Pumps

Background:
Fluids are moved through systems using pumps, fans, blowers, and
compressors. Such devices increase the mechanical energy of the fluid.
The additional energy can be used to increase:
Velocity (flow rate)
Pressure
Elevation
Pump, fan, blower, and compressor are terms that do not have precise
meaning. Generally pumps move liquids while fans, blowers and
compressors add energy to gasses.
Pumps and fans do not appreciably affect the density of the fluids that they
move and thus incompressible flow theory is applicable.
In any hydraulic system, Pumps create a flow of fluid. The pumps do not
create pressure but they have to overcome the system resistance to flow
what makes a pressure difference.









Pumps Classifications:

Roto-dynamic (Centrifugal) pumps:
Centrifugal pumps are the most common type of pumping machinery.
There are many types, sizes, and designs from various manufacturers who
also publish operating characteristics of each pump in the form of
performance (pump) curves.
Pump curves describe head delivered, pump efficiency, and net positive
suction head (NPSH) for a properly operating specific model pump.
Centrifugal pumps are generally used where high flow rates and moderate
head increases are required.




Centrifugal Pumps


Hydraulic Components
The principles of the hydraulic components are common for most
centrifugal pumps. The hydraulic components are the parts in contact with
the fluid. The following figure shows the hydraulic components in a single-
stage inline pump.





Impeller:
An impeller is the rotating component of a centrifugal pump that
accelerates the fluid inside the pump. The velocity gained by the fluid is
transformed later into pressure as the fluid leaves the pump. The fluid
enters the impeller through the eye, and then it is pushed by the vanes or
blades, and leaves the impeller through the holes. The impeller has also a
bore to attach the drive shaft.
The impeller is the pump component that has more influence on the pump
performance.
Open, semi-open, enclosed
The open impeller: consists only of blades attached to a hub. It resembles
a propeller. This impeller has low efficiency but it has to be used when it is
necessary to clean the impeller and where there is risk of blocking.
The semi-open impeller: has a circular plate attached to one side of the
blades.
The enclosed impeller (also known as shrouded impeller): has one circular
plate on each side.










Performance Curves:
Pump manufacturers supply performance curves for each of their pumps.
These are normally referred to as pump curves. These curves are
generally developed using water as the reference fluid.
The following can be read directly from a pump curve:
Head vs. flow rate information for any fluid
Pump efficiency for any fluid
Pump horsepower for system operating with water


Multi-Stage Centrifugal Pumps:
A centrifugal pump with a single impeller that can develop a differential
pressure of more than 150 psig between the suction and the discharge is
difficult and costly to design and construct. A more economical approach to
developing high pressures with a single centrifugal pump is to include
multiple impellers on a common shaft within the same pump casing.
Internal channels in the pump casing route the discharge of one impeller to
the suction of another impeller.
The figure shows a diagram of the arrangement of the impellers of a four-
stage pump. The water enters the pump from the top left and passes
through each of the four impellers in series, going from left to right. The
water goes from the volute surrounding the discharge of one impeller to the
suction of the next impeller.

A pump stage is defined as that portion of a centrifugal pump consisting of
one impeller and its associated components. Most centrifugal pumps are
single-stage pumps, containing only one impeller. A pump containing
seven impellers within a single casing would be referred to as a seven-stage
pump or, or generally, as a multi-stage pump.



Positive Displacement Pumps:
To move fluids positive displacement pumps admit a fixed volume of liquid
from the inlet into a chamber and eject it into the discharge.





Positive displacement (PD) pumps are used when higher head increases are
required. Generally they do not increase velocity.
Also they provide discontinuous flow unlike the centrifugal pumps.
Below, some types of PD Pumps

Internal gear
External gear
Screw
Lobe pump


Positive Displacement Pump Characteristic Curves:
Positive displacement pumps deliver a definite volume of liquid for each
cycle of pump operation. Therefore, the only factor that affects flow rate in
an ideal positive displacement pump is the speed at which it operates. The
flow resistance of the system in which the pump is operating will not affect
the flow rate through the pump.
The figure shows the characteristic curve for a positive displacement pump.
The dashed line in the figure shows actual
positive displacement pump performance.
This line reflects the fact that as the
discharge pressure of the pump increases,
some amount of liquid will leak from the
discharge of the pump back to the pump
suction, reducing the effective flow rate of
the pump. The rate at which liquid leaks
from the pump discharge to its suction is
called slippage.

Positive Displacement Pump Protection
Positive displacement pumps are normally fitted with relief valves on the
upstream side of their discharge valves to protect the pump and its
discharge piping from over pressurization. Positive displacement pumps
will discharge at the pressure required by the system they are supplying.
The relief valve prevents system and pump damage if the pump discharge
valve is shut during pump operation or if any other occurrence such as a
clogged strainer blocks system flow.


Positive Displacement Pump
Characteristic Curve


Pump Specific speed:
Specific speed is defined as the speed of an ideal pump geometrically
similar to the actual pump, which when running at this speed will raise a
unit of volume, in a unit of time through a unit of head
Pump specific speed is used to characterize the operation of a pump at its
optimum conditions (best efficiency point) and is useful for preliminary
pump selection.

The dimensionless pump specific speed is defined as:





: impeller angular velocity in rad/s
: flow rate in m
3
/s
g: gravity acceleration in m
2
/s
H: Head in m
But its common to express the specific speed in the customary units as
following,





Centrifugal pump impellers have specific speed values ranging from 500 to
10,000 (English units), with radial flow pumps operates optimally at 500-
4000, mixed flow at 2000-8000 and axial flow pumps at 7000-20,000.
Values of specific speed less than 500 are associated with positive
displacement (PD) pumps.


















Positive Displacement
The figure shows the maximum efficiency as a function of pump
specific speed for the three main types of dynamic pump. The
horizontal scales show non-dimensional pump specific speed (NSp),
pump specific speed in customary U.S. units (NSp, US)



NPSH, Net Positive Suction Head
NPSH is a term describing conditions related to cavitation, which is
undesired and harmful.
Cavitation is the creation of vapor bubbles in
areas where the pressure locally drops to the
fluid vapor pressure. The extent of cavitation
depends on how low the pressure is in the
pump. Cavitation generally lowers the head and
causes noise and vibration.
Cavitation first occurs at the point in the pump
where the pressure is lowest, which is most
often at the blade edge at the impeller inlet, as
in the figure.
The NPSH value is absolute and always
positive. NPSH is stated in meter [m] like the
head, see the figure. Hence, it is not necessary
to take the density of different fluids into
account because NPSH is stated in meters [m].
Distinction is made between two different NPSH values:
NPSH
R
and NPSH
A
.
NPSH
A
stands for NPSH Available and is an expression of how close the
fluid in the suction pipe is to vaporization. NPSH
A
is defined as:







NPSH
R
stands for NPSH Required and is an expression of the lowest NPSH
value required for acceptable operating conditions. The absolute pressure
P
abs, tot, in
can

be calculated from a given value of NPSH
R
and the fluid vapor
pressure by inserting NPSH
R
in the previous formula instead of NPSH
A
.
To determine if a pump can safely be installed in the system, NPSH
A
and
NPSH
R
should be found for the largest flow and temperature within the
operating range.
The risk of cavitation in systems can be used or prevented by:
Lowering the pump compared to the water level open systems.
Increasing the system pressure closed systems.
Shortening the suction line to reduce the friction loss.
Increasing the suction lines cross section area to reduce the fluid
velocity and thereby reduce friction.
Avoiding pressure drops coming from bends and other obstacles in
the suction line.
Lowering fluid temperature to reduce vapor pressure.