🔍 Key Concepts

• Centrifugal vs. reciprocating pumps – basic operating principles and typical uses on tankers • How cargo tanks are normally stripped (removing the last few inches of cargo) • Typical maintenance needs and cost differences between centrifugal and reciprocating pumps

💭 Think About

• Think about how a centrifugal pump actually moves liquid – does it work well when it is not fully flooded or when suction is weak? • On a tanker, what kind of pump design is normally chosen for heavy, continuous cargo transfer versus the small residual amounts at the end? • Which type of pump (centrifugal or reciprocating) is generally simpler in construction and cheaper to build and maintain?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify whether centrifugal pumps must be primed or flooded to work efficiently, and what that implies about being "gravity-fed". • Compare the initial cost and complexity of centrifugal pumps with reciprocating pumps. • Check what is typically used as a stripping pump aboard tankers and why that type is better at handling small quantities and higher suction lifts.