Peristaltic pumps - how do they work?

Rollers or shoes in a peristaltic pump compress the tube or hose as they rotate, creating a vacuum which draws fluid through the tube.

Nothing but the pump tube or hose touches the fluid, eliminating the risk of the pump contaminating the fluid, or the fluid contaminating the pump. The animation shows fluid being drawn into a pump tube, trapped by the pumphead roller, and expelled when the next roller passes over the tube. As the rollers rotate, a vacuum is formed in the tube, pulling in more fluid, for the next roller pass.

The complete closure of the tube when is it occluded (squeezed) between the roller and the track, gives the pump its positive displacement action, preventing backflow and eliminating the need for check-valves when the pump is not running.

What are the advantages of using peristaltic?

The main advantage of peristaltic pumps is that nothing but the tube touches the fluid.  Because only the inner bore of the tube touches the fluid, they eliminate the risk of the pump contaminating the fluid, or the fluid contaminating the pump.

The animation shows fluid being drawn into a pump tube, trapped by the pumphead roller, and expelled when the next roller passes over the tube. As the rollers rotate, a vacuum is formed in the tube, pulling in more fluid, for the next roller pass.

The complete closure of the tube when is it occluded (squeezed) between the roller and the track, gives the pump its positive displacement action, preventing backflow and eliminating the need for check-valves when the pump is not running.