Chapter 3.

5ystem hydrauIic
Secticn 3.1: System characteristics
3.1.1 Single resisIances
3.1.2 Closed and open sysIems
Secticn 3.2: Pumps ccnnected in series and paraIIeI
3.2.1 Pumps in parallel
3.2.2 Pumps connecIed in series
5ection 3.1
5ystem characteristics
Previously, in secIion 1.1.2 we discussed Ihe basic
characIerisIics oI pump perIormance curves. ln Ihis
chapIer we will examine Ihe pump perIormance curve aI
diIIerenI operaIing condiIions as well as a Iypical sysIem
characIerisIic. linally, we will Iocus on Ihe inIeracIion
beIween a pump and a sysIem.
A sysIem's characIerisIic describes Ihe relaIion beIween Ihe
Ilow O and head R in Ihe sysIem. 1he sysIem characIerisIic
depends on Ihe Iype oI sysIem in quesIion. We disIinguish
beIween Iwo Iypes. Closed and open sysIems.
- CIcsed systems
are circulaIing sysIems like heaIing or air-condiIioning
sysIems, where Ihe pump has Io overcome Ihe IricIion
losses in Ihe pipes, IiIIings, valves, eIc. in Ihe sysIem.
- 0pen systems
are liquid IransporI sysIems like waIer supply sysIems. ln
such sysIems Ihe pump has Io deal wiIh boIh Ihe sIaIic
head and overcome Ihe IricIion losses in Ihe pipes and
componenIs.
When Ihe sysIem characIerisIic is drawn in Ihe same
sysIem oI co-ordinaIes as Ihe pump curve, Ihe duIy poinI
oI Ihe pump can be deIermined as Ihe poinI oI inIersecIion
oI Ihe Iwo curves, see Iigure.3.1.1.
Open and closed sysIems consisI oI resisIances (valves,
pipes, heaI exchanger, eIc.) connecIed in series or
parallel, which alIogeIher aIIecI Ihe sysIem characIerisIic.
1hereIore, beIore we conIinue our discussion on open
and closed sysIems, we will brieIly describe how Ihese
resisIances aIIecI Ihe sysIem characIerisIic.
lig. 3.1.1. 1he poinI oI inIersecIion beIween Ihe pump curve and Ihe sysIem
characIerisIic is Ihe duIy poinI oI Ihe pump
96
3.1.1 5ingIe resistances
Lvery componenI in a sysIem consIiIuIes a resisIance
againsI Ihe liquid Ilow which leads Io a head loss across
every single componenI in Ihe sysIem. 1he Iollowing
Iormula is used Io calculaIe Ihe head loss LR.
AH = k
.
D
2
k is a consIanI, which depends on Ihe componenI in
quesIion and O is Ihe Ilow Ihrough Ihe componenI. As iI
appears Irom Ihe Iormula, Ihe head loss is proporIional Io
Ihe Ilow in second power. So, iI iI is possible Io lower Ihe
Ilow in a sysIem, a subsIanIial reducIion in Ihe pressure
loss occurs.
kesistances ccnnected in series
1he IoIal head loss in a sysIem consisIing oI several
componenIs connecIed in series is Ihe sum oI head losses
IhaI each componenI represenIs. ligure 3.1.2 shows a
sysIem consisIing oI a valve and a heaI exchanger. lI we
do noI consider Ihe head loss in Ihe piping beIween Ihe
Iwo componenIs, Ihe IoIal head loss LR
IoI
is calculaIed by
adding Ihe Iwo head losses.
AH
tot
= AH
1
+ AH
2
lurIhermore, Iigure 3.1.2 shows how Ihe resulIing curve
will look and whaI Ihe duIy poinI will be iI Ihe sysIem
is a closed sysIem wiIh only Ihese Iwo componenIs. As
iI appears Irom Ihe Iigure, Ihe resulIing characIerisIic
is Iound by adding Ihe individual head losses LR aI a
given Ilow O. Likewise, Ihe Iigure shows IhaI Ihe more
resisIance in Ihe sysIem, Ihe sIeeper Ihe resulIing sysIem
curve will be.
lig. 3.1.2: 1he head loss or Iwo componenIs connecIed in series
is Ihe sum o Ihe Iwo individual head losses
97
kesistances ccnnected in paraIIeI
ConIrary Io connecIing componenIs in series, connecIing
componenIs in parallel resulI in a more IlaI sysIem
characIerisIic. 1he reason is IhaI componenIs insIalled
in parallel reduce Ihe IoIal resisIance in Ihe sysIem and
Ihereby Ihe head loss.
1he diIIerenIial pressure across Ihe componenIs connecIed
in parallel is always Ihe same. 1he resulIing sysIem
characIerisIic is deIined by adding all Ihe componenIs'
individual Ilow raIe Ior a speciIic LR. ligure 3.1.3 shows
a sysIem wiIh a valve and a heaI exchanger connecIed in
parallel.
1he resulIing Ilow can be calculaIed by Ihe Iollowing
Iormula Ior a head loss equivalenI Io LR
D
tot
= D
1
+ D
2
3.1.2 CIosed and open systems
As menIioned previously, pump sysIems are spliI inIo Iwo
Iypes oI basic sysIems. Closed and open sysIems. ln Ihis
secIion, we will examine Ihe basic characIerisIics oI Ihese
sysIems.
CIcsed systems
1ypically, closed sysIems are sysIems, which IransporI
heaI energy in heaIing sysIems, air-condiIioning sysIems,
process cooling sysIems, eIc. A common IeaIure oI Ihese
Iypes oI closed sysIems is IhaI Ihe liquid is circulaIed and
is Ihe carrier oI heaI energy. ReaI energy is in IacI whaI Ihe
sysIem has Io IransporI.
Closed sysIems are characIerised as sysIems wiIh pumps
IhaI only have Io overcome Ihe sum oI IricIion losses,
which are generaIed by all Ihe componenIs. ligure 3.1.4
shows a schemaIic drawing oI a closed sysIem where
a pump has Io circulaIe waIer Irom a heaIer Ihrough a
conIrol valve Io a heaI exchanger.
lig. 3.1.3. ComponenIs connecIed in parallel reduce Ihe resisIance in
Ihe sysIem and resulI in a more IlaI sysIem characIerisIic
lig. 3.1.4. SchemaIic drawing oI a closed sysIem
98
5ection 3.1
5ystem characteristics
All Ihese componenIs IogeIher wiIh Ihe pipes and IiIIings
resulI in a sysIem characIerisIic as Ihe one shown in Iigure
3.1.S. 1he required pressure in a closed sysIem (which Ihe
sysIem curve illusIraIes) is a parabola sIarIing in Ihe poinI
(O,R) = (0,0) and is calculaIed by Ihe Iollowing Iormula.
H = k
.
D
2
As Ihe Iormula and curve indicaIe, Ihe pressure loss is
approaching zero when Ihe Ilow drops.
0pen systems
Open sysIems are sysIems, where Ihe pump is used Io
IransporI liquid Irom one poinI Io anoIher, e.g. waIer
supply sysIems, irrigaIion sysIems, indusIrial process
sysIems. ln such sysIems Ihe pump has Io deal wiIh
boIh Ihe geodeIic head oI Ihe liquid and Io overcome Ihe
IricIion losses in Ihe pipes and Ihe sysIem componenIs.
We disIinguish beIween Iwo Iypes oI open sysIem.
Open sysIems where Ihe IoIal required geodeIic liII
is posiIive.
Open sysIems where Ihe IoIal required geodeIic liII
is negaIive.
0pen system with pcsitive gecdetic head ligure
3.1.6 shows a Iypical open sysIem wiIh posiIive geodeIic
liII. A pump has Io IransporI waIer Irom a break Iank aI
ground level up Io a rooI Iank on Ihe Iop oI a building.
lirsI oI all, Ihe pump has Io provide a head higher Ihan
Ihe geodeIic head oI Ihe waIer (h). Secondly, Ihe pump
has Io provide Ihe necessary head Io overcome Ihe IoIal
IricIion loss beIween Ihe Iwo Ianks in piping, IiIIings,
valves, eIc. (R
I
). 1he pressure loss depends on Ihe amounI
oI Ilow, see Iigure 3.1.7.
lig. 3.1.S. 1he sysIem characIerisIic Ior a closed sysIem is a
parabola sIarIing in poinI (0,0)
lig. 3.1.6. Open sysIem wiIh posiIive geodeIic liII
lig. 3.1.7. SysIem characIerisIic IogeIher wiIh Ihe pump perIormance
curve Ior Ihe open sysIem in Iigure 3.1.6
D
O
1
99
1he Iigure shows IhaI in an open sysIem no waIer Ilows
iI Ihe maximum head (R
max
) oI Ihe pump is lower Ihan
Ihe geodeIic head (h). Only when R > h, waIer will sIarI
Io Ilow Irom Ihe break Iank Io Ihe rooI Iank. 1he sysIem
curve also shows IhaI Ihe lower Ihe Ilow raIe, Ihe lower
Ihe IricIion loss (R
I
) and consequenIly Ihe lower Ihe power
consumpIion oI Ihe pump.
So, Ihe Ilow (O
1
) and Ihe pump size have Io maIch Ihe
need Ior Ihe speciIic sysIem. 1his is in IacI a rule-oI-
Ihumb Ior liquid IransporI sysIems. A larger Ilow leads
Io a higher pressure loss, whereas a smaller Ilow leads Io
a smaller pressure loss and consequenIly a lower energy
consumpIion.
0pen system with negative gecdetic Iift
A Iypical example oI an open sysIem wiIh negaIive
required head is a pressure boosIer sysIem, e.g. in a waIer
supply sysIem. 1he geodeIic head (h) Irom Ihe waIer Iank
brings waIer Io Ihe consumer - Ihe waIer Ilows, alIhough
Ihe pump is noI running. 1he diIIerence in heighI beIween
Ihe liquid level in Ihe Iank and Ihe alIiIude oI Ihe waIer
ouIleI (h) resulIs in a Ilow equivalenI Io O
o
. Rowever, Ihe
head is insuIIicienI Io ensure Ihe required Ilow (O
1
) Io Ihe
consumer. 1hereIore, Ihe pump has Io boosI Ihe head Io
Ihe level (R
1
) in order Io compensaIe Ior Ihe IricIion loss
(R
I
) in Ihe sysIem. 1he sysIem is shown in Iigure 3.1.8
and Ihe sysIem characIerisIic IogeIher wiIh Ihe pump
perIormance curve are shown in Iigure 3.1.9.
1he resulIing sysIem characIerisIic is a parabolic curve
sIarIing aI Ihe R-axes in Ihe poinI (0,-h).
1he Ilow in Ihe sysIem depends on Ihe liquid level in Ihe
Iank. lI we reduce Ihe waIer level in Ihe Iank Ihe heighI (h)
is reduced. 1his resulIs in a modiIied sysIem characIerisIic
and a reduced Ilow in Ihe sysIem, see Iigure 3.1.9.
lig. 3.1.8. Open sysIem wiIh negaIive geodeIic liII
lig. 3.1.9. SysIem characIerisIic IogeIher wiIh Ihe pump
perIormance curve Ior Ihe open sysIem in hgure 3.1.8
100
5ection 3.1
5ystem characteristics
1o exIend Ihe IoIal pump perIormance in a sysIem, pumps
are oIIen connecIed in series or parallel. ln Ihis secIion we
will concenIraIe on Ihese Iwo ways oI connecIing pumps.

3.2.1 Pumps in paraIIeI
Pumps connecIed in parallel are oIIen used when
Ihe required Ilow is higher Ihan whaI one single pump
can supply
Ihe sysIem has variable Ilow requiremenIs and when
Ihese requiremenIs are meI by swiIching Ihe parallel-
connecIed pumps on and oII.
Normally, pumps connecIed in parallel are oI similar Iype
and size. Rowever, Ihe pumps can be oI diIIerenI size, or
one or several pumps can be speed-conIrolled and Ihereby
have diIIerenI perIormance curves.

1o avoid bypass circulaIion in pumps, which are noI
running, a non-reIurn valve is connecIed in series wiIh
each oI Ihe pumps. 1he resulIing perIormance curve
Ior a sysIem consisIing oI several pumps in parallel is
deIermined by adding Ihe Ilow, which Ihe pumps deliver
aI a speciIic head.
ligure 3.2.1 shows a sysIem wiIh Iwo idenIical pumps
connecIed in parallel. 1he sysIem's IoIal perIormance
curve is deIermined by adding O
1
and O
2
Ior every value oI
head which is Ihe same Ior boIh pumps, R
1
=R
2
.
8ecause Ihe pumps are idenIical Ihe resulIing pump curve
has Ihe same maximum head R
max
buI Ihe maximum Ilow
O
max
is Iwice as big. lor each value oI head Ihe Ilow is Ihe
double as Ior a single pump in operaIion.
D = D
1
+ D
2
= 2 D
1
= 2 D
2
lig. 3.2.1. 1wo pumps connecIed in parallel wiIh similar
perIormance curves
101
5ection 3.2
Pumps connected in series and paraIIeI
ligure 3.2.2 shows Iwo diIIerenI sized pumps connecIed in
parallel. When adding O
1
and O
2
Ior a given head R
1
=R
2,
Ihe
resulIing perIormance curve is deIined. 1he haIched area
in Iigure 3.2.2 shows IhaI P1 is Ihe only pump Io supply in
IhaI speciIic area, because iI has a higher maximum head
Ihan P2.
Speed-ccntrcIIed pumps ccnnected in paraIIeI
1he combinaIion oI pumps connecIed in parallel and
speed-conIrolled pumps is a very useIul way Io achieve
eIIicienI pump perIormance when Ihe Ilow demand varies.
1he meIhod is common in connecIion wiIh waIer supply ]
pressure boosIing sysIems. LaIer in chapIer 4, we will
discuss speed-conIrolled pumps in deIail.
A pumping sysIem consisIing oI Iwo speed-conIrolled
pumps wiIh Ihe same perIormance curve covers a wide
perIormance range, see Iigure 3.2.3.
One single pump is able Io cover Ihe required pump
perIormance up unIil O
1
. Above O
1
boIh pumps have Io
operaIe Io meeI Ihe perIormance needed. lI boIh pumps
are running aI Ihe same speed Ihe resulIing pump curves
look like Ihe orange curves shown in Iigure 3.2.3.
Please noIe IhaI Ihe duIy poinI indicaIed aI O
1
is obIained
wiIh one pump running aI Iull speed. Rowever, Ihe
duIy poinI can also be achieved when Iwo pumps are
running aI reduced speed. 1his siIuaIion is shown in Iigure
3.2.4 (orange curves). 1he Iigure also compares Ihe Iwo
siIuaIions wiIh regard Io eIIiciency. 1he duIy poinI Ior
one single pump running aI Iull speed resulIs in a bad
pump eIIiciency mainly because Ihe duIy poinI is locaIed
Iar ouI on Ihe pump curve. 1he IoIal eIIiciency is much
higher when Iwo pumps run aI reduced speed, alIhough
Ihe maximum eIIiciency oI Ihe pumps decreases slighIly
aI reduced speed.
Lven Ihough one single pump is able Io mainIain Ihe
required Ilow and head, iI is someIimes necessary due
Io eIIiciency and Ihus energy consumpIion Io use boIh
pumps aI Ihe same Iime. WheIher Io run one or Iwo
pumps depend on Ihe acIual sysIem characIerisIic and Ihe
pump Iype in quesIion.
lig 3.2.2. 1wo pumps connecIed in parallel wiIh unequal
perIormance curves
lig. 3.2.3. 1wo speed-conIrolled pumps connecIed in parallel (same size).
1he orange curve shows Ihe perIormance aI reduced speed
lig. 3.2.4. One pump aI Iull speed compared Io Iwo pumps aI reduced
speed. ln Ihis case Ihe Iwo pumps have Ihe highesI IoIal eIIiciency
102
5ection 3.2
Pumps connected in series and paraIIeI
3.2.2. Pumps connected in series
Normally, pumps connecIed in series are used in
sysIems where a high pressure is required. 1his is also
Ihe case Ior mulIisIage pumps which are based on Ihe
series principle, i.e. one sIage equals one pump. ligure
3.2.S shows Ihe perIormance curve oI Iwo idenIical
pumps connecIed in series. 1he resulIing perIormance
curve is made by marking Ihe double head Ior each
Ilow value in Ihe sysIem oI co-ordinaIes. 1his resulIs
in a curve wiIh Ihe double maximum head (2R
max
) and
Ihe same maximum Ilow (O
max
) as each oI Ihe single
pumps.
ligure 3.2.6 shows Iwo dierenI sized pumps connecIed
in series. 1he resulIing perormance curve is ound by
adding R
1
and R
2
aI a given common low Q
1
=Q
2
.
1he haIched area in igure 3.2.6 shows IhaI P2 is Ihe
only pump Io supply in IhaI speciic area because iI has
a higher maximum low Ihan P1.
As discussed in secIion 3.2.1, unequal pumps can be
a combinaIion oI diIIerenI sized pumps or oI one or
several speed-conIrolled pumps. 1he combinaIion oI
a Iixed speed pump and a speed-conIrolled pump
connecIed in series is oIIen used in sysIems where a
high and consIanI pressure is required. 1he Iixed speed
pump supplies Ihe liquid Io Ihe speed-conIrolled pump,
whose ouIpuI is conIrolled by a pressure IransmiIIer
P1, see Iigure 3.2.7.
lig. 3.2.S. 1wo equal sized pumps connecIed in series
lig. 3.2.6. 1wo diIIerenI sized pumps connecIed in series
lig. 3.2.7. Lqual sized Iixed speed pump and speed-conIrolled pump
connecIed in series. A pressure IransmiIIer P1 IogeIher wiIh a speed
conIroller is making sure IhaI Ihe pressure is consIanI aI Ihe ouIleI oI P2.
D
103