8.

HYDRAULIC PUMPS
Pumps are devices that transfer energy from an external source to a liquid
in order to move the liquid from one location to another. This process will
increase the energy of the liquid after it leaves the pump.
The hydraulic characteristics of a specific piping system (simply referred to
the system) as well as the physical and chemical characteristics of the liquid
itself would determine what type of pump is most suitable for one specific
application. These characteristics include liquid viscosity, specific weight,
working temperature, corrosion property, possibly dissolved gases and
suspended particles in the liquid. All of these elements along with the volume of
the liquid that has to be pumped per unit of time and the required pressure have
led to development of pumps with different structures, designs, and applications.
The mechanisms of energy transfer between pumps and the liquids are so
different that it is impossible to utilize a unique theory to describe the process.
For this reason, pumps are divided into different categories and each category is
then defined and analyzed. In the following sections the classification of pumps
in general and the description of turbopumps in particular are presented. To
show the reader the difference between each type, a picture of each pump has
been shown to illustrate the major differences.
8.1. Pump Classification
The classification of pumps is done based on different criteria. This
classification could be based on the application, internal structure, the mechanism
of energy transfer between pump and liquid, or based on the type of pumped
liquid. The most common way of classification is, however, based on the
mechanism of energy transfer. In this respect, pumps are divided into two major
categories:
1.
The dynamic pumps in which the energy transfer from the pump is
continuous.
2.
The positive-displacement pumps (PDP) in which the energy
transfer between the pumps and the liquid is periodic or non-continuous.
In Fig. 1.1 the classification chart of pumps based on this definition is
shown. As one can see, turbopumps belong to the first group, i.e. dynamic
pumps. Since turbopumps are the most common pumps that are used in
industry.
Hydraulic pumps are generally driven at constant speed by a three phase
AC induction motor rotating at 1500 rpm in the UK (with a 50 Hz supply) and at
1200 or 1800 rpm in the USA (with a 60 Hz supply). Often pump and motor are
supplied as one combined unit.

Fig. 8.1 Pump classification chart

The two basic types of pumps: positive-displacement (PDP) and dynamic or
momentum-change pumps are introduced in Fig. 8.2.

Fig. 8.2. Two tipes of hydraulic pumps

Typical of the first type is the centrifugal pump of Figure 8.2a. Fluid is
drawn into the axis of the pump, and flung out to the periphery by centrifugal
force. Flow of fluid into the load maintains pressure at the pump exit. Should the
pump stop, however, there is a direct route from outlet back to inlet and the
pressure rapidly decays away. Fluid leakage will also occur past the vanes, so
pump delivery will vary according to outlet pressure.
Devices such as that shown in Figure 8.2a are known as hydro-dynamic
pumps, and are primarily used to shift fluid from one location to another at
relatively low pressures. Water pumps are a typical application. But if gases are
involved, three different terms are in use, depending upon the pressure rise
achieved. If the pressure rise is very small (a few inches of water), a gas pump is
called a fan; up to 1 atm, it is usually called a blower; and above 1 atm it is
commonly termed a compressor.
Figure 8.2b shows a simple piston pump called a positive displacement or
hydrostatic pump. As the piston is driven down, the inlet valve opens and a
volume of fluid (determined by the cross section area of the piston and the length
of stroke) is drawn into the cylinder. Next, the piston is driven up with the inlet
valve closed and the outlet valve open, driving the same volume of fluid to the
pump outlet.
Should the pump stop, one of the two valves will always be closed, so there is
no route for fluid to leak back. Exit pressure is therefore maintained (assuming
there are no downstream return routes).
More important, though, is the fact that the pump delivers a fixed volume of
fluid from inlet to outlet each cycle regardless of pressure at the outlet port.
Unlike the hydrodynamic pump described earlier, a piston pump has no inherent
maximum pressure determined by pump leakage: if it drives into a dead end
load with no return route (as can easily occur in an inactive hydraulic system
with all valves closed) the pressure rises continuously with each pump stroke
until either piping or the pump itself fails.
8.2 Basic Hydraulic Parameters
Volumetric flow rate ( Q )
The flow rate or capacity is the volume of liquid delivered by the pump per
unit of time.
&)
Mass flow rate ( m
The mass flow rate is the mass of liquid delivered by a pump per unit of
time. The following relation exists between the mass flow rate and the volumetric
flow rate:
& Q
m
(8.1)
Pump operation is characterized by its capacity, pressure and total heads,
power consumption, coefficient of efficiency and rotation speed.
Pump capacity is liquid flow rate through discharge (outlet) tube Q .
Total head H
The monometric head or pump head represents the mechanical energy

transferred by the pump to the liquid which is pumped. This work is expressed
per unit of weight of the pumped liquid and is expressed by the height of liquid
columns.
Head encrease H is a difference between weigh unit energies of liquid
(energy grade lines) at outlet and inlet sections of the pump:

Vav2 out
Vav2 in
pout
pin
zin
,
H zout
out
in
(8.2)

g
2g
g
2g

where pout and pin are pressures at outlet and inlet of the pump
correspondingly (discharge pressure and intake pressure); Vav out and Vav in are
liquid averaged velocities at the pump outlet and inlet; out and in are kineticenergy correction factors; zout and zin are potential heads of section centers at
the outlet and inlet of the pump.
Vav2 out
Vav2 in
Value zout zin , and also out
in general considerably
in
2g
2g
pout pin

less than value

, that is why
g g
p
p
H H out H in out in ,
(8.3)
g g
where H out is energy grade line at the pump outlet; H in is energy grade line at
the pump inlet.
Pressure rise, developed by pump:
p pout pin ,
(8.4)
A hydraulic pump is specified by the flow rate it delivers (usually given in
litres min-1 or gallons min-1) and the maximum pressure the pump can withstand.
These are normally called the pump capacity (or delivery rate) and the pressure
rating.
Power ( P )
Different powers can be defined in a pump. The two most used definitions
are
1. PQ , useful power: the useful power transferred by the pump to the liquid.
2. P , input power or shaft horsepower.
The motor power required to drive a pump is determined by the pump
capacity and working pressure.
work force dis tance
PQ

(8.5)
time
time

In Figure 8.3, a pump forces fluid along a pipe of area A against a

pressure p , moving fluid a distance d in time T . The force is p A , which, when
substituted into expression 8.5 gives:
p A d
PQ
T
A d
but
is flow rate, hence:
T
PQ p Q g Q H

(8.6)

Figure 8.3 Derivation of pump power

Unfortunately, expression 8.6 is specified in impractical SI units (pressure
in pascal, time in seconds, flow in cubic metres). We may adapt the expression to
use more practical units (pressure in bar, flow rate in litres min" 1) with the
expression:
pQ
PQ
Kw
(8.7)
600
For Imperial systems (pressure in psig, flow rate in gallons min 1 ), the
expression becomes:
pQ
PQ
Kw
(8.8)
1915
For fully Imperial systems, motor power in horsepower can be found from:
Hosepower 0.75 power in Kw
(8.9)
Overall efficiency ( )
The overall efficiency of a pump is defined by
PQ g Q H

P
P

(8.10)

Like any mechanical device, pumps are not 100% efficient. The efficiency
of a pump may be specified in two ways. First, volumetric efficiency relates
actual volume delivered to the theoretical maximum volume. The simple piston
pump of Figure 8.2b, for example, has a theoretical volume of A s delivered per
stroke, but in practice the small overlap when both inlet and outlet valves are
closed will reduce the volume slightly.

Second, efficiency may be specified in terms of output hydraulic power and

input mechanical (at the drive shaft) or electrical (at the motor terminals) power.
Typical efficiencies for pumps range from around 90% (for cheap gear
pumps) to about 98% for high quality piston pumps. An allowance for pump
efficiency needs to be made when specifying pump capacity or choosing a
suitable drive motor.
Net positive suction head (NPSH)
There is another important parameter called net positive suction head that
affects the pump performance. NPSH defines the cavitation characteristic of a
pump.
8.3 Characteristic Curves
For pump users, there are several important variables which define the
operating conditions of a pump. These variables can be divided into two
categories:
1. Hydraulic variables, including flow rate, Q, and total head, H.
2. Mechanical variables, including rotational speed, n, and shaft power, P.
These variables are related to each other by the overall efficiency of the
pump. In order to find the characteristic curves of a pump, a hydraulic and a
mechanical variable must be chosen as independent variables. Then other
variables can be defined as functions of these two independent variables.
Usually, flow rate Q and rotational speed n or angular velocity are selected as
independent variables.
The variation of other variables versus Q and are called characteristic
surfaces of a pump and are defined as follows:
H f 1 ( Q , ) , P f 2 ( Q , ) , f 3 ( Q , )
(8.11)
Normally, characteristic surfaces are not easy to use and therefore they
are not presented in the pump catalogs. In practice, the characteristic curves are
presented by manufacturers for different constant speeds. Figure 2.1 shows a
sample of characteristic curves for a constant rotational speed.

Fig. 8.4 Typical pump characteristic curves

The relative performance (Head increase versus Q) is quite different for

the two types of pump, as shown in Fig. 8.5. At constant shaft rotation speed,
the PDP produces nearly con stant flow rate and virtually unlimited pressure
rise, with little effect of viscosity. The flow rate of a PDP cannot be varied
except by changing the displacement or the speed. The reliable constantspeed discharge from PDPs has led to their wide use in metering flows

Fig. 8.5. Comparison of performance curves of typical dynamic and

positive-displacement pumps at constant speed.
The dynamic pump, by contrast in Fig. 8.5, provides a continuous
constant-speed variation of performance, from near-maximum Ap at zero flow
(shutoff conditions) to zero Ap at maximum flow rate. High-viscosity fluids
sharply degrade the performance of a dynamic pump.
Pump data sheets specify required drive speed (usually 1200, 1500 or
1800 rpm corresponding to the speed of a three phase induction motor).
Pump capacity is directly related to drive speed; at a lower than specified
speed, pump capacity is reduced and pump efficiency falls as fluid leakage
(called slippage) increases. Pump capacity cannot, on the other hand, be
expected to increase by increasing drive speed, as effects such as centrifugal
forces, fric-tional forces and fluid cavitation will drastically reduce service life.
Hydraulic pumps such as that in Figure 8.2 do not require priming
because fluid flows, by gravity, into the pump inlet port. Not surprisingly this is
called a self-priming pump. Care must be taken with this arrangement to
avoid sediment from the tank being drawn into the pump.
The pump in Figure 8.6 is above the fluid in the tank. The pump creates
a negative (less than atmospheric) pressure at its inlet port causing fluid to be
pushed up the inlet pipe by atmospheric pressure. This action creates a fluid
lift which is, generally, incorrectly described as arising from pump suction. In
reality fluid is pushed into the pump.

Figure 8.6 Pump lift

Maximum pump lift is determined by atmospheric pressure and is given
by expressions 1.3 and 1.4. In theory a lift of about 8 m is feasible but, in
practice, would be accompanied by undesirable side effects such as cavitation
(formation and destructive collapse of bubbles from partial vaporisation of
fluid). The lift should be as small as possible and around 1 m is a normal
practical limit.
8.4 Positive-displacement pump types
There are essentially three different types of positive displacement pump
used in hydraulic systems.
Gear pumps
The simplest and most robust positive displacement pump, having just
two moving parts, is the gear pump. Its parts are non-reciprocating, move at
constant speed and experience a uniform force. Internal construction, shown
in Figure 8.7, consists of just two close meshing gear wheels which rotate as
shown. The direction of rotation of the gears should be carefully noted; it is the
opposite of that intuitively expected by most people.

Figure 8.7 Gear pump

As the teeth come out of mesh at the centre, a partial vacuum is formed
which draws fluid into the inlet chamber. Fluid is trapped between the outer
teeth and the pump housing, causing a continual transfer of fluid from inlet

chamber to outlet chamber where it is discharged to the system.

Pump displacement is determined by: volume of fluid between each pair
of teeth; number of teeth; and speed of rotation. Note the pump merely
delivers a fixed volume of fluid from inlet port to outlet port for each rotation;
outlet port pressure is determined solely by design of the rest of the system.
Performance of any
pump is limited by leakage
and the ability of the pump to
withstand
the
pressure
differential between inlet and
outlet ports. The gear pump
obviously requires closely
meshing gears, minimum
clearance between teeth and
housing, and also between
the gear face and side
plates. Often the side plates
of a pump are designed as
deliberately
replaceable
Figure 2.8 The lobe pump
wear plates. Wear in a gear
pump is primarily caused by dirt particles in the hydraulic fluid, so cleanliness
and filtration are particularly important.
The pressure differential causes large side loads to be applied to the
gear shafts at 45 to the centre line as shown. Typically, gear pumps are used
at pressures up to about 150 bar and capacities of around 600 lpm (6751 min1
). Volumetric efficiency of gear pumps at 90% is lowest of the three pump
types.
There are some variations of the basic gear pump. In Figure 8.8, gears
have been replaced by lobes giving a pump called, not surprisingly, a lobe
pump.

Figure 8.9

Further forms of gear pump

Figure 8.9a is another variation called the internal gear pump, where an
external driven gear wheel is connected to a smaller internal gear, with fluid
separation as gears disengage being performed by a crescent-shaped
moulding. Yet another variation on the theme is the gerotor pump of Figure
2.9b, where the crescent moulding is dispensed with by using an internal gear
with one less tooth than the outer gear wheel. Internal gear pumps operate at
lower capacities and pressures (typically 70 bar) than other pump types.
Vane pumps
The major source of leakage in a gear pump arises from the small gaps
between teeth, and also between teeth and pump housing. The vane pump
reduces this leakage by using spring (or hydraulic) loaded vanes slotted into
a driven rotor, as illustrated in the two examples of Figure 2.10.
In the pump shown in Figure
2.10a, the rotor is offset within the
housing,
and
the
vanes
constrained by a cam ring as they
cross inlet and outlet ports.
Because the vane tips are held
against the housing there is little
leakage
and
the
vanes
compensate to a large degree for
wear at vane tips or in the housing
itself. There is still, however,
leakage between rotor faces and
body sides. Pump capacity is
Figure 8.10 Vane pumps
determined by vane throw, vane
cross sectional area and speed of rotation. The difference in pressure
between outlet and inlet ports creates a severe load on the vanes and a large
side load on the rotor shaft which can lead to bearing failure. The pump in
Figure 2.10a is consequently known as an unbalanced vane pump. Figure
2.10b shows a balanced vane pump. This features an elliptical cam ring
together with two inlet and two outlet ports.
Pressure loading still occurs in the vanes but the two identical pump
halves create equal but opposite forces on the rotor, leading to zero net force
in the shaft and bearings. Balanced vane pumps have much improved service
lives over simpler unbalanced vane pumps.
Capacity and pressure ratings of a vane pump are generally lower than
gear pumps, but reduced leakage gives an improved volumetric efficiency of
around 95%.
In an ideal world, the capacity of a pump should be matched exactly to
load requirements. Expression 8.6 showed that input power is proportional to
system pressure and volumetric flow rate. A pump with too large a capacity
wastes energy (leading to a rise in fluid temperature) as excess fluid passes
through the pressure relief valve.

Pumps are generally sold with certain fixed capacities and the user has
to choose the next largest size. Figure 8.11 shows a vane pump with
adjustable capacity, set by the positional relationship between rotor and inner
casing, with the inner casing position set by an external screw.

Piston pumps
A piston pump is superficially similar to a motor car engine, and a simple
single cylinder arrangement was shown earlier in Figure 2.2b. Such a simple
pump, however, delivering a single pulse of fluid per revolution, generates
unacceptably large pressure pulses into the system. Practical piston pumps
therefore employ multiple cylinders and pistons to smooth out fluid delivery,
and much ingenuity goes into designing multi-cylinder pumps which are
surprisingly compact.

Figure 8.11 Variable displacement vane pump

Figure 8.12 shows one form of radial piston pump. The pump consists
of several hollow pistons inside a stationary cylinder block. Each piston has
spring-loaded inlet and outlet valves. As the inner cam rotates, fluid is
transferred relatively smoothly from inlet port to the outlet port.

Figure 8.12 Radial piston pump

The pump of Figure 8.13 uses the same principle, but employs a
stationary cam and a rotating cylinder block. This arrangement does not
require multiple inlet and outlet valves and is consequently simpler, more
reliable, and cheaper. Not surprisingly most radial piston pumps have this
construction.

Fig. 8.13 Piston pump with stationary cam and rotating block
Piston pumps have very high volumetric efficiency (over 98%) and can
be used at the highest hydraulic pressures. Being more complex than vane
and gear pumps, they are correspondingly more expensive.
Dynamic pumps generally provide a higher flow rate than PDPs and a
much steadier discharge but are ineffective in handling high-viscosity liquids.

Dynamic pumps also generally need priming; i.e., if they are filled with gas,
they cannot suck up a liquid from below into their inlet. The PDP, on the other
hand, is self-priming for most applications. A dynamic pump can provide very
high flow rates (up to 300,000 gal/min) but usually with moderate pressure
rises (a few atmospheres). In contrast, a PDP can operate up to very high
pressures (300 atm) but typically produces low flow rates (100 gal/min).
Table 2.1 gives a comparison of the various types of pump.
Type

Maximum

Maximum

Variable

Positive

pressure
(bar)

flow (l/min)

displacement

displacement

Centrifugal

20

3000

No

No

Gear

175

300

No

Yes

Vane

175

500

Yes

Yes

Axial piston (port-plate) 300

500

Yes

Yes

Axial piston (valved)

700

650

Yes

Yes

In-line piston

1000

100

Yes

Yes

Table 2.1

Comparison of hydraulic pump types

Specialist pumps are available for pressures up to about 7000 bar at

low flows. The delivery from centrifugal and gear pumps can be made
variable by changing the speed of the pump motor with a variable frequency
(VF) drive.
8.5 Dynamic pumps
Let us begin our brief look at rotodynamic machines by examining the
characteristics of the centrifugal pump. As sketched in Fig. 8.14, this pump
consists of an impeller rotating within a casing. Fluid enters axially through
the eye of the casing, is caught up in the impeller blades, and is whirled
tangentially and radially outward until it leaves through all circumferential parts
of the impeller into the diffuser part of the casing. The fluid gains both velocity
and pressure while passing through the impeller. The doughnut-shaped
diffuser, or scroll, section of the casing decelerates the flow and further increases the pressure.

Fig. 8.14 Typical centrifugal pump

The impeller blades are usually backward-curved, as in Fig. 8.14, but

there are also radial and forward-curved blade designs, which slightly change
the output pressure. The blades may be open, i.e., separated from the front
casing only by a narrow clearance, or closed, i.e., shrouded from the casing
on both sides by an impeller wall. The diffuser may be vaneless, as in Fig.
8.14, or fitted with fixed vanes to help guide the flow toward the exit.
Assuming steady flow, the pump basically increases the total head of the
flow between point 1, the eye, and point 2, the exit. From Eq. (8.2), neglecting
viscous work, kinetic energy correction factor and heat transfer, this change is
denoted by H :

p2 V22
p1 V 12
(8.12)
H z2
z1
hs h f ,

g
2
g

g
2
g

where hs is the pump head supplied and h f the losses. The net head H is a
primary output parameter for any turbomachine. Since Eq. (11.1) is for
incompressible flow, it must be modified for gas compressors with large
density changes. Usually V2 and V1 are about the same, z 2 z1 is no more
than a meter or so, and the total pump head is essentially equal to the
change in pressure head
p p1 p
H 2

(8.13)
g
g
The power delivered to the fluid simply equals the specific weight times
the discharge times the net head change
Pw g Q H

This is traditionally called the water horsepower. The power required to

drive the pump is the brake horsepower
Pbr T ,
(8.14)
where is the shaft angular velocity and T the shaft torque. If there were no
losses, Pw and brake horsepower would be equal, but of course Pw is actually
less, and the efficiency of the pump is defined as
P
g Q H

w
(8.15)
Pbr
T
The chief aim of the pump designer is to make as high as possible
over as broad a range of discharge Q as possible.
The efficiency is basically composed of three parts: volumetric,
hydraulic, and mechanical. The volumetric efficiency is
Q
v
(8.16)
Q QL
where QL is the loss of fluid due to leakage in the impeller-casing clearances.
The hydraulic efficiency is
hf
h 1
(8.17)
hs

where h f has three parts: (1) shock loss at the eye due to imperfect match
between inlet flow and the blade entrances, (2) friction losses in the blade
passages, and (3) circulation loss due to imperfect match at the exit side of
the blades. Finally, the mechanical efficiency is
Pf
h 1
(8.18)
Pbr
where P f is the power loss due to mechanical friction in the bearings,
packing glands, and other contact points in the machine.
By definition, the total efficiency is simply the product of its three parts
v h
m
(8.19)
The designer has to work in all three areas to improve the pump.
To construct an elementary theory of pump performance, we assume
one-dimensional flow and combine idealized fluid-velocity vectors through the
impeller with the angular-momentum theorem for a control volume.
The idealized velocity diagrams are shown in Fig. 8.15. The fluid is
assumed to enter the impeller at r r1 with velocity component w1 tangent to
the blade angle 1 plus circumferential speed u1 r1 matching the tip speed
of the impeller. Its absolute entrance velocity is thus the vector sum of w1 and
u1 , shown as V1 . Similarly, the flow exits at r r2 with component w 2 parallel
to the blade angle 2 plus tip speed u2 r2 , with resultant velocity V2 .

Fig. 8.15 Inlet and exit velocity diagrams for an

idealized pump impeller.
We applied the angular-momentum theorem to a turbomachine and
arrived at a result for the applied torque T

T Q r2Vt 2 r1Vt 1

(8.20)
where Vt 1 and Vt 2 are the absolute circumferential velocity components of
the flow. The power delivered to the fluid is thus
Pw T Q u2Vt 2 u1Vt 1 ,
or
(8.21)
P
1
H w u2Vt 2 u1Vt 1
gQ g
These are the Euler turbomachine equations, showing that the torque,
power, and ideal head are functions only of the rotor-tip velocities u1,2 and
the absolute fluid tangential velocities Vt 1,2 , independent of the axial
velocities (if any) through the machine.
Additional insight is gained by rewriting these relations in another form.
From the geometry of Fig. 8.15
w cos u Vt
V 2 u 2 w 2 2uw cos
or

w cos uVt 21 V 2 u 2 w 2

(8.22)

Substituting this into Eq. (8.21) gives

1
H
V22 V12 u22 u12 w 22 w12
(8.23)

2g
Thus the ideal head relates to the absolute plus the relative kineticenergy change of the fluid minus the rotor-tip kinetic-energy change. Finally,
substituting for H from its definition in Eq. (8.12) and rearranging, we obtain
the classic relation
p
w 2 r 2 2
z

const
(8.24)
g
2g
2g
This is the Bernoulli equation in rotating coordinates and applies to
either two- or three-dimensional ideal incompressible flow.
For a centrifugal pump, the power can be related to the radial velocity
Vn Vt tan and the continuity relation
Pw T Q u2Vn2 cot 2 u1Vn1 cot 1
(8.25)
Q
Q
Where Vn2
and Vn1
and where b1 and b2 are the
2 r2 b2
2 r1b1
blade widths at inlet and exit. With the pump parameters r1 , r2 , 1 , 2 ,and
known, Eqs. (8.12) or Eq. (8.25) is used to compute idealized power and
head versus discharge. The design flow rate Q* is commonly estimated by
assuming that the flow enters exactly normal to the impeller
1 90
Vn1 V1 (8.26)
We can expect this simple analysis to yield estimates within 25 percent
for the head, water horsepower, and discharge of a pump. Let us illustrate
with an example.

Example 8.1
Given are the following data for a commercial centrifugal water pump:
r1 4 in, r2 7 in, 1 30 , 2 20 , speed = 1440 r/min. Estimate (a) the
design-point discharge, (b) the water horsepower, and (c) the head if
b1 b2 1.75in .
Solution
Part (a) The angular velocity is 2 r / s 2 1440 / 60 150.8rad / s .
Thus the tip speeds are u1 r1 150.8 4 / 12 50.3 ft / s
u2 r2 150.8 7 / 12 88.0 ft / s .

and

Fig. 8.16 inlet-velocity diagram

From the inlet-velocity diagram, Fig. 8.16, with 1 90 for design point,
we compute
Vn1 u1 tan 30 29.0 ft / s
whence the discharge is
4 1.75

Q 2 r1b1Vn1 2
29.0
12
12

1728

8.87 ft 3 / s 60s / min

gal / ft 3 3980 gal / min
231

(The actual pump produces about 3500 gal/min.)

Part (b)
Vn2

The outlet radial velocity follows from Q

Q
8.87

16.6 ft / s
2 r2 b2 2 7 1.75 / 12

12

Fig. 8.17 Outlet-velocity diagram

This enables us to construct the

outlet-velocity diagram as in Fig. 8.17,
2 20 .
given
The
tangential
component is
Vt 2 u2 Vn2 cot 2

2 tan1

88.0 16.6 cot 20 42.4 ft / s

16.6
21.4
42.4

The power is then computed from Eq. (8.12) with Vt 1 0 at the design
point

Pw Qu2Vt 2 1.94slugs / ft 3

8.87 ft

/ s 42.4 ft / s

64.100 ft lb / s
117 hp
550
(The actual pump delivers about 125 water horsepower, requiring 147
bhp at 85 percent efficiency.)
Part (c) Finally, the head is estimated from Eq. (8.12)
Pw
64.100 ft lbf / s
H

116 ft
3
3
g Q
62.4lbf / ft
8.87 ft / s

(The actual pump develops about 140-ft head.)

8.5.1 Iso-efficiency Curves
The complete characteristic curves of a pump also include the curves
that are called the iso-efficiency curves. In Fig. 8.18 the two-dimensional
complete characteristic curves,
with iso-efficiency curves for a
turbopump, are shown. These
curves are plotted as follows. First
the experimentally head-discharge
characteristic curve at different
speeds of 0.5 1.3 of nominal
speed are determined and plotted
(solid parabolic lines in the upper
plot). This will cover the whole
operation range of a pump. The
curves are plotted in a nondimensional system of coordinates,
where
the
non-dimensional
characteristic
curves
of
H H nom f Q Qnom is obtained
as H% f Q% . Subscript n
notifies the characteristic curve at
normal speed.

Fig. 8.18 Characteristic curves for

different rotational speeds
Now the efficiency curves of f 3 Q which are obtained from the

experiment at the same rotational speeds are plotted, using the same
percentage scale for the discharge axis (lower plot). For clarity, only the
efficiency curve at nominal speed is shown in this figure. The intersection of
this curve with the straight lines of the same efficiency, e.g.
0.48, 0.56 , 0.64 , 0.72, 0.78 and 0.80 (maximum efficiency), are then
obtained (see the lower plot).
Now, from each efficiency curve, these points are projected to the nondimensional head-discharge curve on the top plot. Once this procedure is
completed for all efficiency and head-discharge curves at different speeds,
the point with equal efficiency values are connected to each other, forming a
series of closed oval iso-efficiency curves. These curves are very important
during the pump selection, since they would show the efficiency of the pump
at different conditions and rotational speeds.
If the points of the H = f (Q) curves corresponding to the best operating
conditions (maximum efficiency) at the respective speeds are joined together,
a parabolic curve is obtained whose apex is at the origin and its axis coincides
with the H-axis (solid line in the upper plot). This curve represents the
optimum operating conditions for the impeller. The other similar curves,
dashed lines, show the similar flow conditions, but at different efficiencies.
The characteristic curves of a pump can be obtained by experiments or
through theoretical methods.