Centrifugal pumps are flow machines that use rotary motion and dynamic forces to convey liquids. In addition to tangential acceleration, this type of pump uses the centrifugal force occurring in the radial flow to convey the medium. Centrifugal pumps are relatively inexpensive and are primarily used for low-viscosity media such as water, soft drinks, wine, liquid yeast, brine, etc.

Inside a centrifugal pump, there is an impeller which is set in motion by a drive shaft at high speed and thus high rotational speed. The resulting centrifugal force accelerates the liquid and thus throws it to the outer edge of the pump impeller. In the centrifugal pump, energy is thus transferred hydrodynamically. This is in contrast to the hydrostatic energy transfer of the positive displacement pump. On the one hand, the fluid is conveyed through the outlet opening of the pump and on the other hand, a vacuum is generated at the inlet opening which draws the medium further and further into the centrifugal pump. Continuous operation at high capacity thus efficiently and constantly conveys even the largest flow rates, which is why centrifugal pumps are used particularly in industrial or continuous processes.