Pump Basics
Agenda – Pump Basics
Topic Duration
Why do we need pumps? 10mins
Information required to select a pump 5mins
How to determine pump output 10mins
Pump characteristic curves 40mins
Affinity laws 5mins
Pump power consumption & efficiency 10mins
Adjusting pump performance 10mins
Cavitation & NPSH 10mins
Q&A 15mins
Feedback 5mins
Topics for this module
• Why do we need pumps?
• Information required to select a pump
• How to determine pump output
• Pump characteristic curves
• Affinity laws
• Pump power consumption & efficiency
• Adjusting pump performance
• Cavitation & NPSH
Why do we need pumps?
To transport water from 1 to 2 at a given flow Q, the pump needs to ”add” pressure to
the pumped water.
This pressure head or total head to overcome is due to the force of gravity and to the
resistance of the piping system and is defined as:
Total head = Geodetic head (static head) + Dynamic head
Q Head loss in the pipe depends on:
2
• Roughness of pipe walls
• Liquid velocity
• Length of pipe
• Pipe fittings
1
Main types of pumps
Centrifugal pumps
Positive displacement pumps
• Rotary lobe pump
• Progressive cavity pump
• Rotary gear pump
• Piston pump
• Diaphragm pump
• Screw pump
• Gear pump
• Hydraulic pump
• Rotary vane pump
• Peristaltic pump
• Rope pump
• Flexible impeller pump
The centrifugal pump
• Most common
• Versatile
• Reliable
• Simple construction
• Low price
Construction of a centrifugal pump
Topics for this module
• Why do we need pumps?
• Information required to select a pump
• How to determine pump output
• Pump characteristic curves
• Affinity laws
• Pump power consumption & efficiency
• Adjusting pump performance
• Cavitation & NPSH
Information required to select a right pump for an
application
1. Liquid characteristics
• Density
• Vapor pressure / boiling point
• Temperature
• Viscosity
• Corrosiveness
2. Flowrate
3. Static suction head
4. Static discharge head
5. Pressure loss in suction pipe
6. Pressure loss in discharge pipe
7. Final pressure
8. Initial pressure
Topics for this module
• Why do we need pumps?
• Information required to select a pump
• How to determine pump output
• Pump characteristic curves
• Affinity laws
• Pump power consumption & efficiency
• Adjusting pump performance
• Cavitation & NPSH
Pump output
Hydraulic output (Phyd) = Q x H x x g (watts)
Q = flowrate, m3/sec
H = head, m
= liquid density, kg/m3
g = gravitational constant
= 9.81m/sec2
Pump output
Hydraulic output (Phyd) = Q x H x x g (watts)
For water (density 1000 kg/m3)
In SI units In Imperial/US customary units
Q x H (kW) Q x H (HP)
Phyd = Phyd =
367.2 3960
Q = flowrate, m3/h Q = flowrate, USGPM
H = head, m H = head, feet (ft.)
1 HP (horse power) = 0.746 kW
Topics for this module
• Why do we need pumps?
• Information required to select a pump
• How to determine pump output
• Pump characteristic curves
• Affinity laws
• Pump power consumption & efficiency
• Adjusting pump performance
• Cavitation & NPSH
Pump characteristic curves
• Max pressure at zero flow
• As flow increases pressure drops
• Q/H curve is determined in a test bed
Pump characteristic curves
Closed Valve → Open Valve
6- kW
10,5kW
10
8
400 V
50 hz
25
19
14
9- m
25
50
75
0- l/s
System curve & duty point
A system curve is a curve representing the
total head characteristic of a system
total head = geodetic (static) head + dynamic
(friction) head
Intersection of pump curve and
system curve is the pump duty or
operating point
Closed loop systems
Examples of closed loop systems:
• Domestic and commercial heating
circulation systems
• Primary and secondary chilled water
circulation systems
Open loop systems
Examples of open loop systems:
• Water supply systems (water transfer,
pressure boosting, irrigation, industrial)
• Waste water systems
• Condenser water system in chilled
water application
Open loop systems with negative geodetic lift
Two types of open loop systems exist:
• Open systems where the total required geodetic lift is positive. Positive geodetic lift is where the pump has
to work against gravity
• Open systems where the total required geodetic lift is negative. Negative geodetic lift is where the water
column height is pushing the water into the pump. A typical example is water boosting applications in
buildings from a tank.
Duty point variations
Uncertainties due to
P
H
• ISO 9906 / HI tolerances
• Variation in levels
• Uncertain losses
• Variation in losses:
• Media
• Roughness NPSH
Vibration
Consequences
• More / Less Flow
• Power Limit
• Vibration Increases Q
• NPSHr Increases
Pumps in parallel connection
Two identical pumps in parallel connection
Overall flow = Sum of individual flow at a given head i.e. Q = Q1 + Q2 = 2 Q1 = 2 Q2
Overall head = Individual pump head i.e. H = H1 = H2
Pumps in series connection
Two identical pumps in series connection
Overall flow = individual pump flow i.E. Q = q1 = q2
Overall head = sum of individual heads at a given flow i.E. H = h1 + h2 = 2h1 = 2 h2
Topics for this module
• Why do we need pumps?
• Information required to select a pump
• How to determine pump output
• Pump characteristic curves
• Affinity laws
• Pump power consumption & efficiency
• Adjusting pump performance
• Cavitation & NPSH
Affinity laws
Law 1: flow is proportional to shaft speed or impeller diameter
Q1/Q2 = (N1/N2) or (D1/D2)
Where Q is equal to flow, N is equal to shaft speed, and D is equal to impeller diameter
Flow is proportional to speed and diameter, therefore double the speed/diameter will double the flow
Law 2: pressure is proportional to the square of shaft speed or impeller diameter
H1/H2 = (N1/N2)² or (D1/D2)²
Where H is equal to head, N is equal to shaft speed, and D is equal to impeller diameter
Head is proportional to square of speed and diameter, therefore double the speed/diameter will increase the head by factor of 4
Law 3: power is proportional to the cube of shaft speed or impeller diameter
P1/P2 = (N1/N2)³ or (D1/D2)³
Where P is equal to power, N is equal to shaft speed, and D is equal to impeller diameter
Power is proportional to cube of speed and diameter, therefore double the speed/diameter will increase the head by factor of 8
Topics for this module
• Why do we need pumps?
• Information required to select a pump
• How to determine pump output
• Pump characteristic curves
• Affinity laws
• Pump power consumption & efficiency
• Adjusting pump performance
• Cavitation & NPSH
Power consumption
P1 Power input from mains
= 3 V I cos (3 phase motors)
= V I cos (1 phase motors)
PN Motor rated power
usually nameplate figure
P2 Motor shaft output
P3 Pump input
P3=P2 incase of direct coupled pumps
P4 Pump output (hydraulic)
=QxHxxg
Motor reserve power
= PN – P2
PN Motor rated power
usually nameplate figure
P2 Motor shaft output/Pump demand
Efficiency
Motor efficiency (m) = P2 / P1
(ETA motor)
Pump efficiency(p) = Hydraulic output
(ETA pump) Power input
= P4 / P3
Total efficiency (gr) = P4/ P1
(ETA total) = m . p
Topics for this module
• Why do we need pumps?
• Information required to select a pump
• How to determine pump output
• Pump characteristic curves
• Affinity laws
• Pump power consumption & efficiency
• Adjusting pump performance
• Cavitation & NPSH
Adjusting the pump performance
Throttle control Impeller trimming
Bypass control Speed control
Throttle control
Bypass control
Impeller trimming
Speed control
Performance adjustment
Topics for this module
• Why do we need pumps?
• Information required to select a pump
• How to determine pump output
• Pump characteristic curves
• Affinity laws
• Pump power consumption & efficiency
• Adjusting pump performance
• Cavitation & NPSH
What is cavitation
Cavitation occurs in a pump when the pressure
on the suction side of the impeller falls below
vapor pressure of the liquid.
Cavitation is harmful to the pump and results in:
• Noise & Vibrations (damage to bearings, seals etc.)
• Erosion / damage to impeller
• Reduced pump performance
Pressure development through a centrifugal pump
Cavitation & NPSH
Calculation of the risk of cavitation
No Risk of cavitation if NPSHA > NPSHR
NPSH – Net Positive Suction Head
Cavitation will occur if NPSHA < NPSHR
NPSHR indicates minimum inlet pressure required
by the pump for operation without cavitation.
Determined by test at factory and NPSHR curves published
NPSHA indicates NPSH available at site. Should be
determined at site based on site conditions.
NPSHR (Net Positive Suction Head Required)
NPSHR is published by the pump
manufacturer, based on testing the pump
on a test bed
NPSHA (Net Positive Suction Head Available)
Physical properties for water
T [C] ρ [kg/m3] Hvapour [m] Hatm [m] NPSHav
• Hatm & Hvapour Varies 0 1000 0,062 10,332 10,3
4 1000 0,083 10,332 10,2
❑ Temperature 10 999,7 0,125 10,335 10,2
20 998,2 0,239 10,351 10,1
❑ Elevation 25 997,1 0,324 10,362 10,0
30 995,7 0,434 10,377 9,9
• 20 deg C to 40 deg C reduces NPSHa 0.4m 40 992,3 0,758 10,412 9,7
50 988,1 1,273 10,457 9,2
• Elevation: Hatm reduced approx. 1m head for every 1000m 60 983,2 2,066 10,509 8,4
70 977,8 3,250 10,567 7,3
• Stockholm vs. Mexico City ΔNPSHav=2.2m 80 971,7 4,970 10,633 5,7
90 965,2 7,407 10,705 3,3
100 958,2 10,783 10,783 0,0
Altitude atmospheric
pressure variation
Altitude [m] Hatm [m]
0 10,347
250 10,049
500 9,758
750 9,474
NPSHref 1000
1250
9,197
8,926
1500 8,662
1750 8,404
2000 8,152
2250 7,906
2500 7,667
2750 7,433
3000 7,205
Calculation of NPSHA
NPSHA = Hb – Hf – Hv – Hs +/- h
Hb = atmospheric pressure at pump site
Hf = friction loss in suction pipe
Hv = vapor pressure of liquid (depends on liquid temperature)
Hs = safety factor (usually 0.5-1.0m)
h = max suction head. Add if positive head, subtract if suction lift.
Q&A
Feedback
Thank you
