Disclosed is a pneumatically powered high-pressure and lightweight fluid
pump. The pump is useful for pumping fuel for liquid rocket engines and
for transferring liquids from one space vehicle to another. During
operation of the pump, liquid is drained from a tank into a pump chamber
and the chamber is then pressurized to deliver fluid. The chamber is then
refilled from the main tank. An auxiliary chamber supplies fuel while the
main chamber is being filled, thereby a steady stream is delivered from
the pump. The auxiliary chamber is refilled from the tank while the main
chamber is delivering fluid. In order to transfer fluid from the tank to
the pump chamber, the pressure in the pump chamber is maintained at a
pressure higher than the vapor pressure of the fluid being pumped but
lower than the pressure in the tank.