Which of the following describes a characteristic of a centrifugal pump?

A centrifugal pump is distinctively characterized by its method of generating flow through rotational energy. The pump uses a rotating impeller to transfer kinetic energy to the fluid, which results in the motion of the fluid from the pump's inlet to its outlet. As the impeller spins, it accelerates the fluid outward, leading to an increase in velocity and pressure. This mechanism is fundamental to understanding how centrifugal pumps operate and their typical applications in various engineering and industrial scenarios.

In contrast, other pump types, such as positive displacement pumps, function based on differing principles. Positive displacement pumps move fluid by trapping a fixed amount and forcing it into the discharge pipe, which is not how centrifugal pumps operate. Additionally, while centrifugal pumps may have variable flow rates depending on the system configuration and speed variations, this characteristic does not define their fundamental operation, which centers around the use of rotational energy for fluid movement.

Centrifugal pumps are also not typically self-priming like some other pump types. Self-priming pumps can create the necessary vacuum to draw fluid into the pump, which is not an intrinsic characteristic of all centrifugal designs. Thus, the defining feature that encapsulates what a centrifugal pump is and how it operates revolves around the generation of flow through the