manufacturers, we can talk the options through. Give us the duty on +44 1332 913500 and we will recommend the right model.
If your questions have not been answered here, get in touch with our team for more information.
A peripheral pump, also called a regenerative or turbine pump, is a type of centrifugal pump with a bladed impeller turning in a narrow concentric channel. The liquid recirculates through the blades repeatedly as it travels round the casing, gaining pressure each time, which lets a small pump produce high head.
Duties that need high pressure at low flow: small boiler feed, pressure boosting, car washes, clean-chemical transfer and general transfer of uncontaminated liquids. They suit applications where pressure matters more than volume.
A standard centrifugal pump passes liquid through the impeller once and is best at higher flows; its head drops off quickly as flow rises. A peripheral pump recirculates the liquid through its blades many times and holds high pressure even at very low flow. Peripheral pumps win on high head at low flow, centrifugal pumps on volume.
No. The close clearance between impeller and casing that makes a peripheral pump efficient is easily damaged by solids and abrasives. They should only be used on clean, uncontaminated liquids. For dirty water or solids, a centrifugal or submersible pump is the right choice.
Because the regenerative action builds pressure in a way a single-pass centrifugal impeller cannot at that scale. For a low-flow, high-head duty, a peripheral pump delivers the pressure from a smaller, cheaper unit than the alternatives, with a performance curve that stays steep as flow falls.
