Centrifugal Pumps (Operation)

Presented by:
Hasnat Ahmad
 In this Session…….

1.1.The
TheConcept
Concepttotounderstand
understandCentrifugal
CentrifugalPump
Pump
2.2.Parts
Partsof
ofcentrifugal
centrifugalpump
pump
3.3.Pump
PumpBasic
Basicprinciples
principles
4.4. Operation
Operationof
ofCentrifugal
CentrifugalPumps
Pumps
5.5.Operational
OperationalProblems
Problems
6.6.Centrifugal
CentrifugalPumps
Pumpstroubleshooting
troubleshooting
7.7.Typical
TypicalQuestions
Questions&
&Answers
Answers
 Pump

Pump is a machine that imparts energy to the liquid”.

Why Pumps are Required?
 Move liquids from lower elevation to higher
elevation;
 Move liquids from lower pressure areas to areas of
higher pressure;
 Increase the flow rate of a liquid.
 Working Principle of Pumps
 Positive Displacement Pumps: These pumps trap a
specific volume of fluid and then force it through the
system by reducing the volume of the pumping chamber.
Examples include piston pumps, diaphragm pumps, and
gear pumps.
 Working Principle of Centrifugal Pumps
 The machine which adds centrifugal energy to the
liquid for increasing its pressure is called as
centrifugal pump.
 The faster the impeller turns faster the liquid moves.
 Centrifugal force moves the liquid away from the
eye, a low-pressure area is formed in the eye.
Working Principle of Centrifugal Pumps
Parts of centrifugal pump
 Parts of Centrifugal pumps

A. Stuffing Box
B. Packing
C. Shaft
D. Shaft Sleeve
E. Vane
F. Casing
G. Eye of Impeller
H. Impeller
I. Casing Wear Ring

K. Discharge Nozzle
 Impeller

Impeller is the heart of Centrifugal

Pump
It rotates the liquid mass with the
peripheral speed of its vane tips.
The whirling movement of Impeller
imparts centrifugal force to the liquid
and increases the velocity head.
Impeller does not increase liquid
pressure. High velocity head is
converted to pressure head in the
volute
Increase in velocity is directly
proportional to Impeller diameter &
 Parts of Impeller
Impeller
Hub
Central part of Impeller, bored out according to
the shaft diameter.
Suction Eye
The impeller inlet just ahead of the vanes is
called the suction eye.
Impeller
shroud
Impeller shroud or enclosing sidewalls totally
Wear rings enclose the impeller water ways from the
Wear rings provide suction eye to the periphery.
protection and an
Impeller
economically
Vanes are the parts that pick up the liquid and
renewable leakage
joint between the accelerate it to high velocity. Increase in
impeller and casing. length of vanes or Impeller dia will increase
BALANCING HOLES the liquid velocity, hence pump discharge
pressure.
These holes are located in an impeller for the balancing of
thrust
Types of Impeller
 Impeller Types based on construction

Consisting of Vanes Shroud on one side Shroud on both

only only sides
No shrouds or Liquid slippage exists Least Liquid
sidewalls but less than in open slippage
Liquid slippage exists type
Greater liquid
Relatively less liquid Greater liquid velocity velocity than other
velocity than open type types
Impeller has structural Applied in pumps Applied in pumps
weakness handling abrasive handling clear
liquids liquids
Applied in pumps
 Impeller Types based on suction
 Single-suction impeller
 Double-suction impeller
 Pump Casing
Enclosed space where the impeller rotates with
the shaft
Converts velocity of liquid into pressure
Has close clearance with the impeller

Has two ends, Suction & Discharge

Casing Types
Single Volute Case

Double Volute Case

 Shaft
The basic function of a centrifugal Pump shaft is to
transmit the torques encountered in starting and during
operation.
It also supports
Impeller the impeller
Gland Packing / and other rotating parts.
Coupling
Mech Seal

O/B Bearing I/B Bearing

SHAFT
SLEEVE
The basic function of the sleeve
is to protect shaft from erosion,
corrosion and wear at stuffing
boxes, leakage joints & internal
bearing areas.
 Stuffing Box
 A space provided for Gland Packing or Mechanical
seal where the shaft passes out through the pump
casing
 Primary function is to prevent leakage along the shaft
 Prevent air leakage into the pump and liquid leakage
out of the pump.
 They are normally designed to allow small amount of
controlled leakage along the shaft to provide
lubrication and cooling of the packing.
 Lantern Rings
 When a corrosive, erosive or dangerous liquid is being
pumped, lubrications from another liquid are used.
 Lubricating fluid is pumped into the packing box under
pressure higher than the pressure inside the casing of
pump.
 This pressure keeps away the liquid in the pump from
entering the packing box.
 Lantern rings are normally for lubrication of the
packing.
 Lantern ring packing is also used in a pump operating
at less than atmospheric pres-sure.
 To keep air out, the pressure of the sealing lubricating
fluid must be above the pressure of the atmosphere
Lantern Rings
 Mechanical Seals
 In some situations, packing material is not adequate for
sealing the shaft.
 One common alternative method for sealing the shaft is
mechanical seals.
 Mechanical seals consist of two basic parts:
 A rotating element
 A stationary element
 Bearing
 Allow the shaft to rotate with practically negligible
friction.

 Hold the rotating element in its proper position relative

to the stationary parts of the pump, both radially and
axially, so that the rubbing cannot occur.

 Be able to absorb forces that are transmitted to them

from the impeller.

 Give trouble free service for long periods of time

 Radial Load
Axial or thrust load
Angular Load
 What is a Balance Drum
 In any centrifugal pump, each impeller tends to
produces some amount of thrust because of different
pressures and different geometries on the two sides of
the impeller.

 In a high pressure multi-stage pump (such as BFW) the

number of impellers is high, thus the net thrust would
be large unless something is done to balance it out.

 The two main ways to reduce the net thrust are to

oppose the impellers or to use a balance drum.
Balancing Drum
Pump Basic principles
 Pump Head

Head is the height of liquid

The static head corresponding to any specific pressure is

dependent upon the weight of the liquid according to the
following formula.

Head = Pressure (psi)

Sp. Gravity x 0.433
 Pump Head
 Suction Lift
 It exists when the source of supply is below the center line of
the pump.
 Static Suction Lift
 It is the vertical distance in feet from the centerline of the
pump to the free level of the liquid to be pumped.
 Suction head
 It exists when the source of supply is above the centerline of
the pump.
 Static suction head
 It is the vertical distance in feet from the centerline of the
pump to the free level of the liquid to be pumped.
 Pump Head
 Static discharge head
 It is the vertical distance in feet between the pump
centerline and the point of free discharge or the
surface of the liquid in the discharge tank.
 Total static head
 It is the vertical distance in feet between the free
level of the source of supply and the point of free
discharge or the free surface of the discharge liquid.
HEAD
Question: Will Different Density Liquids Pump to the
? :Same Level (As Shown Here) or

S.G.- 1.2 S.G.- 1.0 S.G.- 0.7

Or Will They Pump to Different Levels as Shown
Here?

S.G.- 1.2 S.G.- 1.0 S.G.- 0.7

Answer: They Will Pump to the Same Height (Head)
but Will Show Different Pressure Gauge Readings.

H=115ft H=115ft

60 psi 50 psi 35 psi

S.G.- 1.2 S.G.- 1.0 S.G.- 0.7

 NPSH

Liquids can flash into vapor near

boiling point which depends on
Ps
pressure:

In the suction of the pump impeller eye, there may be

lower pressure( or vacuum) created due friction losses and
sucking by the impeller. If the liquid flashes, pump
performance will be affected
NPSH is a related subject to solve this problem.
 Net Positive Suction Head
(NPSH)
NPSH Available:
Absolute pressure at the pump suction, changed into head
minus the vapour pressure of the liquid being pumped,
changed to head.
NPSH Required:
Minimum head needed at the suction to get the liquid into
the impeller without vaporizing

NPSHa must always be greater than NPSHr

NPSH = Absolute pressure at Pump suction - Vapor pressure at

pump temp
Specific Gravity x 0.433
Net Positive Suction Head Available,
NPSHa

Case 1
Positive Suction
from an open tank.
Net Positive Suction Head Available,
NPSHa

Case 2
Suction lift from an
open tank.
Net Positive Suction Head Available, NPSHa

Case 3
Suction from a closed tank and
temperatures greater than ambient.
 To Increase the NPSH a
 Raise the suction tank (or level in the tank).
 Lower the pump.
 Increase the pressure in the suction tank.
 Cool the liquid to reduce vapor pressure.
 Modify the suction piping. - Increase pipe diameter -
 reduce the length - change fittings - modify valve type
- reduce number.
Mechanical inspection before and after
startup
1. Ensure Shaft is free

2. Ensure direction of rotation in the first start up

and after motor maintenance.
3. Look for no load amperage and record it . It will
be a good reference for trouble shooting.
4. Increase the load gradually and in steps especially
for big pumps.
5. Ensure vibration after start up is normal and is
within the limits.
 Pumps - operation

Operational Problems
 Cavitation

Cavitation can be termed as:

“The Heart attack of the pump”
 Cavitation means Different Things to different
people
It has been described as
A reduction in pump capacity
A reduction in the head of the pump
The formation of bubbles in a low pressure
area of the pump
A noise that can be heard when the pump is
running
Damaged that can be seen on the pump
impeller and volute
 Concept of Cavitation

In summary, cavitation is an abnormal

condition that can result in loss of
production, equipment damage and worst of
all, personnel injury.
Steps In Cavitation
 Mechanism of Cavitation

Formation of bubbles
-Vaporization of Liquid
-Increase in Temperature of
Liquid
-Decrease in Pressure

Growth of bubbles
Operating Conditions
Collapses of bubbles

Implosion
Liquid Micro Jet
Impeller Pitting
MECHANISM OF CAVITATION
 Cavitation erosion or pitting
 Pits are plastic deformations of very small
dimensions (order of magnitude of micrometers).
 The damage caused due to action of bubble
collapse is commonly referred as Cavitation erosion
or pitting.
 The erosion or pitting effect is quite similar to sand
blasting.
 Mechanical deformations
 Longer duration of cavitation condition can result in
unbalancing of radial and axial thrusts on the
impeller. This unbalancing often leads to following
mechanical problems:
 bending and deflection of shafts,
 bearing damage and rubs from radial vibration,
 thrust bearing damage from axial movement,
 breaking of impeller check-nuts,
 seal faces damage etc
 Cavitation Corrosion
 The implosion of bubbles destroys existing protective
layers making the metal surface permanently
activated for the chemical attack.

 The rate of erosion may be accentuated if the liquid

itself has corrosive tendencies
 Suction Cavitation
 Suction Cavitation occurs when the pump suction is
under a low pressure/high vacuum condition where
the liquid turns into a vapor at the eye of the pump
impeller.
 This vapor is carried over to the discharge side of the
pump where it no longer sees vacuum and is
compressed back into a liquid by the discharge
pressure.
 This imploding action occurs violently and attacks the
face of the impeller.
 Discharge Cavitation
 Discharge Cavitation occurs when the pump
discharge is extremely high. It normally occurs in a
pump that is running at less than 10% of its best
efficiency point.
 The high discharge pressure causes the majority of
the fluid to circulate inside the pump instead of being
allowed to flow out the discharge. As the liquid flows
around the impeller it must pass through the small
clearance between the impeller and the pump
cutwater at extremely high velocity.
Centrifugal Pumps troubleshooting
 Power and Efficiency
 Brake horsepower (bhp)
 Actual horsepower delivered to the pump shaft
 Hydraulic horsepower (whp)
 The liquid horsepower delivered by the pump
Pump Curves / System Curves
 Pump Performance Curve

The performance curve is actually four curves

resulting with each other on a common graph.
These four curves are:
The Head-Flow Curve
The Efficiency Curve
The Energy Curve
The Pump’s Minimum Requirement Curve
 60
265 mm 20% 40%
245mm
50
Best Efficiency 40%
225 mm
40 20%
85%

Head
Meters 265mm 20
245 mm 15
225 mm 10
6
K
4 W
M
2 NPSHR

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
Capacity
 System Curve
 It defines Capacity & Pressure needs of any system
graphically.
 It represents the relationship b/w flow and hydraulic
losses in a system graphically.
 A pumping system operates at the intersection of
System Curve & Pump Performance Curve.
 5
0
Pump Curves
4
0
Head - Meters

3
0 e
r v
Cu
2 t em
s
0 Sy
M
1
0

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
Capacity M3/Hour
 Important Terms & Definitions

Shutoff head is the point of maximum elevation at zero

flow
The maximum pressure produced by a pump is called shut
off pressure
The pump is operated at shut off pressure during start-up to avoid
overloading / adequate liquid delivery to the required point

Pump runout is the maximum flow that can be

developed by a centrifugal pump without damaging the
pump
Runout can lead to cavitation and can also cause overheating of the
pump's motor due to excessive currents

Centrifugal pumps are protected from runout by placing an orifice or

throttle valve immediately downstream of the pump discharge and
through proper piping system design
 We can determine from pump curve:
 Where the pump will operate?

 What changes will occur if the system head

curve or the pump performance curve changes?
 NPSHr (Required)

265 mm
60

50

40
Head Meters

265mm 20
15
10
6
KW
4
M
NPSHR
2

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
Capacity M3/ Hour
 HEAD 50 Metres

265 mm
60
50
POWER abs 15KW
40

Head
Meters
NPSHr 1.9 265mm 20
15

6 CAPACITY 33
10 M/3
KW
4
M
NPSHR
2

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
Capacity M3/Hour
 LETS CONSIDER THE PROBLEMS
ORIGINAL DESIGN

ACTUAL SYSTEM HEAD

265 mm
60
1 PAST BEF POINT
50
2 INCREASE IN FLOW
40
3 INCREASE IN POWER

4 INCREASE IN npsh Head

Meters
265mm 20
15
10
6
KW
4
M
NPSHR
2

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60

Capacity M3/Hour
 Potential Problems

If the head is only

265 mm
40m instead of
60
50m we get extra
50
flow (47m3/hr)
40 and
Head Meters

use more power

(17.5kW and
265mm 20 require
15 more NPSHR
6
10
KW
(2.8mt)
4 Can we handle
M
2
NPSHR the
flow? Do we have
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 extra NPSHA? Is
Capacity M3/ Hour the motor big
enough?
 Affinity Laws for Centrifugal Pumps

 The affinity laws express the mathematical

relationship between the several variables involved
in pump performance.

 They apply to all types of centrifugal and axial flow

pumps.
 With impeller diameter (D) held constant
 Capacity (flow rate) is proportional to speed of
impeller.
 Discharge head is proportional to square of the
speed of impeller.
 Power required is proportional to the cube of speed
of impeller.
 With speed (N) held constant
 Capacity flow rate) is proportional to dia of impeller.
 Discharge head is proportional to square of dia of
the impeller.
 Power required is proportional to cube of dia of the
impeller
 Minimum Flow For Recycle
 There are four main factors determining pump
Minimum Recycle Flow.
 Fluid Temperature Rise
 Minimum Stable flow
 Internal recirculation
 Thrust capacity
 Pumps - operation

What you should Know

 Start up

 Pump lubricating mechanism must be checked

 Surface of mechanical seals are cooled
 A pump that is to handle hot liquid should be
warmed before it is started to prevent damage
from unequal expansion of parts.
 Alignment of valves
 On most pumps, the discharge valve is closed when
the pump is started.
 Closing the discharge valve has number of aspects,
 Minimum capacity
 Minimum power
 Maximum head
 Minimum NPSH required
 Cavitation minimized
 Alignment of valves Conti…
 If the pump operates for any length of time with
the discharge valve closed:
 It may overheat
 Then liquid may vaporize
 pump losses suction
 SHUT DOWN
 Pump discharge valve should be closed to avoid
any reverse direction rotation.
 If the pump to be taken to the shop for repairs:
 The suction discharge valves are closed.
 all liquid is drained from the pump to a safe
location.
 it is purged or flushed out disconnected from the
base.
 Blind are installed on the process lines.
 Hazardous vapors or liquids are purged from the
pump with an inert material.