Pumps

Impeller
Positive Displacement Pumps
To move fluids positive displacement pumps admit a
fixed volume of liquid from the inlet into a chamber
and eject it into the discharge.

Positive displacement pumps are used when higher
head increases are required. Generally they do not
increase velocity.

Pump Head
What happens if the MEB is multiplied through by g (g
c
/g)?
( )
(

+ +
A
+ A +
A
=

2
4
2
1

2 2
V
K
D
L
f
p
z g
V
g g
W
i

o
What are the units (SI)?
2
2
m
s
kg
m N -
2
2
2
3
m
s
s kg
m kg
-
-
= m =
W/g has units of length and is known as the pump head
^
Head vs. Flow Rate
|
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
g
V
H H
2
2
min
|
g
p g
z H
c

A
+ A =
min
g
V
K
D
L
f
i
2
4 1
2
(

+ +

Quadratic
In V or q
System Response
Valve Open
Constant
Head Response
Constant
Flow Response
Valve Closed
Pump Curves
Pump manufacturers supply performance
curves for each of their pumps. These are
normally referred to as pump curves. These
curve are generally developed using water as
the reference fluid.
The following can be read directly from a pump
curve:
Head vs. flow rate information for any fluid
Pump efficiency for any fluid
Pump horsepower for system operating with water
Pump Performance Curves
Developed
Head
Impeller
Diameter
Efficiency
Flow Rate
NPSH
Horsepower
http://capsicum.me.utexas.edu/ChE354/resources.html
Power Input
Easier Way
fluid
water
fluid
water
fluid
Gr Sp
P
P
. . = =

Note: A less dense fluid requires less horsepower

Pump Selection
Goal is to find a pump whose curve matches the piping
system head vs. flow rate curve. We can superimpose the
previous head-flow rate curve on the manufacturers pump
curves.

To select a specific pump from a product line, find the pump
with the highest efficiency that does not require the use of
the largest impeller diameter. This will allow for future
production expansions.
Suppose that we have a process that requires a flow rate of
300 gpm and has a head requirement of 60 ft. at that flow
rate. Can a 3x4-10 model 3196 Goulds pumps be used?
Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH)
Associated with each H-Q location on the pump curve is a
quantity that can be read called NPSH.
An energy balance on the suction side of the fluid system
(point 1 to pump inlet) with p
inlet
set to the vapor pressure of
the fluid being pumped gives a quantity called NPSHA (net
positive suction head available).
( )
inlet
inlet
i
v c
z z
V
K
D
L
f
p p
g
g
NPSHA +
(

|
.
|

\
|
+

=
1
2
1
2
4

Net Positive Suction Head

The requirement is that:
NPSH NPSHA>
Otherwise (if NPSHA < NPSH
pump
), the pressure at the
pump inlet will drop to that of the vapor pressure of the
fluid being moved and the fluid will boil.
The resulting gas bubbles will collapse inside the pump as
the pressure rises again. These implosions occur at the
impeller and can lead to pump damage and decreased
efficiency.
Cavitation
NPSH
Do not use NPSH to size or select a pump unless all else
fails. Pump selection is governed by H vs. Q requirements
of system. When NPSHA is too small, it might be increased
by:
Increasing source pressure (not usually feasible)
Cooling liquid to reduce vapor pressure (not usually
feasible)
Raise elevation of source reservoir
Lower elevation of pump inlet
Raise level of fluid in reservoir

If NPSHA Cant Be Increased
If the pump must be modified to achieve proper NPSH:
Larger slower-speed pump
Double suction impeller
Larger impeller eye
Oversized pump with an inducer
Pump Selection from Many Choices of
Characteristic Curves
1. Examine pump curves to see which pumps operate
near peak efficiency at desired flow rate. This
suggests some possible pipe diameters.
2. Compute system head requirement for a few
diameters.
3. Compute V for some diameters. For water V in the
range of 1 10 ft/s is reasonable (see ahead).
4. Re-examine pump curves with computed head and
pipe diameters. This may give a couple of choices.
5. Pick pump with highest efficiency.
Selection of Pipe Size
Optimum pipe size depends mainly on the cost of the
pipe and fittings and the cost of energy needed for
pumping the fluids.
Cost of materials increase at a rate proportional to about
D
1.5
, while power costs for turbulent flow varies as D
4.8
.
One can find correlations giving optimum pipe diameter
as a function of flow rate and fluid density, however the
optimum velocity is a better indicator as it is nearly
independent of flow rate.
Optimum Pipe Size
For turbulent flow of liquids in steel pipes larger than 1 in.
36 . 0
1 . 0
12

m
V
opt

=
3
] [
] [
] [
ft lb
s lb m
s ft V
m
m
opt
=
=
=

Remember
Maximize pump efficiency
Power input (hp) should be minimized if
possible
Selected impeller diameter should not be
largest or smallest for given pump. If your
needs change switching impellers is an
economical solution
NPSH required by the pump must be less
than NPSHA
Variable Speed Pumps
Advantage: Lower operating cost
Disadvantage: Higher capital cost
System head requirement
(no valve)
Pump curve
for D
i

H (ft)
q (gpm)
q* (desired)
q produced by pump
with no flow control
RPM
1

RPM
2

Affinity Laws
In some instances complete sets of pump curves
are not available. In this instance the pump
affinity laws allow the performance of a new
pump to be determined from that of a similar
model. This can be useful when modifying the
operating parameters of an existing pump.
Affinity Laws
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
1
2
1 2
D
D
q q
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
1
2
1 2
RPM
RPM
q q
2
1
2
1 2
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
D
D
H H
2
1
2
1 2
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
RPM
RPM
H H
3
1
2
1 2
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
D
D
hp hp
3
1
2
1 2
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
RPM
RPM
hp hp
5 1
2
1
1
2
1
1
|
|
.
|

\
|
=

D
D
q
q