Survey of Pump Energy Savings (2 PDH) PDHengineer.com Course No.

M-2020
Overview
This course is designed as a follow-on to Course No. M-3005, Centrifugal Pumps, also available through PDHengineer.com, however, it is also a stand-alone course for those somewhat familiar with pumps in general, and centrifugal pumps in particular. The majority of technical articles and reports today dealing with energy and resources conservation involve nuclear power, redesign of industrial plants and infrastructure, and new fuels such as agricultural by-products and hydrogen. The purpose of this paper is to describe some potential cost and energy savings that are available today, and have been for years. The design, selection, operation, and maintenance of centrifugal pumps is one of these potentials.

Introduction
The centrifugal pump is the second most widely used type of mechanical equipment in the world; only the electric motor outnumbers it. There are literally millions of them in service in every conceivable application. Fortunately, they are prime candidates for major energy savings, since the power required varies as the cube of the speed ratio; (i.e., cut the speed in half and reduce the power to one-eighth of the original value). The use of variable speed drives alone has a tremendous potential for cost and energy savings. There are, however, many other areas where this is practical. The following subjects are discussed in this paper: System design Selection of pumps Pump construction and features Pump drives Maintenance Field changes and operation

System Design
Careful attention to system design can eliminate unnecessary static head and pressure drop by minimizing fittings, valves, and strainers. Proper selection of heat exchangers can also
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reduce pressure drop, as can increased pipe size and selection of pipe materials. On a large system an economic analysis should be done to compare first the cost of larger piping, fittings, valves, and heat exchangers relative to the economic benefits of the power saved because of lower frictional losses. Special attention should be paid to selection of control valves, since they can be one of the largest pressure drop components in a system.

Reduce Specific Gravity and Viscosity Prior to the Pump

The power requirement of a pump is proportional to the specific gravity and the viscosity of the fluid being pumped. Many times it is possible to reduce both by raising the temperature of the fluid. This often has to be done anyway as part of the process, so no there may be no increase in energy required. Be careful, however, when raising the fluid temperature to ensure that adequate NPSHa is maintained.

Increase available NPSH (NPSHa)

Most pump manufacturers have developed impellers with low NPSH required (NPSHr) characteristics, however, they generally have sacrificed efficiency to do this. By increasing the NPSH available, a more efficient impeller may often be selected. Figure 1 shows the performance of the same pump with a low NPSH and normal NPSH impeller

Figure 1. Normal and Large Ey Impllr Performance

400 to 600 FLOW(GPM) MOftMAL IMPELLER

LARGE EYE

SPEED 3550RPM SPECIFIC SPEED Ns 1050

EFFICIENCY; NORMALEYE LARSEEYE

NPSHR: NORMAL EYE LARGE EYE

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300

Note the difference in efficiency (5%) at the pump best efficiency point. Also, by increasing the NPSHa, the speed of the pump may be increased, thus allowing the selection of a more efficient specific speed pump. Care should be taken in this area, since the reverse can also occur; ie, an increase in speed could mean a less efficient specific speed, for example, going from a radial to a mixed flow, or from a mixed flow to an axial flow impeller design.

Avoid Gas Entrainment

The presence of undissolved gasses, or gas that evolves during pumping reduces the performance of the pump, and hence its efficiency. This reduced efficiency occurs because the hydraulic losses within the pump do not decrease at the same rate as the reduction in capacity and developed head. In fact, these gasses may increase the hydraulic losses due to increased turbulence and hindered flow passages.

Eliminate Fixed Orifice in Recirculation or Bypass Lines

Most recirculation or bypass lines use fixed orifices that pass a constant flow from the pump suction source. Many of these orifices have valves upstream that open and close at preset flows to protect the pump. Thus there is a constant or intermittent flow through the bypass line with a commensurate power loss. There are available today modulating valves that regulate the bypass flow so that the total flow through the pump is always above the minimum flow requirement of the pump.

Eliminate Oversizing by Proper Use of Margins

Of all of the poor design practices, this is probably the most prevalent. There are thousands of pumps installed in systems with margins added to margins. Not only do the pumps run less efficiently because they require excessive throttling, but many times they cost more than the properly sized pump because they are larger, and the off-peak operation increases maintenance on the pump and the control valve. This is graphically shown in figure 2 on the next page.

Hydraulic Turbines
Centrifugal pumps have long been used as hydraulic turbines where there is a source of high pressure liquid that must be reduced to a lower pressure or to atmosphere. Pumps are quite efficient energy recovery devices when used as a hydraulic turbine to convert high pressure fluid power into electricity to drive other rotating equipment.

NOTE:
A* DESIGN SYSTEM CURVE WITH 13 YEAR OLD P!P B* THROTTLED SYSTEM CURVE WITH EXCESS MARGIN C* THROTTLED SYSTEM CURVE WITH NORMAL MARGIN D* ACTUAL SYSTEM CURVE WITH NEW PIPE IOOO

Figure 2. Effect of Excess Margin on Energy Consumption

Use Booster Pumps

Many times a system will have a number of users of the fluid, only a few of which require the full operating pressure of the system. The remainder use valves to reduce the pressure to their needs. It is often possible to design systems that use booster pumps to raise pressure for those portions of the system that require it. Usually the power savings and the cost reduction for the lower pressure main pumps more than offset the additional capital, installation and power consumption costs of the booster pumps.

Proper Pump Selection

In addition to selecting the proper pump from an application service standpoint, many times it is possible to select the most efficient category of pump. The major pump categories are
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centrifugal, rotary, and reciprocating. For instance, almost all reciprocating pumps of any capacity are over 90% efficient, while very few centrifugal pumps are over 90% efficient, no matter how large its capacity. In the normal area where a reciprocating pump is used; (i.e., low flow /high pressure), the difference in efficiency between a centrifugal and a reciprocating pump can be 40 or 50%. Of course, there are other considerations, such as maintenance, first cost, and availability, but efficiency is a very important consideration.

Optimum Specific Speed

For the normal range of flows, say 200 to 100,000 gpm, the 2000 to 2500 specific speed range will give the optimum efficiency and pump selection. It should be checked to see if it is possible to be in or close to this range without sacrificing other desirable pump features, such as minimum number of stages. See Figure 4 below.

Ns =

1000

2000

3000

Figure 4 Pump Specific Speed vs. Efficiency

Select the Most Efficient Pump

These days seem to be times of standardization, and much of that is good; however, sometimes we decide on a type of pump such as ANSI chemical or AP 610 heavy duty process pump without evaluating the consequence in other areas such as cost and performance. Many times, a pump may be perfectly suitable for the service, but a more efficient pump may be selected if preconceived ideas such as speed limitation and standardization are set aside, or at least reconsidered.

Select Closed Instead of Open Impellers

A pump with a closed impeller is more efficient than a pump with an open impeller, all other things being equal. That is why it is not necessarily a good idea to use ANSI chemical pumps indiscriminately, since most of them are furnished with open impellers as standard. Some manufacturers do, however, offer open and closed impellers for the same pump.

Limit the Use of Specialty Pumps

Almost all specialty pumps, such as non-clog, self-priming, dredge, and so forth, compromise the hydraulic performance because of the nature of the specialty. An example would be a small non-clog pump in which the impeller is designed to pass a sphere of a substantial size so it will pump solids readily. The efficiency of this pump is substantially lower than the same size pump designed for clean, non-corrosive liquid service. Therefore, the use of these pumps should be limited to services where their specific design is required.

Use Multiple Pumps

On systems with a large range of flow requirements it is often desirable to install several smaller pumps than one single large pump. That way pumps can be shut down and restarted as the flow requirements decrease and increase, allowing the running pumps to operate at more optimum conditions. An example is a cooling water system where the water temperature changes with the seasons, and hence flow requirements vary over a large range.

Use of Mechanical Seals Instead of Packing

The use of mechanical seals instead of packing will result in a two-fold energy savings: 1. Reduced outleakage will result in improved efficiency. The lower leakage improves housekeeping,and also is a savings if the liquid is of significant value. Even in a case of a liquid such as demineralized water, the reduction in leakage with a mechanical seal will result in a measurable savings over a years time. You can go through the calculations yourself, using the estimated leakage for seal and packing suppliers. 2. Generally speaking, a mechanical seal will have lower friction losses than packing. With pressures in the seal above 350 psig, balanced seals should be considered, not just for increased seal life, but to reduce the friction losses.
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Use grooved wearing rings and bushings

On any pump developing more than 400 psi per stage, whether new or old, serrated wearing rings and bushings should be investigated. Not only does this grooving reduce the internal leakage from high to low pressure, assuming the same clearance as with straight rings, it also reduces the likelihood of seizure in event of contact. In some cases it is even possible to reduce the clearances, further reducing the leakage. This should not be done without careful consultation with the pump manufacturer, discussing such items as type of pump, service, duty cycle, wear ring and bushing materials.

Select Proper Materials

Generally it is possible to achieve a smoother surface finish with cast iron or bronze as compared to cast carbon steel or stainless steel. In fact, some pump manufacturers reduce their efficiencies up to five points when quoting pumps fabricated of steel. When it is satisfactory from a corrosion/erosion temperature and safety standpoint, it is preferable to use cast iron or bronze. Even if the pump manufacturer does not reduce the quoted efficiency, you can be sure a pump will be more efficient if constructed of cast iron or bronze. This is particularly true in smaller pumps where the surface roughness has a greater influence on the hydraulic losses.

Consider using Coatings

In the same way, in many cases, coated or plastic pumps will be more efficient than their cast metal counterparts. For instance, many vertical or turbine type pump manufacturers have furnished enameled or porcelainized casing bowls for many years. Not only do these coatings improve efficiency to start with, but their efficiencies hold up because the enameled bowls remain smoother for a longer period than the normal cast iron bowls.

Use of Low Capacity Impellers

Many pump manufacturers have several impeller patterns available for the same pump casings. It is possible, for instance, to select a low capacity impeller for the initial start and operating phase, which may extend to several years, and then replace it with a normal capacity impeller when the system capacity is increased. The same principle holds true when a low capacity impeller is selected for normal operation, then in the future when the plant capacity is stretched, replace it with a normal or forcing impeller that is more efficient at the stretch rating. A possible field-fix is to replace a normal capacity impeller with a low capacity impeller when it is discovered that excessive margins have been added, and the actual pump requirements
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are considerably lower than those for which the system was designed. See Figure 5 for performance curves showing low, normal , and forcing impellers in the same pump.

GPM

1000

3000

6000

8000

Figure 5 Forcing, normal, and low capacity impellers

Drives
Use Steam Turbine Drive
Most process plants and many power plants have excess steam that can be used in steam turbines that drive pumps. The savings are two-fold: First, the steam turbine is inherently a variable speed machine, allowing the pump to directly match the system requirements. Secondly, turbines can generally be purchased for all varieties of inlet conditions, including low pressure waste steam and a variety of exhaust conditions, including condensing and non-condensing. The latter even includes high back-pressure steam where the turbine exhaust steam is then used in another portion of the process or plant.

Use Belt Drives

The beauty of belt drives is they are a relatively inexpensive way to exactly match the speed of the pump to the system conditions while using a constant speed motor. This is especially advantageous when the pump is constructed of a hard material, such as Nihard iron, which is difficult to machine ,and hence it is not desirable to trim the impeller diameter to match the system. Belt drives also give the capability to change the pump speed by replacing sheaves if the operating conditions change, or are not quite what was calculated during the design of the system. Dont forget to figure in the belt losses, which are a nominal 3%.

Use Speed Increasers or Decreasers

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Speed increasers are normally used on motor drives to allow pump speeds in excess of those possible at 60 Hz. (Maximum is 3600 rpm with a two-pole motor). This generally allows the use of a smaller, less expensive pump. It can also allow the selection of a pump with a more optimum specific speed, and a pump that operates closer to its best efficiency point. Speed decreasers are generally used where the driver, such as a steam or gas turbine, run at much higher speeds than is optimum for the pump selected for a particular application, such as an oil pipeline, or a low-head system where high speed is not required or desirable. Again, a more optimum specific speed may be selected, and the pump can operate closer to its best efficiency point. Most times the increase in pump efficiency more than offsets the losses of the speed decreaser (Nominally 3%).

Use Multi and Variable Speed Motors or Other Variable Speed Devices
There are a variety of multi- and variable speed motors, controls, and other devices available to take advantage of the centrifugal pump and other centrifugal machines capable of running at varying speeds and exactly matching the system requirements. This paper cannot address each of them, but will only list them so the reader can investigate the pros and cons applied to his particular requirement. Variable speed motors: Wound rotor D.C. motor Variable voltage Variable frequency Brushless synchronous motors with speed control Variable speed devices: Variable diameter sheaves on V belts Eddy current couplings Hydrokinetic couplings Hydrodynamic couplings Hydroviscous couplings

Use More Efficient Electric Motors

Several motor manufacturers offer a line of NEMA frame size motors that are approximately 2% more efficient than their standard line. They sell for a premium, which should be evaluated against the energy savings by the purchaser.

Maintenance
Renew Internal Clearances
All pumps have internal clearances that serve as a leakage path between high and low pressure areas in the pump. As the pump runs in normal operation, these clearances wear open and the leakage increases, reducing the outflow of the pump and lowering efficiency. Generally a good rule of thumb is to rework the pump and restore original clearances when they have doubled. This will give an efficiency improvement of from 1 to 5% on the average pump.

Proper Packing Adjustment

The proper adjustment of the packing has a two-fold benefit, both of which will increase the efficiency of the pump: 1. Excessive outleakage is not only a housekeeping problem, it can be energy wasteful if the packing is sealing above suction pressure; (i.e, it is developed within the pump) This excess leakage reduces the outflow of the pump, and hence the efficiency. 2. Excessive tightening of the packing will cause the packing to wear rapidly as well as the shaft sleeve. It also reduces efficiency by increasing the friction losses.

Field Changes and Operation Shut Down Unnecessary Pumps

Pumps are among the most reliable pieces of mechanical equipment. Substantial energy savings can be effected on multi-pump installations by simply shutting down one or more pumps. The savings are two-fold: Elimination of the energy cost for the shut down pump and in most cases running the operating pumps closer to their best efficiency points. See Figure 6 below.

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Replace Oversized Pumps and Drivers

There are many pumps and drivers operating in existing systems that are oversized for one reason or another; for instance, too much margin designed in or a change in the process or system. It may be possible to replace the pump and/or driver and pay for the change with energy savings.

Trim the Impellers

Although it may not pay to replace the pump or driver, it may pay to cut the impeller to more closely match the pump with the actual system requirements. The impeller diameter follows the same affinity laws as the pump speed; (i.e., the pump speed varies directly as the square of the diameter ratio, and the horsepower varies directly as the cube of the diameter ratio).

Replace the Impeller

Many times the pump manufacturer has a number of impellers that fit the same pump casing, so it may be possible to select an impeller that operates at a much higher efficiency than the one presently in use. This is true even on older pumps where the manufacturer may have designed a new impeller since the pump was originally purchased, and it may more nearly fit the actual field operating conditions.

Eliminate or Reduce Cooling Water and Injection

Bearing and packing or mechanical seal cooling and injection water may cost money and energy to supply it. In most cases it can be reduced or even eliminated. The adage that a little is good, and more is better is definitely wrong in the case of bearing cooling. Excessive cooling to bearings is more times than not, harmful to them and reduces their life. Also, there are packing and mechanical seals available today so that cooling in many cases can be completely eliminated in the design phase, and turned off in existing plants.

Throttle the Control Valve

Just like the simple decision to stop a pump, so can the decision be made to throttle flow to reduce the energy requirements. Most centrifugal pumps have horsepower required curves that decrease with decreasing flow, so that partially closing the control valve reduces the horsepower requirement and the energy input.

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Conclusion
Careful attention to these areas of design, selection, operation, and maintenance will reap substantial cost and energy savings in almost all industrial, process, marine, and utility applications.

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