How does an internal gear pump work?

The pump head is now nearly flooded, just prior to forcing the liquid out of the discharge port. Intermeshing gears of the idler and rotor form locked pockets for the liquid which assures volume control. ... Rotor and idler teeth mesh completely to form a seal equidistant from the discharge and suction ports.

Can you run a gear pump dry?

The useful viscosity range of an internal gear pump is from 1cPs to over 1,000,000cP. ... The internal gear pump is non-pulsing, self-priming, and can run dry for short periods. They're also bi-rotational, meaning that the same pump can be used to load and unload vessels.