ME2135 Fluid Mechanics II

Tutorial 1: Turbomachinery

National University of Singapore

Department of Mechanical Engineering
ME2135 Fluid Mechanics II
Tutorial 1: Turbomachinery
1. A centrifugal pump has blade widths b1 = 5 cm, b2 = 3 cm, and radii r1 = 8 cm, r2 = 15
cm. The blade angles are 1 = 45, 2 = 30. The pump discharges water at 60 l/s.
Assuming negligible losses, and the design condition of whirl-free (1 = 90) and
shock-free entry, determine
(a) the impeller rotational speed;
(b) the head;
(c) the torque;
(d) the power; and
(e) the pressure rise across the impeller.
[(a) 285.0 rpm; (b) 0.365 m; (c) 7.206 N-m; (d) 215.1 W; (e) 3.862 kPa]
2. A centrifugal pump delivers 0.3 m3/s of water at 1500 rpm. The total effective head is
20 m. The impeller is 30 cm in diameter and 40 mm wide at the exit, and is designed
for constant velocity of flow. Both the suction and delivery pipes have the same bore.
Assuming negligible losses, estimate the following vane angles:
(a) for the impeller vanes at the exit (2);
(b) for entry to the stationary guide vanes surrounding the impeller.
[(a) 27.58; (b) 43.70]
3. A centrifugal pump has r2 = 15 cm, b2 = 3 cm and 2 = 30 and rotates at 285 rpm. If
the theoretical power is 215.1 W, determine
(a) the flow rate;
(b) the head.
Assume near-radial entry flow.
[(a) 0.06 m3/s or 0.0131 m3/s; (b) 0.365 m or 1.678 m]
4. A pump manufacturer wishes to design a new series of pumps for pumping water. A
prototype with a 30 cm diameter impeller produces 2.5 m of head at a flow rate of 200
m3/h and a rotational speed of 1200 rpm, and is 80% efficient. The largest pump in
this new family will have an impeller diameter of 50 cm. What rotational speed will
yield the same discharge under dynamically similar conditions? What will be the
corresponding head and the required shaft power? Assume that the effects of viscosity
are negligible.
[259.2 rpm; 0.324 m; 220.8 W]
5. A centrifugal pump has been designed to pump castor oil having a density of 944
kg/m3 and viscosity of 0.144 Ns/m2. The design has been tested by means of
experiments carried out on a model of one-quarter scale in which air is used as the
working fluid. The density of air is 1.23 kg/m3 and its viscosity is 1.82 x 10-5 Ns/m2.
It is important that viscous effects are accurately represented. If the oil pump runs at
100 rad/s, calculate the rotational speed of the model air blower. In addition,
determine the ratio of the powers required for the two machines.
[155.2 rad/s; 210.2 x 103]

Semester 2, AY2016/17

ME2135 Fluid Mechanics II

Tutorial 1: Turbomachinery

6. A centrifugal pump operating at 3000 rpm yielded the following results at peak
efficiency when pumping water during a laboratory test:
Effective head: H = 75 m of water
Flowrate: Q = 0.05 m3/s
Overall efficiency: = 80%
(a) Calculate the specific speed of the pump in dimensionless terms based on the
rotational speed in rev/s.
(b) A dynamically similar pump is to operate at a corresponding point of its
characteristic when delivering 0.5 m3/s of water against a total head of 120 m.
Determine the rotational speed at which the pump should run to meet the duty, as
well as the ratio of its impeller diameter to that of the model pump tested in the
laboratory; stating any assumptions made. What will be the power consumed by
the pump?
[(a) 0.0791; (b) 1350 rpm; 2.812; 735.8 kW]
7. In terms of dimensionless coefficients, the characteristics of a pump may be
approximated by CH 10 2CQ 200CQ2 . Such a pump having an impeller diameter
of 0.5 m and running at 25 rev/s operates against a system characteristic represented
by H 20 300Q 2 . Determine the flowrate delivered and the pumps operating head.
What would be the flowrate through the system and the head if two such pumps are
connected (a) in series and (b) in parallel? The units for Q, H and N are m3/s, m and
rev/s, respectively.
[0.4635 m3/s; 84.46 m; (a) 0.5493 m3/s; 110.52 m; (b) 0.5975 m3/s; 127.11 m]
8. The characteristics of a centrifugal pump operating at 1000 rpm may be approximated
by

H 20 110Q 2 .

The

system

characteristics

may

be

represented

by

H 12 250Q 2 . The units for volume flow rate Q and head H are m3/s and m,
respectively.
(a)
Determine the operating volume flow rate when one pump running at 1000
rpm is used.
(b)
What would be the volume flow rate through the system if four such pumps
operating at 1000 rpm are connected in parallel?
(c)
Three such pumps are now connected in series. Two of them are operating at
1000 rpm, and the remaining one is operating at 1700 rpm. What is the volume
flow rate through the system? Assume that the delivery side of one pump is
connected to the suction side of the subsequent pump. Assume that appropriate
bypass lines and control valves have been installed to allow any pump to be
bypassed when the flow rate through the pump exceeds its maximum
allowable value.
[(a) 0.1491 m3/s; (b) 0.1765 m3/s; (c) 0.3846 m3/s]
9. A water pump is used to pump water from one large reservoir to another large
reservoir that is at a higher elevation. The free surfaces of both reservoirs are exposed
to atmospheric pressure, as sketched in Figure P9. The dimensions and minor loss
coefficients are provided in the figure. The pumps performance is approximated by
Semester 2, AY2016/17

ME2135 Fluid Mechanics II

Tutorial 1: Turbomachinery

H H 0 aQ 2 , where the shutoff head H0 = 25 m of water column, coefficient a =

0.05 m/(lpm)2. The units for H and Q are meters (m) and liters per minute (lpm),
respectively. Estimate the flowrate and head delivered by the pump.
[15.22 lpm; 13.42 m]

Figure P9
10. Two identical centrifugal pumps driven at the speed of 1200 rpm are used to supply
water to a storage tank 20 m on top of a residential block. Each pump has an impeller
diameter of 0.2 m and the following characteristics when running at 1200 rpm:
Q (m3/s)
H (m)

0.0
40.0
0.0

0.1
39.38
0.61

0.2
37.5
0.81

0.3
34.38
0.80

0.4
30.0
0.70

0.5
24.38
0.57

0.6
17.5
0.40

0.7
9.38
0.20

where Q is the flowrate through the pump, H is the head developed by the pump and
is the efficiency. The frictional head loss in the piping system leading up to the tank
may be approximated by h f 30Q2 of water.
(a) Determine the operating flowrate to the tank assuming that the two pumps are
employed in a parallel arrangement and running at the speed of 1200 rpm.
Determine also the head developed by the two pumps and the power to drive the
pump.
(b) Owing to the increase in demand for water by the blocks residents, it was decided

Semester 2, AY2016/17

ME2135 Fluid Mechanics II

Tutorial 1: Turbomachinery

that the flowrate to the tank should be increased to at least 1.5 m3/s. Determine the
minimum speed at which the pumps should be run to meet the new requirement.
Determine the power required to operate the pumps at the new duty points.
[(a) 0.66 m3/s; 33.07 m; 274.5 kW; (b) 2103 rpm; 1922 kW]
11. A centrifugal pump having a dimensionless specific speed of 0.5 (based on rotational
speed in rad/s) is to pump water at a rate of 0.8 m3/s with a total head of 160 m. The
pump will take water with a vapor pressure of 350 Pa from a storage basin at sea
level. For a pump speed consistent with the above requirements, calculate the
elevation of the pump inlet relative to the water level based on an acceptable value of
the suction specific speed equal to 3.2, assuming negligible suction losses. How will
suction losses affect the elevation of the pump? (Assume atmospheric head at sea
level to be equivalent to 760 mm Hg with specific gravity of Hg taken to be 13.55.)
[3.203 m]
12. A centrifugal pump has the following characteristics:
Q (m3/h)
H (m)
(%)

0
17
0.0

23
16
49.5

46
13.5
61.0

69
10.5
63.5

92
6.6
53.0

115
2.0
10.0

The pump is used to pump water from a low reservoir to a high reservoir through a
total length of 800 m of pipe 15 cm in diameter. The difference between the water
levels in the reservoirs is 8 m. Neglecting all losses except pipe friction and assuming
the friction factor f = 0.004, find the rate of flow between the reservoirs and the power
input to the pump. If the static suction lift is 2 m and a quarter of the pipe length is on
the suction side of the pump, find the NPSH given that the barometric pressure is 740
mm Hg and the vapor pressure of water at the prevailing temperature is 26 mm Hg.
(You may assume the specific gravity of Hg to be 13.55)
[75 m3/h; 3.110 kW; 7.297 m]

Semester 2, AY2016/17