Mar.

2011

vol.8_iss 02

The terms Head and Pressure are both used within the pump industry. To some, it might seem that the terms are synonymous. To those without formal hydraulic training, the terms suction head, discharge head, or total dynamic head are completely foreign. However, these terms are fundamental to an understanding of hydraulic machines and systems. In this issue, we briefly cover the terms Head and Pressure and how they are related to one another.

Dale B. Andrews Editor Before discussing Head it is appropriate to start with a brief description of potential energy. Potential Energy is stored energy that is available to do work. There are a number of ways of creating potential energy, but the one that is of interest here is energy that is available by nature of position relative to another location. Head is a term used in the field of hydrodynamics to describe the potential energy of fluid in a system. As will be described below, the amount of potential energy available is relative to where a measurement is taken within a system. Envision a 100 meter tall standpipe full of water. The standpipe has a pressure gauge at the top of the pipe and another at the bottom. The gauge at the top of the pipe will read 0 kPa the one at the bottom will read about 970 kPa. As the level in the standpipe is lowered, the pressure reading on the bottom gauge will drop until, just as the standpipe empties, it also reads 0 kPa. The pressure reading at any point is indicative of potential energy at that point. Open a valve at the bottom of the standpipe and there will be a flow at a high velocity when the standpipe is full, and diminishing as the standpipe level drops. Fluid flow is work (force applied over a distance). The flow rate decreases as the liquid level drops because the potential energy in the system is decreasing along with the liquid level. Assume that the diameter of the standpipe triples. Does that change anything? The pressure gauge readings do not change, but the amount of time that it takes to empty the standpipe increases proportionally to the increase in standpipe volume. Putting it another way, the level of potential energy is unchanged, but the amount of stored energy has increased substantially.
2011 Lawrence Pumps Inc. 371 Market St., Lawrence. MA. 01843. Tel :(978) 682-5248 Fax :(978) 975-4291 Web http://www.lawrencepumps.com Contact: dandrews@lawrencepumps.com

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A pressure gauge reading taken at the bottom of a static column of liquid of a given height will depend on the density of the fluid. Density is the measure of mass for a unit of volume. A cubic meter of water has a density of 1000 kg/m3; ammonia has a density of about 823 Kg/m3. Because of its lesser density, the pressure gauge at the bottom of an identical ammonia filled standpipe will only read 82.3% of the value of the gauge on the water filled standpipe. Both standpipes have a 100m vertical liquid column but they have differing potential energy values. This characteristic of pressure variance with density is why pump characteristics are describes in feet or meters of Head. Pump Head refers to the height of a vertical column of liquid that could be supported by a pumps discharge pressure. At zero flow centrifugal pumps are machines of constant head, not constant power1. A centrifugal pump capable of developing 100m of head will do so regardless of the fluid density. For different fluids the mechanical power and discharge pressure vary in direct proportion to changes in density, but the head output is constant. If pumps are specified based on pressure it will become very confusing for a purchaser of a centrifugal pump to select a pump for anything other than water. Pump manufacturer data would need to be adjusted for each different fluid pumped in order to find the correct pump. By describing a pump in terms of a constant head characteristic, there is a relevant baseline to all system designers for choosing the proper piece of equipment. After all, regardless of what is being pumped, any system is one of vertical height change, pipe and valve friction for a given flow rate, and pressure vessels. All of these variables are readily describable in terms of Head, and the sum of those variables is in fact referred to as system head. Although discharge pressure is a critical operational parameter, it really is a byproduct of pump process system design. Pump Head is a common baseline term by which both equipment and process designers can begin to communicate independently of the specifics of the fluid being handled.

At positive flow rates head will also vary due to viscosity effects which is a subject beyond the scope of this issue.
2011 Lawrence Pumps Inc. 371 Market St., Lawrence. MA. 01843. Tel :(978) 682-5248 Fax :(978) 975-4291 Web http://www.lawrencepumps.com Contact: dandrews@lawrencepumps.com

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