Types of pumps

There are many pump classifications. One classification is according to the method energy is imparted to the liquid: kinetic energy, or positive displacement. A centrifugal pump is of kinetic energy type - it imparts energy to a liquid by means of centrifugal force produced by a rotating impeller. A positive displacement pump imparts energy by mechanical displacement. Piston, diaphragm, plunger, screw, vane, and gear pumps are some examples. Centrifugal pumps are widely-used because of its design simplicity, high efficiency, wide range of capacity and head, smooth flow rate, and ease of operation and maintenance. (Displacement pumps are of lower flow range and have pulsating flow rate).

Types of centrifugal pumps? Centrifugal pumps can be grouped into several types using different criteria such as its design, construction, application, service, compliance with a national or industry standard, etc. Thus one specific pump can belong to different groups and oftentimes this becomes descriptive of the pump itself. Some of these groups are:

Based on compliance with industry standards: ANSI pump - ASME B73.1 specifications API pump - API 610 specifications DIN pump - DIN 24256 specifications ISO pump - ISO 2858, 5199 specifications Nuclear pump - ASME specifications UL/FM fire pump - NFPA 20 specifications

Based on number of impeller/s in the pump: Single stage - pump has one impeller only; for low head service Two-stage - pump has two impellers in series; for medium head service Multi-stage - pump has three or more impellers in series; for high head service The number of impellers, not the number of volutes, determines the number of stages. Thus a pump with 4 volutes but only 3 impellers is normally referred to as a 4-stage pump destaged to 3-stage, or 4/3-stage.

Based on impeller suction: Single suction - pump with single suction impeller (impeller has suction cavity on one side only); simple design but impeller is subjected to higher axial thrust imbalance due to flow coming in on one side of impeller only. Double suction - pump with double suction impeller (impeller has suction cavities on both sides); has lower NPSHR than single suction impeller. Pump is considered hydraulically balanced but is susceptible to uneven flow on both sides of impeller if suction piping is not done properly.

In a pump with more than one impeller the design of the first stage impeller determines if the pump is considered single or double suction type.

Based on type of volute: Single volute - pump volute has single lip which is very easy to cast. Is usually used in small low capacity pumps where a double volute design is impractical due to relatively small size of volute passageway which make obtaining good quality commercial casting difficult. Pumps with single volute design have higher radial loads. Double volute - pump volute has dual lips located 180 degrees apart resulting in balanced radial loads; most centrifugal pumps are of double volute design.

Based on nozzle location: End suction/top discharge - the suction nozzle is located at the end of, and concentric to, the shaft while the discharge nozzle is located at the top of the case perpendicular to the shaft. Pump is always of an overhung type and typically has lower NPSHR because the liquid feeds directly into the impeller eye. Top/top nozzles -the suction and discharge nozzles are located at the top of the case perpendicular to the shaft. Pump can either be overhung type or between-bearing type but is always a radially-split case pump. Side/side nozzles - the suction and discharge nozzles are located at the sides of the case perpendicular to the shaft. Pump can either be an axially or radially split case type.

Based on shaft orientation: Horizontal - pump with shaft in horizontal plane; popular due to ease of servicing and maintenance. Vertical - pump with shaft in vertical plane; ideal when space is limited or of a premium, or when pumping from a pit or underground barrel to increase the available NPSH.

Based on orientation of case-split: Axial split - pump case is split axially; the upper half is called the upper or top case, the lower half is called the lower or bottom case. The case cannot be supported at shaft centerline because of the case split; is usually limited to temperature up to 450 degrees F to avoid misalignment because of uneven thermal expansion from shaft centerline. The flat case gasket and irregular bolting pattern makes containing the bolt stress difficult hence it is limited in its hydrostatic test and allowable working pressure. Radial split - pump case is split radially; the split parts are usually referred to as case and cover; can be supported at shaft centerline for even thermal expansion and is the preferred construction for high temperature application. The confined case gasket and circular bolting pattern makes containing the bolt stress more manageable hence it can be designed for higher hydrostatic test and allowable

working pressure.

Based on bearing support: Overhung - the impeller overhungs on one end of shaft which is unsupported by a bearing; usually has lower NPSHR because there is no shaft blockage at the impeller eye. The trade-off is that pump has higher shaft deflection. Between-bearing - the shaft has bearing support on both ends, thus impeller is located in between-bearings. Pump has lower shaft deflection than overhung pump but usually has higher NPSHR because shaft is blocking the impeller eye and shaft diameter at the impeller is usually of larger size.

Based on shaft connection to driver: Close-coupled - the impeller is mounted on the driver shaft which is of special design. This is also known as integral shaft design. Typically used for light service. The pump-driver assembly is very compact, lightweight, and inexpensive. Direct-coupled - the pump and driver have separate shafts connected by a flexible coupling. Usually a spacer coupling is used to allow the removal of seals without disturbing the driver.

Multistage centrifugal pumps

A centrifugal pump containing two or more impellers is called a multistage centrifugal pump. The impellers may be mounted on the same shaft or on different shafts. If we need higher pressure at the outlet we can connect impellers in series. If we need a higher flow output we can connect impellers in parallel. All energy added to the fluid comes from the power of the electric or other motor force driving the impeller. [edit]Energy

usage

The energy usage in a pumping installation is determined by the flow required, the height lifted and the length and friction characteristics of the pipeline. The power required to drive a pump ( ), is defined simply using SI units by:

Single-stage radial-flow centrifugal pump

where: is the input power required (W) is the fluid density (kg/m ) is the standard acceleration of gravity (9.80665 m/s ) is the energy Head added to the flow (m) is the flow rate (m /s) is the efficiency of the pump plant as a decimal The head added by the pump ( ) is a sum of the static lift, the head loss due to friction and any losses due to valves or pipe bends all expressed in 3 metres of fluid. Power is more commonly expressed as kilowatts (10 W, kW) or horsepower (hp = kW*0.746). The value for the pump efficiency, , may be stated for the pump itself or as a combined efficiency of the pump and motor system. The energy usage is determined by multiplying the power requirement by the length of time the pump is operating. [edit]Problems
3 2 3

of centrifugal pumps

Open Type Centrifugal Pump Impeller

Cavitationthe NPSH of the system is too low for the selected pump Wear of the Impellercan be worsened by suspended solids Corrosion inside the pump caused by the fluid properties Overheating due to low flow Leakage along rotating shaft Lack of primecentrifugal pumps must be filled (with the fluid to be pumped) in order to operate Surge

[edit]Cavitation Cavitation is the localized formation and subsequent collapse of cavities, or bubbles, in a liquid. The formation of cavities (or bubbles) is induced by flow separation, or non-uniform flow velocities, inside a pump casing that result in localized low pressure points (this is analogous to the effect of air flowing against the leading edge of an airplane wing where flow separation and difference in air velocities reduce the pressure at the top of the wing causing the plane to be air-lifted). As the liquid moves from a low pressure point to a high pressure point inside the casing, the cavities collapse resulting in increased vibration and noise. The pump is said to be cavitating. Depending on its severity and duration, cavitation can cause pump damage, failure, or impairment of performance. Cavitation is usually caused by insufficient NPSHA. When there is insufficient positive pressure to suppress them, cavities form quickly when the liquid passes through a localized low pressure point in the casing. Cavitation is also likely to occur when the liquid has a high amount of entrained, or dissolved, gas. In such service a higher NPSH margin must be maintained for vapor suppression. Cavitation can occur at both the suction and discharge sides of an impeller. Most suction side cavitation is caused by insufficient NPSHA, whereas most discharge side cavitation is caused by discharge flow recirculation when the pump operates at low flow whereby a higher amount of liquid recirculates back to suction. The flow recirculation creates localized low pressure points causing the formation of cavities at the discharge side of the impeller. This can cause what is referred to as discharge cavitation. [edit]Centrifugal

pumps for solids control

An oilfield solids control system needs many centrifugal pumps to sit on or in mud tanks. The types of centrifugal pumps used are sand pumps,

submersible slurry pumps, shear pumps, and charging pumps. They are defined for their different functions, but their working principle is the same. [edit]Magnetically

coupled pumps

Where leakage of the fluid pumped poses a great risk (e.g., aggresive fluid in the chemical or nuclear industry, or electric shock - garden fountains), magnetically coupled pumps are often used. They have no direct connection between the motor shaft and the impeller so no gland is needed. There is no risk of leakage, unless the casing is broken. Additionally, these pumps are less prone to damage by cavitation. [edit]Principle

of operation

The impeller of such a pump is magnetically coupled with the motor, across a separation wall which is resistant to the fluid pumped. The motor drives a rotor carrying one or several pairs of permanent magnetsand these drag around a second pair(s) of permanent magnets attached to the pump impeller. [edit]Priming Most centrifugal pumps are not self-priming. In other words, the pump casing must be filled with liquid before the pump is started, or the pump will not be able to function. If the pump casing becomes filled with vapors or gases, the pump impeller becomes gas-bound and incapable of pumping. To ensure that a centrifugal pump remains primed and does not become gas-bound, most centrifugal pumps are located below the level of the source from which the pump is to take its suction. The same effect can be gained by supplying liquid to the pump suction under pressure supplied by another pump placed in the suction line. Corrosion is the gradual destruction of material, usually metals, by chemical reaction with its environment. In the most common use of the word, this means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen. Rusting, the formation of iron oxides, is a well-known example of electrochemical corrosion. This type of damage typically produces oxide(s) or salt(s) of the original metal. Corrosion can also occur in materials other than metals, such as ceramics or polymers, although in this context, the term degradation is more common. Corrosion degrades the useful properties of materials and structures including strength, appearance and permeability to liquids and gases. Many structural alloys corrode merely from exposure to moisture in the air, but the process can be strongly affected by exposure to certain substances. Corrosion can be concentrated locally to form a pit or crack, or it can extend across a wide area more or less uniformly corroding the surface. Because corrosion is a diffusion-controlled process, it occurs on exposed surfaces. As a result, methods to reduce the activity of the exposed surface, such as passivation and chromate conversion, can increase a material's corrosion resistance. However, some corrosion mechanisms are less visible and less predictable.