CENTRIFUGALPUMPPERFORMANCE

Objectives
1. Toillustratethepracticalapplicationofpipingandpumpingtheory.
2. Topredicttheoperatingcapacityofanyflowconfigurationfromknowledgeofa
singlepumpcharacteristiccurve.
3. Todeterminethecausesofdiscrepancybetweentheachievedflowsandtheflows
predictedbasedinexistingcorrelations.
4. To test your abilities to solve a partly openended problem, in which all the
detailsofthenecessaryprocedurearenotgiven.
Introduction
Consideracentrifugalpumpthatisusedfordeliveringafluidthroughapipeline
thatmayinvolvefittingsandanelevationchange.Atypicalperformancecurveforthe
pumpisgiveninFig.1,whichshowsthattheheadincreasehacrossthepumpdeclines
astheflowrateQincreases.Forthepipe,however,theheadlossincreaseswithflowrate
(why?),andistypicallyoftheform h= Q2 forturbulentflow. Theconstant
representsahydrostatictermand,ifpositive,wouldmeanthatthefluidisbeingpumped
upwards. Theconstant representsthefrictionalresistanceofthepipeandassociated
fittings.

Fig.1Pumpandpipecharacteristics.
Inthisparticularexample,thereisastablepointofoperationP,wherethetwo
curvescross. Inthisevent,acommonflowrate Q passesthroughboththepumpand
31

pipeline,andtheheadincreaseaffordedbythepumpequalstheheadlossinthepipeline.
However, it could occur (for sufficiently large ) that there is no stable point of
operation.Centrifugalpumpsworkduetocentrifugalforceimpartedtothefluidbythe
rotatingimpeller.However,ifair(orfluidvapor)partiallyfillstheimpellercavity,the
pumpwilldeliverasmallerheadthanpredictedbythecharacteristiccurve.Inextreme
cases,whentheimpellercavityistotallyfilledwithair,thepumpwillcompletelystop
pumping. Inthiscase,thepumpmustbeshutdowncompletelytoallowtheimpeller
cavitytofillwithfluidbeforerestartingthepump.
Theory
Thebasicequationforthepressurechangeinapipelineshouldalreadybequite
familiartoyou:
2 L
p 2 f F m gz,
D
(1)
inwhichallsymbolshavetheirusualmeanings,meansfinalminusinitial,andLis
understoodtoincludeallfittings.
ReferringtoFig.2,supposethatvalves1,3,and4areopen,butvalve2and5are
closed,sotheflowproceedsfromthelowertankthroughthepumptotheuppertank.
RealizingthattheflowrateQisproportionaltothemeanvelocityum,equation(1)canbe
rephrasedintermsofheadsandappliedtothelengthsofpipebefore(A)andafter(C)the
pump:
(2)
(3)
Here,allquantitiesthatareconstanthavebeenlumpedintotheconstantsA,C,A,
andC.Asimilarequationholdsforh3h4,withconstantsBandB.Equations(2)and
(3)assumethatthefrictionfactorisconstant,whichisessentiallytrueforturbulentflow.
Iftheflowwerelaminar(isit?)theexponenton Q wouldbeone,nottwo. Also,the
performancecharacteristicforthepumpisoftheform
(4)
inwhichf(Q)representsacurvesuchasthepumpcurveappearinginFig.1.Notethatat
thepointPwheretheheadgainedbythefluidinthepumpisequaltothetotalheadloss
inthepiping,wecanwrite:

f Q A C A C Q2 .

(5)

Solutionof(5)forQ,probablygraphically,givesthepointPsuchasappearsinFig.1.
Whenworkingwithcentrifugalpumpsitisalwaysconvenienttomeasurethepressure
gainofafluidtroughthepumpasaheadgaininsteadofapressuregain.Thisisbecause
thepressuregeneratedinthepumpduetocentrifugalforceisproportionaltothedensity
of the liquid while the head generated by the pump is not. The head increase is a
characteristicofthepump,anditisindependentoftheliquidbeingpumped.

32

Equipment
A schematic diagram of the equipment is shown in Fig. 2. It consists of the
followingitems:
threeidenticalcentrifugalpumps,MARCHmodelno.BC3CMD
aloweranduppertankforwaterstorage,
oneOmegadyneDifferentialPressure(DP)gaugeModelDPG409050DWU,
a paddlewheel flow meter (Omega FP5300) 1 with electronic digital display
(OmegaFPM730),
awatersupplyvalvetofillthelowertankwithwater,
an auxiliary 3way water valve for removing air from all the pressure tap
tubing(purgevalve),
pipingextendingtotheuppertank,andmiscellaneousothertubingandvalves.
Valves1,2and3arefullportballvalvesandshouldofferlittleresistancetoflow
iftheyarefullyopen.Valves4and5arestandardportballvalves(thesevalveshavean
orificediameterapproximately3/4ofthepipediameter).
Allpipesandfittingsconnectingthelowertankwiththepumps(excepttheflexible
hoses)are3/4schedule80pipemadeofpolyvinylchloride(PVC),andthepipesleading
totheuppertankare1/2schedule80PVC
Hoses with CamLock fittings are provided to connect the pumps in various
modes.Singlepumpoperationaswellastwoorthreepumpeitherinparallelorinseries
arepossiblewiththeprovidedfittings.

Fig.2aExperimentalapparatusshowing3pumpsinparallel.

1OmegaisbrandnameofOmegaEngineeringInc.Stamford,CT
33

Fig.2bExperimentalapparatusshowing3pumpsinseries.
Theelectricalsupplyisfittedwithagroundfaultdisconnectthatwillshutoffifany
tinycurrenttogroundissensed,inordertominimizeanyhazardscausedbyoperating
electricalequipmentintheproximityofwater.
Pressuredifferences p featureprominentlyinthisequipment. TheDifferential
pressuregaugeinstalledintheequipmentread pressuredifferentials betweenanytwo
pressuretapsP(oneofwhichmaybeopentotheexternalatmosphere).Therearea
totalof8pressuretapsintheapparatus,4ofthemarelabeledwithnumberslocatedin
variousplacesinthepiping,twoarelocatedattheinletandoutletofonecentrifugal
pump, one is open to the atmosphere, and one is connected to the bottom of the
manometer. Thedifferentialpressure(asreadbygauge)is,ofcourse,relatedbythe
equationp=ghtoheaddifferentials.ThepressuretubingWWatthebottomof
thegauge,canallowthepassageofcitywaterinordertopurgeairfromthelines.
All the pressure taps P in the equipment are connected to quickconnect fittings
mountedonthefrontoftheinstrumentpanel.TodisconnectthepressuretapsWfrom
thepanelpressonthetopofthemetalretaineronthefitting(makesurethemetalretainer
remainsintheopen(down)positionasthefittingseparates).Toreconnectthepressure
tapsWjustinsertinanyopenfittingandpressuntilthemetalretainersnapsbacktothe
lockedposition.
AsshowninFig.3,considerthecaseinwhichthegaugepressureisneededfor
findingthehead(relativetoatmosphere)atapointA.Onesideofthedifferentialhead
gaugewillbeconnectedtoA,andtheothersidewillbeconnectedtoapointB,ventedto
atmosphere. (Look behind the control panel to doublecheck.) In each case, the
connectingtubingisfullofwater.BecauseoftheelevationchangeHbetweenAandB,
thetrueheadatAisnothasregisteredbythegauge,buth+H.However,iftheinlet
ofthepumpisopentothelowertankandthetubeopentoBisalsosubmergedinthe
lowertankwater,thenH=0.

34

Fig.3Detailofheaddifferentialgauge.

TestingtheAccuracyofthePressureandFlowinstrumentation.
Asetupwasinstalledtoverifytheaccuracyofthedifferentialpressuregaugeinthe
Centrifugalpumpsapparatus.Thissetupconsistsofatransparentplasticstandpipethat
allowstheuseofawatercolumn(underatmosphericpressureorundercompressedair)to
comparewiththepressureinthedifferentialpressuregauge.Fig4isadiagramofthe
setup.
Thecoppertubingis47.5in.long(includingvalvesandfittings)withOD=0.25
inchesandID=0.194inches.Theplasticpipeis1.048inchesOD,0.805inchesIDan
thelengthLfromthetopofthepipetothesurfaceofthewatercanbemeasuredwith
theattachedmeasuringtape.
Usethefollowingproceduretotestthedifferentialpressuregaugesaccuracy:
1.Openthemainwatersupplyvalve(locatednearthewallontheleftoftheequipment).
2.Opentheisolationvalvebetweenthelowerwatertankandthestandpipe.
3.Openthevalvefortheventatthetopofthestandpipe.
4.Fillthelowerwatertankapproximatelytoofitscapacityusingvalve7(seefigure2
fordetails)
5.ConnecttheHPsideofthegaugetothebottomofthemanometer,andtheLPtubingto
theopentoatmosphere.
6.Usethepurgevalvetopurgeanyairfromthehighpressureandlowpressuretubing
connectingthepressuregaugestotheapparatus.
7.Whenthelevelsinthetankandthestandpipearestableandequal,recordthelevelin
themeasuringtapeofthestandpipeandthedifferentialpressurereadinginthegauge.
8.Closetheisolationvalvebetweenthelowerwatertankandthestandpipe.
9.Addanydesireamountofwatertothestandpipeusingthehighpressuresideofthe
purgevalve.Recordthewaterlevelinthestandpipeandthepressurereadingsinthe
gauge.
10.Constructatableofdifferentialpressurereadingsandactualpressuredifferencesas
measuredbytheheightofwaterinthestandpipetoverifythegaugeaccuracy.
35

11.Toextendtherangeofpossibledifferentialpressuresmeasuredwiththestandpipeuse
thefollowingsteps.
a. Opentheisolationvalvebetweenthelowerwatertankandthestandpipe
b. Whenthelevelsinthetankandthestandpipearestableandequal,closethevent
atthetopofthestandpipeandclosetheisolationvalvebetweenthelowerwater
tankandthestandpipe
c. Addanydesireamountofwatertothestandpipeusingthehighpressuresideof
the purge valve. Record the water level in the standpipe and the pressure
readingsinthegauge.
d. Calculatethetotalpressureinthestandpipe(watercolumnplusairpressure)
e. Completethetablecreatedinstep8withthevaluesobtainedinstep9d.

DP Gauge
Plastic
Pipe

Water supply

Purge
valve

LP

Quick
connects

Copper
Tube

HP

Vent
valve

Water
Level

Isolation
Valve
Fig4Pressuremeasurementdevice.
Analternatewaterpathtothelowertankequippedwithavalveandaflexible
dischargehose,canbeusedtoverifytheaccuracyoftheflowmeter.

36

Usethefollowingproceduretotesttheflowmeteraccuracy:
1.Connectthe3centrifugalpumpsinseries.
2.Fillthelowerwaterreservoiraboutfullwithcitywater(themainwatersupplyvalve
locatednearthewallontheleftoftheequipment,andvalve7needtobeopen).
3.Openvalves1,2,3,and5fully(seefigure2fordetails).Closevalve4.
4.Purgetheairfromthefirstpumpintheseries.
5.TurnONthefirstpumpontheseries,andwaituntilallairisdisplacedfromthepiping
andthewaterflowhasstabilized
6.Closevalve2
7.Recordtheflowindicatedbytheflowmeterandmeasurethewaterflowleavingthe
hoseprovideddownstreamofvalve5.Useanappropriatecontainerandtimerforthis
task.
8.Toobtainlowervaluesofflow,MakesureonlyonepumpisturnedONandadjustthe
flowbythrottlingvalve3
9.Toobtainhighervaluesofflow,makesurevalve3isfullyopenandturnONeither2
pumpsorall3pumps.
10.Createatableofvaluesofmeasuredflowandflowmeterrecordings.
ProblemStatement
1. Fillthelowertanktoacertainlevel,whichshouldbenoted,andmaintainitatthis
levelthroughoutallyourruns.
2. Performtestsononeofthepumpstodetermineitscompleteh/Qcurveasshown
in equation 4. You should proceed as far as possible towards zero h,
correspondingtothemaximumflowrateQmax.However,asinglepumpbyitself
willnotbeabletoovercomeallpiperesistancesandgenerateQmax,soyouwill
probablyneedtoconnectthepumpsinseries,ortodevisesomeotherprocedure,
inanattempttoboosttheflowrate.Attempttofitthecurvebyapolynomialor
someotherfunction,asStep4belowwillthenbesimplified.
3. MeasurethepipingandfittingsonpipingrunA(connectingthelowertankwith
thepumpinlets),pipingrunB(connectingthepumpsoutletytothelowertank,
and piping run C (connecting the pumps outlet to the upper tank, and try to
determinetheconstants A, B, C, A, B, and C.basedonthecorrelations
existingintheliteratureforflowinpipesandpipefittingsasshowninequation1.
Notethatyoushouldbeabletoestimatethevaluesof A,B,andCpurelyfrom
elevationchanges.
4. Youmayalsoneedtoinvestigatetheresistancetoflowofanyadditionaltubingor
fittings when two or more pumps are connected together in different
configurations,andtoincorporatesuchresistancesintotheequations.Asalways,
youmustusegoodjudgmenthere.
5. BasedontheresultsinStep2above,predicttheperformancecurvesforfirsttwo
and then three pumps combined together in all possible series and/or parallel
configurations. For example, if the performance curve for a single pump is
h=Q2,youshouldsatisfyyourselfthatfortwopumpsinparallelitis
hp=Q/2)2,andsoon.
6. Basedonyourfindings,decidehowtoarrangefirsttwoandthenthreepumpsin
ordertomaximizetheflowrateofwater:

37

(a)Fromthelowertankbacktothelowertank.
(b)Fromthelowertanktotheuppertank.
7. Finally,checkyourdecisionsexperimentallynotjustforthemaximumflows,
butfortheotherintersectionsofthepumpingandpipingcurves.
QuestionsforConsideration
Youshouldbefamiliarwiththefollowingitems:
1. Therelationbetweenchangeofpressurepandchangeofheadh.
2. Theusualshapeofagraphrelatingtheheadincrease h acrossacentrifugal
pumpversusthedischargerateQ.
3. TheequationgivingthelossofheadforaflowrateQinapipelineoflengthLand
diameterDthatmayalsoincludeanelevationchangez.
4. Commonphysicalpropertiessuchasthedensityofwaterandconversionfactors
suchasGPMtocubicfeetpersecond,inchesofwatertopsi,etc.
5. Anypotentialsafetyhazards.
6. Bernoulli'sequation.
7. Howtotestthepumpatitsmaximumflowrate,butwithzeroheadincrease
acrossit.
8. GiventhecurveQversushforasinglepump,howtoconstructasimilarcurve
fortwoandthreepumpsinseriesand/orparallelarrangements.
9. Thenatureoftheflowisitlikelytobelaminar,orturbulent?

J.O.Wilkes,P.LaValle,January18,2015

38