How do you connect a pump to a motor? Here are FOUR common drive types

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In our last Pump Report Chad discussed the motors used to power pumps. But how do you connect a pump to that motor? And what if you want to run the pump slower than motor speed? In this episode Chad talks about drives and their related equipment. To learn more or to view other Pump Reports, please visit vikingpump.com
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The term “drive” is used to describe the ancillary equipment used to mount and power a pump. This includes the motor, which we’d already discussed, but can also include a baseplate, coupling, guard, reducer, and more.
Viking Pump and our distributor partners provide pump/drive packages ranging from simple to complex depending on the pump unit used, speed required, and customer requirements. Let’s discuss four common drive types and talk about the advantages and considerations of each.
Let’s start simple with direct drive units. These include a pump directly coupled to a motor on a common baseplate. Each includes one coupling and guard and therefore just one point of alignment. Direct drives are typically reserved for smaller pumps since these pumps will be running at the same speed as the motor.
Some Viking pumps are designed to mount directly to a NEMA or IEC c-flange motor. These motor-mounted drives would not require a baseplate and help to cut the overall size and weight of the pump unit. Some require the use of a mounting bracket to connect the pump to the motor. Others, like Viking’s 75 Series™ slide over the motor shaft and mount directly to the face of the motor, eliminating the bracket and coupling altogether. In either case, it’s still important to make sure to pair the motor frame with the appropriate pump and, if required, mounting bracket, to make sure these components mount together.
In past Pump Reports you may have seen me with this pump unit. This is a Viking “M4” mount and utilizes a special motor frame and pump shaft to directly mount a small external gear pump to the face of the motor. This makes an even smaller pump unit to fit in small spaces or attach to a cart for a mobile pump unit.
Now in each of these cases the pump will be running at the same speed as the motor. But what if you needed to slow the pump down? Let’s look at two drive unit options to accomplish this.
The first option is a reducer driven unit. Gear reducers convert the high speed, low torque input of the motor to a low speed, high torque output at the pump. In this way the gear reducer slows the speed of the pump while transmitting nearly all of the power delivered by the motor.
Gear reducers come in a wide variety of designs, including single reduction offset, double reduction inline, c-flange mounted, and many other options. They also offer a wide variety of gear ratios to ensure that your target pump speed can be achieved.
If you prefer, Viking Pump also offers v-belt driven units. These units use a pair of pulleys (called sheaves) of differing diameters. A small sheave for the motor and large sheave for the pump. The ratio of diameters determines the ratio of the speed of the pump to that of the motor. One thing to keep in mind for V-belt units is to be cautious of using opposite ported pumps as the motor sits next to the pump and may interfere with the pipes on that side. These units are more commonly fitted with 90 degree ported pumps.
It’s important when talking about pumps to understand not just the pump, but the equipment that powers that pump. It’s all part of the complete pump unit and is just as critical to pump operation as the pump itself. If you’d like to learn more about drives or to view other Pump Reports, please visit our website at Vikingpump.com.