Centrifugal Pump Basics

By : Khaled Muhsen
Engineering Community-Amman

Centrifugal

Centrifugal, (Sen-trif-u-gal)

Tending to fly from a center

Thrown from a center

Centrifugal pump impeller does just that

Water drawn into impeller eye, accelerated

down the blades and thrown against pump
casing that directs flow out of discharge

Centrifugal Pump

IMPELLER ROTATION

LIQUID INTO
IMPELLER EYE
FROM PUMP
SUCTION

Centrifugal Pump Curve

Specific Gravity
WATER
sp gr1.0

GASOLINE
sp gr0.8

BRINE
sp gr1.2

ft231

psig100

psig80

psig120

Pump head (ft) = psig*2.31

sp gr
hp = gpm*hd*sp gr*100
3960*Pump Eff
PUMP SHUT-OFF HEAD 231 ft

Centrifugal Pump Curve

RPM1800

Basic Centrifugal Pump Equations

For variations in impeller diameter, at constant speed:
D1 = Q1 =
D2 Q2

H1
H2

BHP1 = D13
BHP2 D23

For variations in speed, with constant impeller diameter:

S1 = Q1 =
S2 = Q2
Where:

H1
H2

BHP1 = S13
BHP2 S2 3

D = Impeller Diameter in Inches

H = Pump Head in Feet
Q = Pump Capacity in GPM
S = Speed in RPM
BHP = Brake Horsepowers

System Resistance

Fig. 1 Friction Loss for Water in Commercial Steel Pip (Schedule 40)

HEAD VARIES TO SQUARE

OF FLOW CHANGE

) (

H2 = Q2 2
H1
Q1
EXISTING SYSTEM 600 GPM AT 70 FT
HEAD

HEAD AT 400 GPM:

0.44 ]0.44 = 0.67 = )400/600([ x 70 = 31 feet

HEAD AT 900 GPM:

2.25 ]2.25 = 1.5 = )900/600([ x 70 = 158 feet

FLOW VARIES AS SQUARE

ROOT
OF HEAD CHANGE
Q2 =
Q1

H2
H1

ORIGINAL SYSTEM 600 GPM AT 70 FT

HD
SYSTEM HEAD CHANGES TO 100 FEET
FLOW
HAS CHANGED TO:

1.2 ]1.2 = 1.43 = )100/70( [ x 600 = 720 gpm

SYSTEM RESISTANCE
CURVE

) (

H2 = Q2 2
H1
Q1

100

H-Head (%)

80
60
40
20
0
0

20

40
60
Q-Flow (%)

80

100

Open & Closed Systems

A Closed pumping system is one

that has only one interface with air
or flexible membrane

An Open pumping system is one

that has more than one interface
with air or a flexible membrane

Closed System
BALANCING
VALVE

WAY CONTROL 2
VALVE

LOAD

BUILDING
HEIGHT

EXPANSION

SOURCE

ISOLATING
VALVE

Closed System Resistance Curve

HEAD

Closed System

SYSTEM FRICTION CURVE

FRICTION
LOSSES

CAPACITY

Open System
STATIC
HEAD

STATIC
SUCTION
HEAD

CONDENSER

Open System Resistance Curve

Open System
FRICTION
LOSSES

HEAD

SYSTEM HEAD CURVE

TOTAL
STATIC
HEAD

CAPACITY

CURVES RULE!

PUMP PARALLEL -2
OPERATION

NO

NO

NO

NO

DIFFERENT PUMPS IN
PARALLEL

DIFFERENT PUMPS IN
PARALLEL

PUMP SERIES OPERATION-2

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

SERIES OPERATION

)600 GPM AT 100 FT HD SYSTEM)

Cavitation (What the heck is it?)

or Air Entrainment

Pump Noisy and Vibrating

Impeller and/or Casing eroded
CAVITATION
Maybe so maybe not

Vapor Pressure
PROPERTIES OF WATER
VP
psia

DENSITY Sp Gr
lb/ft3

TEMP TEMP
DegC DegF

0.2563

62.34

1.000

15.6

60

0.9492

62.00

0.994

37.8

100

14.696

59.81

0.959

100

212

67.01

57.31

0.919

148.9

300

247.31

53.65

0.860

204.4

400

Vapor Pressure
VACUUM PUMP

ft35

DegF WATER60
BOILING AT 0.26 psia

ft33

ATMOSPHERE
(VP: 14.7 psia)

DegF WATER60
(VP: 0.26 psia)

NPSH

NPSH

Net Positive Suction Head, discusses pressure

available, in absolute terms, above the vapor pressure
of the liquid

NPSHr

This is the NPSH required by the pump

NPSHa

This is the NPSH available to the pump,

from the system

Cavitation

Liquid Pressure
Vapor Pressure

Cavitation Cavitation
Liquid Pressure

Vapor Pressure

Cavitation

Liquid Pressure

Vapor Pressure

Cavitation
Material breakdown caused
by cavitation evident
on convex side of
impeller blades

Suction Lift Installation

LINE LOSSES
feet)3(
ft10

NPSHa (ft abs)=Atm. Press (ft abs)-Liquid

VP (ft Abs) - Line Loss +/- Diff in Elev (ft)
ATMOSPHERE
(VP: 14.7 psia)

NPSHa = 34.1 - 0.6 - 3 -10 = 20.5 ft

Where: ft abs. = psia * 2.31

DegF WATER60
(VP: 0.26 psia)

NPSHa MUST BE GREATER THAN NPSHr

. or Air Entrainment?

Liquid Pressure
Vapor Pressure