Selecting A Centrifugal Pump For Viscous Flow

PDHonline Course M102 (2 PDH)
Selecting a Centrifugal Pump

to Handle a Viscous Liquid
2012
Instructor: Randall W. Whitesides, PE
PDH Online | PDH Center
5272 Meadow Estates Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030-6658
Phone & Fax: 703-988-0088
www.PDHonline.org
www.PDHcenter.com
An Approved Continuing Education Provider
www.PDHcenter.com PDH Course M102 www.PDHonline.org
Selecting a Centrifugal Pump to Handle a Viscous Liquid
Copyright 2002-2011
Randall . hitesides! P.".
Introduction
#his course pro$ides the student with an understanding o% %luid $iscosity and its e%%ects on the per%orm-
ance o% centri%ugal pump operation. #he di%%erent types and interrelation o% $iscosity $alues are dis-
cussed. Most importantly! it presents the esta&lished means to con$ert water standard pump per%ormance
cur$es so that they can &e used to select or si'e pumps in $iscous li(uid ser$ice. "(uations are pro$ided
to ena&le the student to estimate the %low! pressure! e%%iciency! and power re(uired %or a gi$en pumping
application.
Content
What exactly is viscosity anyway?
)iscosity is a measure o% a %luid*s resistance to %low and molecular shear. +tudents interested in gaining a
more in-depth! scienti%ic e,planation o% $iscosity are in$ited to $isit-
www.u$i.edu.Physics.+C/0,,e&.Plum&ing.1luidDynamics.html.
#here are a num&er o% su&2ects co$ered at the a&o$e we&site. +croll down the page until the section
entitled Viscosity is displayed.
)iscosity is an elusi$e %luid parameter partly &ecause o% the layman*s o$ersimpli%ication o% the physical
phenomenon. Consider the %ollowing two common e,amples-
+electing a Centri%ugal Pump to Handle a )iscous 3i(uid
2002-2011 Randall . hitesides! CP"! P" 1
In reality, all that is practically important as
it relates to this course is that fluid viscosity
affects a centrifugal pumps performance.
)iscosity characteristics must not &e con%used with %luid
density4 they are totally independent o% each other. 3i(uids
that are dense! i.e., those that ha$e a high speci%ic gra$ity! are
not necessarily highly $iscous. Mercury has a $ery high
speci%ic gra$ity while e,hi&iting an e,tremely low $iscosity.
Many lu&ricants that are less dense than water are e,tremely
$iscous. /s it no wonder that $iscosity is a misunderstood
%luid property that deser$es a $ery important consideration in
centri%ugal pumping applications5
6ecause $iscosity e,ists in two %orms and in a multitude o% dimensional units that are more or less
con$erti&le! can also &e con%using. )iscosity units can consist o% $arious impractica&le! incomprehensi&le!
or otherwise un-relata&le (uantities some o% which are- l&
%
-sec.%t7! dyn-sec.cm7! +ay&olt +econds
8ni$ersal! and Reyns. Conse(uently! &e%ore we can really &egin! we must em&ar9 on a $ery &rie%
technical treatment o% $iscosity.
Whats the difference and importance of absolute and kinematic viscosity?
)iscosity is e,pressed in absolute and kinematic terms. :;&solute $iscos-
ity is also o%ten re%erred to as dynamic $iscosity<. #he a&solute $iscosity
o% a li(uid is de%ined as the resistance to %low and shear under the %orces
o% internal %riction. #his internal %riction is caused &y the resistance o% the
li(uid*s molecules mo$ing relati$e to each other. #he larger the mo-
lecules! the higher the internal resistance and conse(uently! the higher the
$iscosity. #he &ase unit o% a&solute $iscosity is the poise4 one poise is 1
g.cm-sec. #he commonly used engineering unit is the centipoise :1.100
poise<! which is usually a&&re$iated cP and normally represented &y the
=ree9 letter .
1. #he adage blood is thicker than water imparts an incorrect three dimen-
sional aspect to $iscosity implying that it has something to do with $olume.
2. >ne car owner as9s another! ?hat weight oil are you using5@ #his e,-
pression incorrectly associates the oil*s $iscosity with its speci%ic weight! or
more accurately! its %luid density.
>n the other hand! 9inematic $iscosity is a measure o% a li(uid*s resistance to %low and shear under the
%orces o% gra$ity. /t is mathematically de%ined as the ratio o% the a&solute $iscosity to the %luid speci%ic
gra$ity. #he &ase unit o% 9inematic $iscosity is the stoke4 one sto9e is 1 cm
2
.sec. #he commonly used en-
gineering unit is the centisto9e :1.100 sto9e<! which is usually a&&re$iated cs and normally represented &y
the =ree9 letter .
6ecause pu&lished technical re%erences and physical property data %or $iscous li(uids may pro$ide
either a&solute or 9inematic units! it is important %or the student to 9now that a&solute and 9inematic $is-
cosities are related! as pre$iously stated! &y-
centisto9e
centipoise
speci%ic gra$ity
=
Put another way! the a&solute $iscosity o% a li(uid is the product o% the 9inematic $iscosity and the speci%-
ic gra$ity.
What are some examples of everyday fluids and their viscosity values?
#o pro$ide the student with a relational %eel %or $iscosity range! here are some common %luids! and their
respecti$e $iscosity! arranged in ascending order. /t should &e intuiti$ely o&$ious that $iscosity is e,-
tremely dependent on temperature.
Now that we have these technical definitions
behind us, let it be said that we only need to
concern ourselves with the relational aspects
of these two viscosity forms along with a
comparative understanding of each.
The case for the Centrifugal ump
>% all o% the generic types o% pumps! the centri%ugal pump is the most commonly used. /t has %ound
%a$or &ecause o% its many ad$antages- simple construction! low relati$e cost! low maintenance!
(uiet operation! and relia&ility.
8n%ortunately! the single &iggest disad$antage o% the
centri%ugal pump is its lowered e%%iciency in handling $is-
cous li(uids. /t should &e noted that the hydraulic losses
and there&y hydraulic ine%%iciencies that occur in all
pumps are due in large part to the $iscosity o% the %luid
&eing handled.
8se o% centri%ugal pumps %or a $iscosity o$er 000 centis-
to9es generally is not recommended &ecause the pump e%-
%iciency is so poor. /n some cases howe$er! the high relia&ility o% a centri%ugal pump may ma9e
this type o% pump the &est o$erall economic choice e$en when the $iscosity e,ceeds 000 centis-
to9es.
2002-200A Randall . hitesides! CP"! P"
B
C 8nleaded gasoline at am&ient temperature has a $iscosity o% 0.D cs
C ater at EF.BG 1 has a $iscosity o% 1 cs! also 1 cP Hthe standardI
C 01.JK hydrochloric acid at 10JG 1 has a $iscosity o% 1.E cP
C +;" 10 lu&e oil at E0G 1 has a $iscosity o% AE cP
C B0 motor oil at room temperature has a $iscosity o% 000 cs
C Castor oil at 100G 1 has a $iscosity o% 000 cs
C )arnish at EFG 1 has a $iscosity o% 000 cs
C Lo. E %uel oil at E0G 1 has a $iscosity o% FJ0 cP
C Peanut &utter at am&ient temperature has a mean $iscosity o% 11!000 cs
Pumped liquids are generally considered viscous
when their viscosity exceeds 40 centipoise.
=enerally spea9ing! centri%ugal pumps are e,tremely ine%%icient con$eyors o% li(uids when %luid
$iscosity e,ceeds 1!B00 centisto9es. ith that said! the pu&lished correction charts that will &e
discussed momentarily indicate centri%ugal pump material handling applications where the %luid
$iscosity may range upward to 0!000 centisto9es. /t must &e noted that e,tremely $iscous %luid
handling applications are &est le%t to positi$e displacement! rather than centri%ugal pumps.
The selection of a Centrifugal ump
Centri%ugal pumps are normally selected &y the "ngineer %or a hydraulic application %rom pump
manu%acturer*s pu&lished pump cur$es. ; pump cur$e in its simplest %orm is a plot o% the pump*s
impeller per%ormance indicating change in discharge head :pressure< $ersus pump capacity! i.e.!
%low rate. #hese graphs are also re%erred to as
pump per%ormance cur$es or characteristic cur$es.
8n%ortunately %or the "ngineer! pu&lished pump
per%ormance cur$es are deri$ed %rom la&oratory
test data utili'ing clean water. #his o&$iously
presents no pro&lem when the pump application at
hand in$ol$es water or a %luid whose physical
properties appro,imate those o% water. Howe$er!
when the %luid properties de$iate signi%icantly
%rom those o% water! serious error can &e intro-
duced &y using the standard manu%acturer*s pump
per%ormance cur$e without correction.
#his course will instruct you on how to normali'e or correct the pumping re(uirements o% a particu-
lar hydraulic application to compensate %or a $iscous %luid. #hese corrected $alues can then &e used
in con2unction with the manu%acturer*s standard pump water per%ormance cur$es.
!electing a ump for a "iscous #i$uid
#he student will %ollow a &asic %our-step procedure to select the proper pump when handling a
$iscous %luid-
J
#he most popular per%ormance correction charts are those de$eloped &y #he Hydraulic /nstitute!
Parsippany! Lew Mersey. #hey are contained in the pu&lication %&!'()' ump !tandards set, *++*
,elease. #his organi'ation*s per%ormance correction charts %or $iscous li(uids are widely pu&lished
and reproduced. /% a copy o% %&!'()' ump !tandards is not accessi&le to the student! reproduc-
tions o% the correction charts can &e $iewed in any o% the %ollowing or similar pu&lications-
#et us take an illustrative example-
;ssume %or our e,ample that pro2ect speci%ications dictate that a 00!000-gallon capacity storage
tan9 o% a hypothetical li(uid at E0G 1 must &e routinely emptied in a time not to e,ceed two hours.
3et us also assume that a%ter consulting a technical re%erence! it is determined that this hypothetical
li(uid has a $iscosity o% FJ0 centipoise at the stated temperature. /n a li9e %ashion! it is determined
E
1. ;ccurately determine or otherwise ascertain the re(uired process :$iscous<
%low rate and total dynamic head at the process temperature4
2. 8se an appropriate per%ormance correction chart with these two design
parameters along with the %luid*s $iscosity $alue! and e,tract three correc-
tion %actors- one each %or %low :C
.
<! head :C
)
<! and e%%iciency :C
/
<4
0. ;pply the correction %actors to the $iscous %low $alues to produce e(ui$al-
ent or augmented clear water pump per%ormance $alues4
B. 8se these pseudo $alues o% %low and head in con2unction with the manu%ac-
turer*s standard water per%ormance cur$es to select the most e%%icient pump.
Messina4Heald4Cooper4Narassi9! ump )andbook, Mc=raw-Hill! /+6L- 0D00B0020
Perry4=reen4Maloney! errys Chemical /ngineers )andbook! Mc=raw-Hill! /+6L-
00D0BAFB1J.
;$allone46aumeister! 0arks !tandard )andbook for 0echanical /ngineers! Mc-
=raw-Hill! /+6L- 00D00BAAD1.
/## /ndustries! =oulds Pumps! 10 *++2 ump !ection !ystem 3 Catalog, :CD R>M<.
Hic9s4Hic9s! !tandard )andbook of /ngineering Calculations! Mc=raw-Hill! /+6L-
00D02FF12D.
#he Duriron Company! /nc.! ump /ngineering 0anual! ;.P. herry O ;ssociates.
that the li(uid has a speci%ic gra$ity o% 0.AA0 at E0G 1. 1rom the gi$en in%ormation it can &e (uic9ly
determined that the pump*s capacity or rate o% %low must &e!
This is the pumps required viscous capacity. 3et us %urther assume that a%ter conducting a
care%ul hydraulic analysis o% the piping system to which this pump will &e connected! it has &een
determined that the pump will operate with a total dynamic head o% 1J0 %eet when pumping at this
rate o% 2J0 gpm. This is the pumps required viscous head (H
V
). +imply relying on a pump
manu%acturer*s standard water per%ormance cur$e at this point! with these $iscous %low and head
(uantities! will result in the erroneous selection o% a pump that will not satis%y the pro2ect speci%ica-
tions. This is because the pumped fluids viscosity has not been taken into consideration.
Increased fluid viscosity decreases pump capacity, head, and efficiency. /n essence! a pump
must &e selected with water pumping capacity and head greater than that determined %or the pumped
li(uid in order to compensate %or the reduced per%ormance. #he logical (uestion that %ollows is-
how much should these actual $iscous %luid per%ormance $alues &e increased to insure the relia&ility
o% the data plotted on the manu%acturer*s water per%ormance cur$e5
#he answer lies in the correction %actors deri$ed %rom #he Hydraulic /nstitute*s per%ormance correc-
tion charts %or $iscous li(uids. #wo $iscosity correction %actor charts are di$ided &y %low rate- one
chart %or %lows o% 100 gpm and &elow! and one chart %or %lows e,ceeding 100 gpm. /n the now su-
perseded 1B
th
"dition o% The )ydraulic 'nstitute !tandards, these charts appear on opposing pages
starting at page 112. :Highly signi%icant re$ision to $iscosity correction data rarely ta9es place4
ne$ertheless! the student would &e wise to periodically consult the Hydraulic /nstitute*s we& site at
www.pumps.org to determine the rele$ance o% the latest release o% the %&!'()' ump !tandards4.
/t must &e recogni'ed that #he Hydraulic /nstitute per%ormance correction charts are at &est appro,-
imations o% estimated $iscous pump per%ormance. #hey were created &ased on empirical rather than
rigorous analytical techni(ues. #heir use assumes uni%orm :Lewtonian< li(uids and use o% pumps o%
con$entional design in a normal operating range. #he student must also &e aware o% the %act that
certain groups o% %luids do not &eha$e as one would logically e,pect. Lewtonian %luids :water! wa-
ter-li9e! most oils! etc.< react in a logical %low &eha$ior4 they are una%%ected &y the magnitude and
9ind o% motion to which they are su&2ected. Lon-newtonian %luids! two groups o% which are 9nown
as dilatants and thi,otrophics! react counter intuiti$ely to e,ternal agitation or motion. 1luids in
D
.
"
= =
00 000
1
1
2
1
E0
2J0
! gal
hr
hr
min
gpm
these categories are &eyond the scope o% this course. ",amples o% non-newtonian %luids are sand
slurries! gels! paper stoc9! and the li9e.
Re%er to 1igure 1 on page A4 it is a schematic or skeleton representation o% the much more richly
data populated pu&lished correction chart : #he Hydraulic /nstitute<. 1ollow the procedure &elow
to use the chart. ;s a reminder! we are see9ing a pump that will handle li(uid at 2J0 gpm at a total
dynamic head o% 1J0 %eet. e 9now that our $iscosity is FJ0 cP.
#he Hydraulic /nstitute correction charts only display 9inematic $iscosity $alues4 there%ore! we
must %irst con$ert the a&solute $iscosity o% FJ0 centipoise to the 9inematic units o% centisto9es.
#his is per%ormed &y!

= = =
!
FJ0
0AA0
FJE
.
cs
5'nstructors note- 't is apparent in this case that the li$uids specific gravity is so close to that of
water that the conversion is somewhat academic. This is not always the case however4.
Low that we ha$e the proper $iscosity units! enter the chart :1igure 1< at the &ottom along the hori-
'ontal a,is with 2J0 gpm! go up to 1J0 %eet head line! o$er le%t or right :right in this e,ample<! to
the FJE cs line! and then up to the correction %actors cur$es. Pro2ect o$er hori'ontally to the le%t and
read the correction %actors-
C
.
P 0.D0 :the correction %actor %or capacity! dimensionless<
C
)
P 0.DF :the correction %actor %or head! dimensionless<
C
/
P 0.2F :the correction %actor %or hydraulic e%%iciency! dimensionless<
6nce determined for a particular application, how do ' use the correction factors?
#he %ollowing e(uations are used %or appro,imating the e(ui$alent water per%ormance when the re-
(uired $iscous capacity and head are 9nown and the $alues o% C
.
and C
)
ha$e &een determined-
.
.
C
)
)
C
W
"
.
W
"
)
= = and
F
A
here .
W
P the e(ui$alent water capacity! gpm
.
"
P the $iscous capacity! gpm
)
W
P the e(ui$alent water total dynamic head! %eet H
2
>
)
"
P the $iscous total dynamic head! %eet o% li(uid
/n our e,ample this translates to-
%eet 1A2
DF . 0
1J0
and gpm 0JD
D0 . 0
2J0
= = = =
W W
) .
6ased on these pseudo head and capacity $alues! commercially a$aila&le pump per%ormance cur$es
would &e researched to select a pump that can operate at these conditions and simultaneously
demonstrate the &est or highest hydraulic e%%iciency. 1or the purpose o% our e,ample! let us assume
that a suita&le pump is %ound %or the capacity :0JD gpm< and the head :1A2 %eet< re(uirements! and
that the per%ormance cur$e %or this pump indicates a hydraulic e%%iciency o% EFK at these condi-
tions. /n order to estimate our $iscous e%%iciency we need to employ a %ormula that uses the e%%i-
ciency correction %actor 5C
/
4 2ust determined %rom the chart :0.2F<-
/ / C
" W /
=
here /
"
P the resulting hydraulic e%%iciency! percent
/
W
P the water e%%iciency! percent
/n our e,ample this reduces to-
K 1A < 2F . 0 <: EF : = =
"
/
Low that we 9now the $iscous hydraulic e%%iciency! we can determine the re(uired power input to
the pump to trans%er this hypothetical li(uid. #he student may recall that hydraulic &ra9e
horsepower is gi$en &y-
&hp =
.)!
/ 0AE0
10
here &hp P &ra9e horse power
. P capacity! gpm
) P total dynamic head! %eet o% li(uid
/ P hydraulic e%%iciency! e,pressed as a %raction
! P %luid speci%ic gra$ity! dimensionless! :water Q EF.BG 1 P1.0<
e will o% course use the $iscous :actual< $alues that were dictated &y the e,ample pro2ect speci%ic-
ations! not the pseudo $alues! and the $iscous e%%iciency. #he resulting re(uired power &ecomes!
hp J . BA
< 1A . 0 <: 0AE0 :
< AA0 . 0 <: 1J0 <: 2J0 :
&hp = =
5a 7+ hp motor would probably be selected4
Summary
)iscosity is a measure o% a %luid*s resistance to %low. Pumped li(uids are generally considered $is-
cous when their a&solute $iscosity e,ceeds B0 centipoise. #his is the point at which the e%%ect on
pump per%ormance &ecomes apprecia&le4 at 100 centipoise the e%%ect is pronounced.
; centri%ugal pump handling a $iscous li(uid must de$elop a greater capacity and head! and it re-
(uires a larger power input than the same pump handling water. hen the re(uired $iscous per-
%ormance o% a pump is 9nown! it is possi&le to select a pump with a greater pseudo water per%orm-
ance that will in turn produce the re(uired actual $iscous per%ormance. #his selection process is ac-
complished through #he Hydraulic /nstitute*s per%ormance correction charts which must &e used
with caution. #he charts should not &e used %or mi,ed-%low or a,ial %low pumps or pumps o% spe-
cial design. 8se o% the charts should &e limited to pumps handling uni%orm li(uids4 slurries! gels!
paper stoc9 and other &inary mi,tures will cause incorrect pump selections.
/n essence! the $iscosity correction %actors o&tained %rom #he %&!'()' ump !tandards ena&le the
"ngineer to deri$e the $iscous per%ormance cur$e o% a pump %rom its standard water per%orm-
ance cur$es.
11

Selecting A Centrifugal Pump For Viscous Flow

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PDHonline Course M102 (2 PDH)

Selecting a Centrifugal Pump

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