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SolidsandFluidHandling|Watchoutwithvariablespeedpumping|ChemicalProcessing

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Watch out with variable speed pumping

Pumpcurvessuggestrethinkingtheusualcontrolstrategy
ByCecilL.Smith
May02,2008
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Itsincreasinglypopulartoteamacentrifugalpumpwithavariable
speeddrive(VSD)ratherthancoupleaconstantspeedpumpwitha
controlvalveonthedischarge.However,manyengineersdont
understandaVSDsimpactonflowandhowthataffectscontrol.
Apump/controlvalvecombinationprovidessmoothflowevenatvery
smallvalveopenings,althoughinsomecasesprotectionagainstlow
flowisrequired.However,withvariablespeedpumping,flowisnt
alwayssmoothatreducedspeedsduetoeitherthepumporthe
drive.
Here,wellfocusonthe
pumpspecifically,how
certainaspectsofthe
pumpperformancecurves
canleadtovariationsin
flowatreducedspeeds
becausethisrequiresthe
expertiseofpeopleinthe
processgroup,notthe
electricaldepartment.
http://www.chemicalprocessing.com/articles/2008/069/?show=all

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Mostelectrical
departmentscanprovide
agoodanalysisofthe
drivebutarentfamiliar
withpumpperformance
curves.
Constantspeedpump
Lowflowprotectionfora
centrifugalpumpwitha
constantspeeddrive
normallyentails
recirculationbacktoeither
anupstreamvesselorto
thesuctionofthepump.A Figure 1. As the valve closes, friction
head increases, leading to lower flow.
provenapproachisto
measuretheflowthrough
thepumpandsendthe
valuetoacontrollerthatmanipulatesacontrolvalveintherecirculationline.
Thesetpointforthecontrolleristheminimumrequiredpumpflow.Undernormaloperatingconditions,
flowshouldexceedthislevelsothecontrollerwillclosethevalveintherecirculationline.However,should
flowdropbelowtheminimum,thecontrollerwillquicklyopenthecontrolvalvetoprovidethenecessary
flow.
Acontrolvalvealsoisrequiredinthelinetotheprocessto
provideappropriateflow.Insomeconfigurations,thisflowloop
istheinnerloopforaleveltoflowcascade,atemperatureto
flowcascadeorothercascadearrangement.Insomecases,
theflowisntmeasuredinsteadtheoutputofthelevel,
temperatureorothercontrollerisconnecteddirectlytothe
controlvalve.
Oftensomemodificationsaremadetoreducecosts.Well
assumeaflowcontrollerhere,butthepointsgenerallyapplyto
allconfigurations.
Becausepressuremeasurementsarelessexpensivethanflow
ones,ameasurementofeitherdischargepressureorpump
differentialpressureissubstitutedforthepumpflow
Figure 2. The variance in head leads
measurement.Thesuccessofthisapproachdependsonthe
to twice as much variance in flow.
natureofthepumpperformancecurvesitonlyworksifthe
pressuressignificantlychangewithpumpflow.
Thecontrolvalvecanbeavoidedbyinsertingafixedorificeintotherecirculationpiping.Thisprovides
somerecirculationatalltimes,evenwhentheprocessflowexceedstheminimumnecessaryforlowflow
protection.Itrequiresextraenergyand,possibly,alargerpump.
Variablespeedpumping
Incontrast,withaVSDaflowmeasurementisusedtoadjusta
speedortorquecontrollerincludedwiththedriveelectronics.
VendorsalwaysstresspossibleenergysavingswithaVSD.
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However,especiallyinindustriessuchasspecialtychemicals,
fewdrivesarelargeenoughtoprovidesufficientenergysavings
tojustifytheiradditionalcost.
However,aVSDoffersotherpotentialbenefits.Itmaymakethe
followingequipmentunnecessary:
1. sensor/transmitterforpumpflow
2. recirculationpiping
3. controlvalveintherecirculationpiping
4. controlvalveinthelinetotheprocess
Thecontrollerforpumpflowalsoiseliminatedbutthis
Figure 3. Only pump speeds greater
componentislikelytobeinthesoftwareofthedigitalcontrols
than 2,370 rpm provide flow.
andthereforefree.
Theaboveonly
considersnormal
processoperations.
Theminimumflowfor
theVSDwillbelower
thanthatforthe
constantspeeddrive
butwontbezero.
Thererealways
startupissuestobe
addressedand
usuallyother
considerations.For
example,itmaybe
importanttoprevent
Figure 4. The variance in head
fluidbackflows
throughthepump.If causes triple the variation in flow.
positiveshutoffis
required,thecontrolvalveinthelinetotheprocessmustbereplacedbyablockvalve.
Nevertheless,eliminatingevenasingleitemofequipment,particularlyonethatwouldbemadeof
stainlesssteelorotherexpensivematerial,mayeasilyoffsettheadditionalVSDcost.Andthesesavings
comeupfront,whichappealstoprojectmanagers.
AVSDalsocanprovidemaintenancesavings.Controlvalvesarehighupkeepitems,andhandling
corrosiveandtoxicfluidsmakesmattersworse.Justreplacingacontrolvalvewithablockvalvereduces
maintenancecosts.
Fromacontrolperspective,aVSDhasanotherdistinctadvantageitdoesntexhibitstiction,hysteresis
andothermechanicalissuesposedbyacontrolvalve.Todaysdrivesincorporateeitherspeedcontrolor
torquecontrol,thusprovidingthecounterparttothepositioneradvocatedbycontrolengineersforcontrol
valves.
Flowregulationwithacontrolvalve
Theflowthroughapumpisdeterminedbythefollowingcurves:
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Pumpperformancecurve(orjustpumpcurve).Thiscurve,providedbythepumpmanufacturer,
relatespumpflow,pumpheadandpumpspeed.
Systemperformancecurve(orjustsystemcurve).Thiscurverelatestheheadandflowofall
componentsinthefluidflowpath(theflowsystem)excludingthepump.Twocomponentsdetermine
thiscurve:
Statichead.Thisisthedifferenceinheadacrosstheflowsystemwhenflowiszero.Itincludes
pressureheadandhydrostatichead.Thepumpmustworkagainstthisheadevenatzeroflow.
Frictionhead.Asflowincreases,pressuredropduetothefluidsresistancetoflowincreasesby
approximatelythesquareoftheflow.Allcomponentsintheflowsystemcontributetofrictionhead.
Supposefrictionheadisknownforaspecificflow.(Thisdatapointshouldbeavailablefromdesign
calculations.)Assumingfrictionheadvarieswiththesquareoftheflow,thesystemcurvecanbe
approximatedby:
HP=HS+HD(QP/QD)2(1)
whereQPisprocessflow,gal/minHPisheadatprocessflow
QP,ftHSisstatichead,ftQDisdesignflow,gal/minandHD
isfrictionheadatflowQD,ft.
Theoperatingpointisalwayswherethepumpcurveintersects
thesystemcurve.
Controlvalvesregulateflowbyvaryingfrictionheadthatis,
theyworkentirelythroughthesystemcurve,asillustratedin
Figure1.Itpresentssystemcurvesforafullyopencontrol
valveandacontrolvalvethatis75%open.Forthefullyopen
valve,flowis177gal/min.Asthecontrolvalvecloses,
resistancetoflowincreases.Thisraisesthefrictionhead
componentofthesystemcurve,whichmakesthatcurve
intersectthepumpcurveatalowerflowat75%open,flowis
127gal/min.
Smallvariationsinbothstaticandfrictionheadoccurinany
pumpinginstallation.Theseheadvariationscauseflow
variations,whichalsocanbedeterminedfromtheperformance
curves.

Figure 5. As speed increases, the

impact of speed changes on flow
decreases.

Supposethestaticheadis601ft.Figure2showssystemcurvesfor59ft.and61ft.andwherethey
intersectwiththepumpcurve.Forthefullyopencontrolvalve,flowis1772gal/minforthe75%open
controlvalve,flowis1272gal/min.Ineachcase,aheadvarianceof1ft.leadstoaflowvarianceof2
gal/min.
Closingthecontrolvalvedoesntsignificantlyaffectthe
propagationofvariancefromheadtoflow.Butasweshallsee,
thisisntnecessarilythecaseforvariablespeedpumping.
FlowregulationwithaVSD
Withvariablespeedpumping,thesystemcurveisfixedbutthe
pumpcurveshiftswithpumpspeed.Somevendorsprovide
pumpcurvesforcertainselectedspeedsothersprovidea
pumpcurveonlyfortheratedspeedofaconstantspeeddrive.
Ineithercase,theaffinitylawscanbeappliedtoobtainpump
curvesatotherspeeds:
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Q(N)=QC(N/NC)(2)
H(N)=HC(N/NC)2(3)
whereNisspeed,rpmNCisspeedforthepumpcurve
suppliedbythemanufacturer,rpmQ(N)isvolumetricflowat
speedN,gal/minQCisvolumetricflowatspeedNC(fromthe
pumpcurve),gal/minH(N)isheadatspeedN,ft.andHCis
headatspeedNC(fromthepumpcurve),ft.
Flowdecreasesinproportiontothepumpspeedhead
decreasesinproportiontothesquareofthepumpspeed.The
affinitylawsalsostatethatpowerdecreaseswiththecubeof
thepumpspeed,whichstrengthenstheenergysavings
argumentsbyVSDmanufacturers.

Figure 6. Nonlinear relationship can

Figure3illustratesregulatingflowbyvaryingpumpspeed.The hamper using PID control.
systemcurveisfixed.Forapumpspeedof3,450rpm,theflow
throughthepumpis177gal/minfor2,850rpm,98gal/minandfor2,370rpm,0gal/min.Infact,2,370
rpmistheminimumpumpspeedforflowthatis,flowoccursonlyforspeedsabove2,370rpm.
Theminimumspeedtoobtainflowiseasilycomputed.Whentheresnoflow,thesystemheadisthestatic
head.ThepumpcurveshowstheheaddeliveredbyapumpwithnoflowandrunningatspeedNC.The
minimumpumpspeedtoobtainflowiscomputedusingtheaffinitylaws:
Nmin=NC(HS/HC0)(4)
whereNminisminimumpumpspeedforflow,rpmHSisstatichead(fromthesystemcurve)andHC0is
headatspeedNCandzeroflow(fromthepumpcurve),ft.
Forourexample,NCis3,450rpm,HSis60ft.,andHC0is127ft.Theminimumpumpspeedis2,370
rpm.So,theVSDmustoperateovertherangeof2,370rpmto3,450rpm.Theminimumspeedis69%of
themaximumspeedtheturndownratiois1.46:1.VSDsareeasilycapableofthis.
Figure4illustratespropagationofvariancefromstaticheadto
flowforpumpspeedsof3,450rpmand2,450rpm.At3,450
rpm,astaticheadof601ft.givesaflowof1272gal/min
(justlikeforthefullyopencontrolvalve).However,at2,450
rpm,astaticheadof601ft.givesaflowof196gal/min.As
thepumpspeeddecreases,thevarianceinflowincreasesbya
factorofthree.
Evenwiththisincreaseinvariance,thepumpprobablywould
stillperformsatisfactorily.Atlowflows,thepumpcurveinFigure
4exhibitsasignificantsensitivityofheadtoflow.Thisisntthe
caseforallpumps.Forsome,thepumpcurveatlowflowsis
essentiallyflat(slopeiszero)thatis,atlowflows,pumphead
isindependentofflow.Forsuchpumpcurves,thepropagation
ofvariancefromstaticheadtopumpflowwouldbemuch
Figure 7. More linear relationship
larger.
better matches the PID control
Pumpswithaflatpumpcurveatlowflowslikelywillexperience
equation.
cyclingbetweennoflowandsomepositiveflow.Avoidthemif
youwantaVSDtoperformsmoothlyatlowflows.Pumpswith
pumpcurvessuchasinFigure6probablywouldntexhibitthecycling.
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Sensitivityofflowtopumpspeed
Itsalsoimportanttounderstandthechangeinflowproducedbyagivenchangeinpumpspeed.
Figure5presentsthesensitivityofflowtopumpspeedforthe
rangeofspeedsoverwhichthepumpcouldoperate.(The
somewhaterraticnatureofthegraphistheresultofdigitizing
thepumpcurve.)Itshowsthatthesensitivityincreasesasthe
pumpspeeddecreasesthatis,atlowpumpspeeds,a
changeinspeedhasalargereffectonflowthanthesame
changeathighspeeds.
Suchachangeinsensitivityaffectstheperformanceofthe
controlloop(flow,level,temperatureorother)whoseoutput
determinesthepumpspeed.Asthesensitivityincreases,more
oscillationscanbeexpectedinthatloop.So,tousethesame
tuningatlowflowsandathighflows,eithertunetheloopunder
alowflowconditionorconservativelytunetheloopathigh
flows.Theresultsareessentiallythesamethecontrolleris
Figure 8. Value remains relatively
tunedwithalowergain.Forthecontrollertofunctionatlow
constant over the entire operating
flows,performanceissacrificedathighflows.
range.
Whiletechniquessuchasscheduledtuningcouldaddressthis
problem,conservativetuningusuallycanaccommodateachangeinsensitivityof3:1.Butitspossiblethat
thechangeinsensitivitycouldfarexceed3:1.Atlowflows,thepumpcurveinourexampleexhibitsa
significantsensitivityofheadtoflow.However,thepumpcurveforsomepumpsisbasicallyflat.Forsuch
pumps,theincreaseinsensitivitywouldbemuchlargerthan3:1andcouldevenleadtoinstabilitiesinthe
loopthatoutputstothepumpspeed.
Torque
Pumpcurvestraditionallyaredrawnwithpumpspeedasa
parameter.Thismightimplythattheflowthroughthepumpis
bestcontrolledbyvaryingthepumpspeed,butitisnt
necessarilythecase.Changingthetorquemaymakemore
sense.VSDscancontroleitherofthesevariables.
Whentheinputsignaltothedriveelectronicsadjustspump
speed,therelationshipbetweenflowthroughthepumpand
pumpspeedisimportant.Thiscanbecomputedfromthepump
curveandsystemcurve(Figure6).Thedeparturefromlinearity
isnoticeableandisconsistentwiththechangesinthe
sensitivityofflowtospeed(Figure5).
Whentheinputsignaltothedriveelectronicsadjuststorque,the Figure 9. High sensitivity of flow to
relationshipbetweenflowthroughthepumpandtorqueis
speed at low rpm could lead to
important.Thisalsocanbecomputedfromthepumpcurveand cycling.
systemcurve(Figure7).Thegraphexhibitsonlyaslight
departurefromlinearity,makingitpreferableforPIDcontrolas
thatcontrolequationislinear.
Figure8presentsthesensitivityofflowtotorquefortherange
overwhichthepumpcouldoperate.Thesomewhaterratic
natureofthegraphistheresultofdigitizingthepumpcurve.
Thesensitivitychangesonlyslightlyovertheoperatingrange.
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Thesegraphswerecomputedfromthepumpcurve(Figure5),
whichexhibitssignificantsensitivityofheadtoflowatlowpump
flows.Asalreadymentioned,forsomepumpsthepumpcurve
isflatatlowflowsthatis,theheadisalmostconstantatsuch
flows.
Figure9showsflowasafunctionofspeedforapumpwitha
flatpumpcurve.Thedeparturefromlinearityismuchgreater.
Atlowflowsthisgraphisalmostvertical,sothesensitivityof
flowtospeedatlowflowswillbeverylarge,whichcouldleadto
cyclingintheflow.
However,evenforapumpwithaflatpumpcurve,the
relationshipbetweenflowandtorqueisnearlylinear(Figure
10).Generallylinearbehaviorleadstobetterperformancefrom
thecontrols.
Figure 10. Nearly linear relationship
offers advantage for control.
So,foracentrifugalpumpwithaVSDitsusuallypreferableto
usetorquetocontrolflow.Thisalsoseemsconsistentwiththe
futuredirectionsforVSDtechnology.
CecilL.SmithispresidentofCecilL.Smith,Inc.,BatonRouge,La.Emailhimatcecilsmith@cox.net.

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Comments
SubmittedbyneilwalsonFri,02/14/201412:16
<p>Thisisgreat!Thankyou,Cecil!</p>
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