Focus on the well-primed US pump industry

For this month's special focus, World Pumps returns to the USA's $6 billion/year pump market. According to a recent study from Freedonia, demand for products from the country's 300-plus pump manufacturers is currently rising 5% per year on average as most pump-using industries emerge from the recession of the early 2000s, and this growth is likely to continue until at least 2007. By way of introduction, John Michael Paz , president of Godwin Pumps of America, considers the development of markets for automatic self-priming pumps in the USA. Then, Steve Schmitz of ITT's Fluid Handling Division reviews the problem of noise in pumps used in cooling tower applications, its causes and control. Finally, returning to the theme of self-priming pumps, John Kanute of Goulds Pumps takes us back to basics with a discussion of their principles of operation, advantages and use.