Peristaltic Pumps are more suited to shear-sensitive, abrasive, or aggressive chemical media where the hose is the only wetted part and hose changes are the only maintenance. Whereas Progressive Cavity Pumps are suited to high-solids, high-viscosity, or high-pressure applications, including sludges, pastes and fibrous slurries – where consistent, low-pulsation flow at higher discharge pressures matters more than minimal wetted-part contact. This guide will help you choose between the two pumps when needing the best pump for your application.
How do Peristaltic and Progressive Cavity Pumps work?
What is a Peristaltic Pump?
A Peristaltic Pump is a positive-displacement pump that moves fluid by pressing a flexible hose rather than moving it through internal metal components. Rollers or shoes on a rotating wheel press against the hose, and as the compression point moves, it pushes fluid ahead of it. Because the hose is the only part in contact with the fluid (no seal, no diaphragm, no metal touching the media), it’s well-suited to abrasive slurries and aggressive chemicals without the wear that other pumps experience. For a full breakdown on how it works, see our guide: ‘What is a Peristaltic Pump?’.
What is a Progressive Cavity Pump?
A Progressive Cavity Pump is a rotary positive displacement pump built around a helical metal rotor turning inside a resilient elastomer stator. As the rotor turns, it forms a sequence of sealed cavities that “progress” from the suction side to the discharge side, moving fluid at a steady, near pulsation-free rate. This geometry lets Progressive Cavity Pumps handle highly viscous, heterogeneous fluids containing gas, solids, abrasive particles and fibrous material, and reach higher discharge pressures than most other positive displacement designs.
Pump Specifications
When selecting a pump, compare the application requirements with each pump type’s operating range to ensure it can transport your media consistently.
| Specification | Peristaltic Pump | Progressive Cavity Pump |
| Max Outlet Pressure | Up to 15 Bar | Up to 48 Bar |
| Max Flow Rate | Up to 60m³/h | Up to 420 l/min |
| Max Viscosity Handling | Up to 60,000cPs (12,000 low-pressure) | Up to 1,000,000cPs |
| Max Self-Priming Lift | Up to 9.8m | Up to 8m wetted |
| Dry Running | Safe to run dry | Not designed for sustained dry running |
Contamination Risk
Contact surface matters most in food & beverage, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical applications where hygienic standards are non-negotiable.
Peristaltic: Only the hose is wetted, with no seals. The lowest-contact, easiest-to-clean option of the two, with nothing to disassemble for cleaning.
Progressive Cavity: The wetted parts comprise the rotor, stator, joint and shaft seal. The Hygienic Progressive Cavity Pump range, part of the Diamond Series, addresses many of these requirements. It features stainless steel construction, models designed to minimise dead zones, and full CIP/SIP compatibility, with pumps available to meet EHEDG and 3-A hygienic standards for applications in the dairy, bakery, meat processing, confectionery, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.
For non-abrasive, lubricating products, the open-joint DXO/JXO/FXO design provides optimum sanitisation. For abrasive fluids, the pin-joint DXC/JXC/FXC design is more suitable, as the joint can be independently lubricated.
Application Suitability
It’s important to know whether the pump you select suits the application. Read below to find out the suitability of the pumps for the applications/industries:
| Peristaltic | Progressive Cavity | |
| ATEX-Suitability | The PXTL is an ATEX-rated model | ATEX certification available on request |
| Food & Beverage | Tomato sauce, mashed potatoes, pastes, oils, wine, eggs, cream, dairy | Brewing, distilling, oenological, bakery, dairy, meat and confectionery |
| Pharmaceutical & Cosmetics | Chemicals, vaccines, plasma, shampoos, serums | Pharmaceutical sludges, cosmetic pastes and creams |
| Wastewater/Water Treatment | Lime cream, ferric chloride, sodium bisulphate, fluoride, polymers, coagulants, flocculants, sludge and foams | Sewage sludge, dewatered cake, polyelectrolytes, flocculants and polymers |
| Chemical | Acids, PVDF latex, alcohol, soap, solvents | Industrial detergents and chemicals, emulsion, vegetable and mineral oil |
| Pulp & Paper | Latex, kaolin, paper waste sludge, chemicals | Pulp and paper process sludges |
| Paint & Print | Water-based paints, acrylics, pigments, inks | Heavy pigment pastes, resins, varnishes, high-viscosity ink |
| Surface Treatment | Zinc, copper, nickel, tin, silver, gold plating, chromates, passivation | Not a typical application |
If you don’t see your specific media listed, contact our pump specialists to confirm suitability.
Running Costs and Maintenance
Peristaltic: Usually costs less to run. They’re electrically powered and require little maintenance; the only wear part is the hose, which you can replace quickly, giving you a ‘new’ pump suited to different media in minutes.
Progressive Cavity: Electrically driven, with running costs largely dependent on motor sizing and discharge pressure. The stator is the main wear part, as the elastomer flexes continuously against the rotor; wear rates depend heavily on media abrasiveness and running speed. On hopper- and auger-fed models, the auger screw feed also needs periodic inspection when running high-solids content media.
Pump Accessories & Configuration Options
Tapflo currently offer the following as optional accessories.
Peristaltic Accessories: A range of hoses and fittings to suit different media and applications, plus a pulsation dampener to smooth the flow.
Progressive Cavity Configuration Options: Open-joint or pin-joint rotor/stator combinations, hopper and auger feed screw inlets for high-solids and poor-flowing media (up to 18–35% dry substance depending on model), close-coupled or bearing-housing-supported drive arrangements, and a wide choice of rotor, stator and sealing material combinations.
Whether you need a hygienic or non-hygienic construction depends on your application, media viscosity and site requirements. Contact our pump specialists to find the right configuration for you.
