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CentrifugalPumps

CentrifugalPumps
AnintroductiontoCentrifugalPumps
Acentrifugalpumpconvertsinputpowertokineticenergybyacceleratingliquidinarevolvingdevice
animpeller.
Themostcommonisthevolutepumpwherefluidentersthepumpthroughtheeyeoftheimpeller
whichrotatesathighspeed.Thefluidacceleratesradiallyoutwardfromthepumpchasinganda
vacuumiscreatedattheimpellerseyethatcontinuouslydrawsmorefluidintothepump.

TheenergyfromthepumpsprimemoveristransferedtokineticenergyaccordingtheBernoulli
Equation.Theenergytransferredtotheliquidcorrespondstothevelocityattheedgeorvanetipof
theimpeller.Thefastertheimpellerrevolvesorthebiggertheimpelleris,thehigherwillthevelocity
oftheliquidenergytransferredtotheliquidbe.ThisisdescribedbytheAffinityLaws.

PressureandHead
Ifthedischargeofacentrifugalpumpispointedstraightupintotheairthefluidwillpumpedtoa
certainheightorheadcalledtheshutoffhead.Thismaximumheadismainlydeterminedbythe
outsidediameterofthepump'simpellerandthespeedoftherotatingshaft.Theheadwillchangeas
thecapacityofthepumpisaltered.
Thekineticenergyofaliquidcomingoutofanimpellerisobstructedbycreatingaresistanceinthe
flow.Thefirstresistanceiscreatedbythepumpcasingwhichcatchestheliquidandslowsitdown.
Whentheliquidslowsdownthekineticenergyisconvertedtopressureenergy.
itistheresistancetothepump'sflowthatisreadonapressuregaugeattachedtothedischarge
line
Apumpdoesnotcreatepressure,itonlycreatesflow.Thegaugepressureisameasurementofthe
resistancetoflow.
Influidsthetermheadisusedtomeasurethekineticenergywhichapumpcreates.Headisa
measurementoftheheightoftheliquidcolumnthepumpcouldcreatefromthekineticenergythe
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pumpgivestotheliquid.
themainreasonforusingheadinsteadofpressuretomeasureacentrifugalpump'senergyisthat
thepressurefromapumpwillchangeifthespecificgravity(weight)oftheliquidchanges,butthe
headwillnot
Thepump'sperformanceonanyNewtonianfluidcanalwaysbedescribedbyusingthetermhead.
DifferentTypesofPumpHead
TotalStaticHeadTotalheadwhenthepumpisnotrunning
TotalDynamicHead(TotalSystemHead)Totalheadwhenthepumpisrunning
StaticSuctionHeadHeadonthesuctionside,withpumpoff,iftheheadishigherthanthepump
impeller
StaticSuctionLiftHeadonthesuctionside,withpumpoff,iftheheadislowerthanthepump
impeller
StaticDischargeHeadHeadondischargesideofpumpwiththepumpoff
DynamicSuctionHead/LiftHeadonsuctionsideofpumpwithpumpon
DynamicDischargeHeadHeadondischargesideofpumpwithpumpon
Theheadismeasuredineitherfeetormetersandcanbeconvertedtocommonunitsforpressure
likepsi,Paorbar.
itisimportanttounderstandthatthepumpwillpumpallfluidstothesameheightiftheshaftis
turningatthesamerpm
Theonlydifferencebetweenthefluidsistheamountofpowerittakestogettheshafttotheproper
rpm.Thehigherthespecificgravityofthefluidthemorepowerisrequired.
CentrifugalPumpsare"constantheadmachines"
Notethatthelatterisnotaconstantpressuremachine,sincepressureisafunctionofheadand
density.Theheadisconstant,evenifthedensity(andthereforepressure)changes.
Theheadofapumpcanbeexpressedinmetricunitsas:
h=(p2p1)/(g)+v22/(2g)(1)
where
h=totalheaddeveloped(m)
p2=pressureatoutlet(N/m2)
p1=pressureatinlet(N/m2)
=density(kg/m3)

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g=accelerationofgravity(9.81)m/s2
v2=velocityattheoutlet(m/s)
Headdescribedinsimpleterms
apump'sverticaldischarge"pressurehead"istheverticalliftinheightusuallymeasuredinfeet
ormofwateratwhichapumpcannolongerexertenoughpressuretomovewater.Atthispoint,
thepumpmaybesaidtohavereachedits"shutoff"headpressure.Intheflowcurvechartfora
pumpthe"shutoffhead"isthepointonthegraphwheretheflowrateiszero

PumpEfficiency
Pumpefficiency,(%)isameasureoftheefficiencywithwichthepumptransfersusefulworktothe
fluid.
=Pout/Pin(2)
where=efficiency(%)
Pin=powerinput
Pout=poweroutput

RelatedTopics
PumpsPipingsystemsandpumpscentrifugalpumps,displacementpumpscavitation,
viscosity,headandpressure,powerconsumptionandmore

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