Chapter 6:

PUMPS
1
The Goals
Describe how centrifugal and positive-displacement pumps
operate and common applications.
Calculate system head requirements.
Determine head, pump efficiency, and pump. horsepower
from a typical centrifugal pump curve.
Define net positive suction head (NPSH) and understand
how it relates to cavitation.
Compute NPSH required by a pump.
Determine an appropriate pump (impeller diameter,
efficiency, etc.) for a given required head.
Describe how to modify system to operate on the
appropriate pump curve.
Background
Fluid Moving Equipment
Fluids are moved through flow systems using pumps, fans,
blowers, and compressors. Such devices increase the
mechanical energy of the fluid. The additional energy can
be used to increase
Velocity (flow rate)
Pressure
Elevation
Background
pumps move liquids while compressors add
energy to gasses.
Pump is a device which converts mechanical power
into fluid power, while turbine converts fluid
power into mechanical power. Mechanical
power is usually obtained by shaft rotation

Pumps and fans do not appreciably affect the density
of the fluids that they move and thus incompressible
flow theory is applicable.
There are two basic types of pumps: positive-
displacement and dynamic or momentum change
pumps. There are several billion of each type in use
in the world today.

(PDPs) force the displacement pumps - Positive - 1
fluid along by volume changes. A cavity opens, and
the fluid is admitted through an inlet. The cavity then
closes, and the fluid is squeezed through an outlet.


Classification of Pumps
A. Reciprocating
1. Piston or plunger
2. Diaphragm
B. Rotary
1. Single rotor
a. Sliding vane
b. Flexible tube or lining
c. Screw
d. Peristaltic (wave contraction)
2. Multiple rotors
a. Gear
b. Lobe
c. Screw
d. Circumferential piston

A brief classification of PDP designs is as follows:

(a) reciprocating
piston or plunger,
(b) external
gear pump,
(c) double-screw
pump,
(d) sliding vane,
(e) three-lobe pump,

(f) double
circumferential
piston,
(g) flexible-tube
squeegee.

A Schematic design of positive-displacement pumps:
2- Dynamic pumps
simply add momentum to the fluid by means of fast-moving blades
or vanes or certain special designs. There is no closed volume:
The fluid increases momentum while moving through open
passages and then converts its high velocity to a pressure
increase by exiting into a diffuser section.

Dynamic pumps can be classified as follows:

A. Rotary
1. Centrifugal or radial exit flow
2. Axial flow
3. Mixed flow (between radial and axial)
B. Special designs
1. Jet pump or ejector
2. Electromagnetic pumps for liquid metals
3. Fluid-actuated: gas-lift or hydraulic-ram

Dynamic pumps generally provide a higher flow rate than PDPs and
a much steadier discharge but are ineffective in handling high-
viscosity liquids.
Dynamic pumps, also generally need priming; i.e., if they are filled
with gas, they cannot suck up a liquid from below into their inlet.
The PDP, on the other hand, is self-priming for most applications.
A dynamic pump can provide very high flow rates (up to 300,000
gal/min) but usually with moderate pressure rises (a few atmospheres).
In contrast, a PDP can operate up to very high pressures (300 atm) but
typically produces low flow rates (100gal/min).
The relative performance (p versus Q) is quite different for the two types
At constant shaft rotation speed, the PDP produces nearly constant flow rate
and virtually unlimited pressure rise, with little effect of viscosity.
The flow rate of a PDP cannot be varied except by changing the displacement
or the speed
The dynamic pump, provides a continuous constant-speed variation of
performance, from near-maximum p at zero flow (shutoff conditions) to
zero p at maximum flow rate. High-viscosity fluids sharply degrade the
performance of a dynamic pump.
Comparisons Between the Two types
Comparison of performance curves of typical dynamic
and positive-displacement pumps at constant speed.
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.

Positive Displacement Pump
Works on the principle of
letting fluid flow into a cavity
from a low-pressure source,
trapping the fluid, and forcing
it out to a high-pressure
receiver by decreasing the
volume of the cavity
Simplest pump that can be
found anywhere from liquid
soap dispensers, to
automobile fuel injectors, to
the human heart.
Centrifugal Pumps
Most common type of pumping machinery. There are many
types, sizes, and designs from various manufacturers who
also publish operating characteristics of each pump in the
form of performance (pump) curves.

Pump curves describe head delivered, pump efficiency, and
net positive suction head (NPSH) for a properly operating
specific model pump.

Centrifugal pumps are generally used where high flow rates
and moderate head increases are required.
Centrifugal Pump
Based on the concept of raising the pressure of a liquid
indirectly by increasing the kinetic energy via the centrifugal
action of the impeller and converting this kinetic energy to fluid
work
Used predominantly for high-flow applications, less expensive,
and less complex thereby minimizing maintenance
Must be pre-charged with liquid or else it wont pump at start-
up. Positive displacement pumps dont have this
limitation.

Cavitation

A centrifugal pump increases the fluid pressure by first imparting angular
momentum (or kinetic energy) to the fluid, which is converted to
pressure in the diffuser section. Hence, the fluid velocity in and around
the impeller is much higher than that either entering or leaving the
pump, and the pressure is the lowest where the velocity is highest.

The minimum pressure at which a pump will operate properly must be
of the fluid; otherwise the fluid will vaporize above the vapor pressure
(or boil), a condition known as cavitation.

Obviously, the higher the temperature the higher the vapor pressure
and the more likely that this condition will occur. When a centrifugal
pump contains a gas or vapor it will still develop the same head
Centrifugal Pump
Centrifugal Pumps
Impeller
Pump Curves
Pumps from manufacturers are
typically rated by how much fluid
work that can be achieved as a
function of fluid flow
Fluid work in the pump curves are
typically expressed in head form






Potential work decreases with
increasing flow due to increased
losses incurred at higher flow
velocities
g
P P
h
inlet outlet

=
h is the pump head that equal to the
change in pressure head flow between
point 1, the eye, and point 2, the exit,
as Z
1
=Z
2
=0 & V
1
=V
2
around pump
Pump Efficiency
The power delivered to the fluid simply equals the specific weight times the
discharge times the net head change Pw=ghQ (hp)
This is traditionally called the water horsepower.

The power required to drive the pump is the brake horsepower
bhp=T (hp)
where is the shaft angular velocity and T the shaft torque. If there were no
losses, P
w
and brake horsepower would be equal, but of course P
w
is
actually less, and the efficiency of the pump is defined as



The chief aim of the pump designer is to make as high as possible over as
broad a range of discharge Q as possible.
The volumetric efficiency is

where Q
L
is the loss of fluid due to leakage in the impeller-casing clearances.
(1 hp 550 ft lbf/s = 746 W)
A pump delivers gasoline at 20C and 12 m
3
/h. At the inlet,
p
1
= 100 kPa, z
1
= 1 m, and V
1
= 2 m/s. At the exit p
2
= 500 kPa,
z
2
= 4 m, and V
2
= 3 m/s. How much power is required if the
motor efficiency is 75% ?
Example
Centrifugal Pump Performance 1/2
The operating characteristics of a
pump are shown by plotting the total
pump head ( h), pump power (P),
pump efficiency () and the (NPSH)
R

versus the flow rate (Q), any rpm,
impeller diameter and liquid viscosity.
[Net Positive Suction Head ] Required
to avoid cavitation
BEP is the best effective point which
led to design flow rate (Q)
In a particular system, a
centrifugal pump can only
operate at one point on the h
against Q curve and that is the
point where the pump h
against Q curve intersects with
the system h against Q curve
as shown. The intersection
point should be near to the
best efficiency point of the
pump. The point of intersection
is called duty point. the system
total head at a particular liquid flow
rate.



Centrifugal Pump Performance 2/2
duty point
Where s for suction side & d for
discharge side
Pump Map
For a given flow rate and pump head, the manufacturers pump map would
indicate the operation of the pump at the physically available sizes
Impeller size
Pump power
Pump efficiency
NPSH
R

NPSH : is the difference between the absolute pressure head at the pump inlet
and the absolute vapor pressure head of the liquid being pumped
suction discharge side
side P
a
P
vap
|
|
.
|

\
|

=
g
P P
NPSH
vap a

Net Positive Suction Head

(NPSH), which is the head required at the pump inlet to keep the
liquid from cavitating or boiling. The pump inlet or suction side is the
low-pressure point where cavitation will first occur.
NPSH Net Positive Suction Head
In centrifugal pumps, the fluid must be brought up to the rotational speed of
the impeller blades.
Increasing the fluid velocity would result in a decrease in pressure
This can cause boiling of the fluid or cavitation around the eye of the
impeller. To prevent this, there must be elevation of the fluid before the
pump.
This height is known as the net positive suction head (NPSH).
P
a
Z
a
h
fs
Net Positive Suction Head
If the pump inlet is placed at a height Z
i
above a reservoir whose free
surface is at pressure pa, we can use Bernoullis equation to rewrite
NPSH as
where h
f i
is the friction-
head loss between the
reservoir and the pump
inlet. Knowing p
a
and h
f i
,
we can set the pump at a
height Z
i
which will keep the
right-hand side greater than
the required NPSH plotted
in Figure of pump map
NPSH must be positive
and larger than [NPSH]
R
The 32-in pump of Figure below is to pump 24,000 gal/min of water at 1170
r/min from a reservoir whose surface is at 14.7 lbf/in
2
absolute. If head loss
from reservoir to pump inlet is 6 ft, where should the pump inlet be placed to
avoid cavitation for water at
(a) 60F, P
v
= 0.26 lbf/in2 absolute, SG 1.0 and
(b) 200F, P
v
= 11.52 lbf/in2 absolute, SG 0.9635?
Example