Axial flow pumps or propeller pumps allow fluid to enter the impeller axially. They discharge fluid nearly axially, pumping the liquid in a direction that is parallel to the pump shaft. An axial flow pump is also called a propeller pump because the impeller works much like the propeller of a boat. The propeller is driven by a motor that is either sealed directly in the pump body or by a drive shaft that enters the pump tube from the side.

Axial flow pumps use the propelling action of the impeller’s vanes on the liquid to develop pressure. Axial flow pumps can be adjusted by changing the pitch of the blades on the propeller. This makes them useful for either high-flow/low-pressure applications or low-flow/high-pressure applications. Axial flow pumps are frequently used in industrial settings as circulation pumps that work in conjunction with sewage digesters or evaporators. Axial flow pumps are also used in heat recovery systems, nuclear reactor water circulation, and high volume mixing applications. Axial flow pumps can also be used as a liquid pump for ballast control in marine applications.

Axial flow pumps use the propeller action to draw water into the pump by suction. An axial flow pump can be designed as a suction pump that draws water in through one end and discharges it out the top of the pump. However, axial flow pumps are not typically used for suction lift applications. Axial flow pumps used for pumping clear water or storm water may also be submersible. A submersible pump that uses an axial flow design is common in irrigation and drainage applications. Axial flow pumps may also be used as a sump pump in some industrial applications to circulate slurries or wastewater or to drain storm water from sump pits or waste storage lagoons. Axial flow pumps are typically used in high flow rate, low lift applications. A mixed flow pump similar to a turbine pump may be used as a well pump provided the well is not too deep.