Question 397General Subjects - Assistant Engineer

The correct answer is A) reciprocating pumps. The suction-force principle of operation is a typical characteristic of reciprocating pumps, which use the alternating motion of a piston to create a vacuum that draws in fluid and then expels it. This suction-force principle is what allows reciprocating pumps to lift fluids from a lower level and deliver them to a higher level, making them well-suited for applications such as bilge and ballast systems on ships. The other answer choices, jet pumps, centrifugal pumps, and propeller pumps, do not rely on the suction-force principle as their primary means of operation. Jet pumps use the Venturi effect, centrifugal pumps use centrifugal force, and propeller pumps use the propulsive force generated by a rotating impeller.