Autogas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is unique because it can be  stored and transported as a liquid but burned as a gas. Autogas dispensing  installations frequently utilize regenerative turbine pumps.

While autogas applications present a share of challenges, they are not unique. In fact, many applications using hard-to-handle liquids, such as ammonia, various refrigerants and many hydrocarbons feature low viscosities, sometimes as low as 0.1 centipoise (10 times thinner than water) and vapor pressure near to normal atmospheric pressure. This creates problems for many pumping technologies, as these fluids can be difficult to seal and the low viscosity increases the risk of internal slippage during operation.

One of the problems that comes from pumping volatile liquids is cavitation. If the pump’s inlet pressure falls below the liquid’s vapor pressure, then vapor bubbles will form in the liquid. These bubbles will travel through the pumping chamber and, as the pressure increases, implode and cause cavitation, which can damage the pumping hardware.

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