Matching of Pump and System Characteristics

The design point of a hydraulic pump corresponds to a situation where the overall efficiency of operation
is maximum. However the exact operating point of a pump, in practice, is determined from the matching
of pump characteristic with the headloss-flow, characteristic of the external system (i.e. pipe network,
valve and so on) to which the pump is connected.

Let us consider the pump and the piping system as shown in Fig. 15.18. Since the flow is highly turbulent,
the losses in pipe system are proportional to the square of flow velocities and can, therefore, be
expressed in terms of constant loss coefficients. Therefore, the losses in both the suction and delivery
sides can be written as

(37.2a)

(37.2b)

where, is the loss of head in suction side and is the loss of head in delivery side and f is the

Darcy's friction factor, and are the lengths and diameters of the suction and delivery pipes

respectively, while and are accordingly the average flow velocities. The first terms in Eqs. (37.1a)
and (37.1b) represent the ordinary friction loss (loss due to friction between fluid ad the pipe wall), while
the second terms represent the sum of all the minor losses through the loss

coefficients and which include losses due to valves and pipe bends, entry and exit losses, etc.
Therefore the total head the pump has to develop in order to supply the fluid from the lower to upper
reservoir is

(37.3)

Now flow rate through the system is proportional to flow velocity. Therefore resistance to flow in the form
of losses is proportional to the square of the flow rate and is usually written as

(37.4)
= system resistance =

where K is a constant which includes, the lengths and diameters of the pipes and the various loss
coefficients. System resistance as expressed by Eq. (37.4), is a measure of the loss of head at any
particular flow rate through the system. If any parameter in the system is changed, such as adjusting a
valve opening, or inserting a new bend, etc., then K will change. Therefore, total head of Eq. (37.2)
becomes,

(37.5)

The head H can be considered as the total opposing head of the pumping system that must be overcome
for the fluid to be pumped from the lower to the upper reservoir.
The Eq. (37.4) is the equation for system characteristic, and while plotted on H-Q plane (Figure 37.3),
represents the system characteristic curve. The point of intersection between the system characteristic
and the pump characteristic on H-Q plane is the operating point which may or may not lie at the design
point that corresponds to maximum efficiency of the pump. The closeness of the operating and design
points depends on how good an estimate of the expected system losses has been made. It should be
noted that if there is no rise in static head of the liquid (for example pumping in a horizontal pipeline

between two reservoirs at the same elevation), is zero and the system curve passes through the
origin.

Figure 37.3 H-Q Characteristics of pump and system

Effect of Speed Variation

Head-Discharge characteristic of a given pump is always referred to a constant speed. If such

characteristic at one speed is know, it is possible to predict the characteristic at other speeds by using the

principle of similarity. Let A, B, C are three points on the characteristic curve (Fig. 37.4) at speed .

For points A, B and C , the corresponding heads and flows at a new speed are found as follows:
 Figure 37.4 Effect of speed variation on operating point of a centrifugal pump

From the equality of term [Eq. (3.1)] gives

(since for a given pump D is constant) (37.6)

and similarly, equality of term [Eq. (3.1)] gives

(37.7)

Applying Eqs. (37.6) and (37.7) to points A, B and C the corresponding points and are found

and then the characteristic curve can be drawn at the new speed

Thus,

and

which gives

or (37.8)
Equation (37.8) implies that all corresponding or similar points on Head-Discharge characteristic curves at

different speeds lie on a parabola passing through the origin. If the static lift becomes zero, then the
curve for system characteristic and the locus of similar operating points will be the same parabola passing

through the origin. This means that, in case of zero static life, for an operating point at speed , it is
only necessary to apply the similarity laws directly to find the corresponding operating point at the new
speed since it will lie on the system curve itself (Figure 37.4).

Pump Characteristic Curves

The performance of a centrifugal pump can be shown graphically on a characteristic curve. A

typical characteristic curve shows the total dynamic head, brake horsepower, efficiency, and net
positive Suction head all plotted over the capacity range of the pump.

Figures 5, 6, & 7 are non-dimensional curves which indicate the general shape of the
characteristic curves for the various types of pumps. They show the head, brake horsepower, and
efficiency plotted as a percent of their values at the design or best efficiency point of the pump.

Fig. 5 below shows that the head curve for a radial flow pump is relatively flat and that the head
decreases gradually as the flow increases. Note that the brake horsepower increases gradually
over the flow range with the maximum normally at the point of maximum flow.

Fig. 5 Radial Flow Pump

Mixed flow centrifugal pumps and axial flow or propeller pumps have considerably different
characteristics as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 below. The head curve for a mixed flow pump is steeper
than for a radial flow pump. The shut-off head is usually 150% to 200% of the design head, The
brake horsepower remains fairly constant over the flow range. For a typical axial flow pump, the
head and brake horsepower both increase drastically near shutoff as shown in Fig. 7.
 Fig. 6 Mixed Flow Pump

Fig. 7 Axial Flow Pump

The distinction between the above three classes is not absolute, and there are many pumps with
characteristics falling somewhere between the three. For instance, the Francis vane impeller
would have a characteristic between the radial and mixed flow classes. Most turbine pumps are
also in this same range depending upon their specific speeds.

Fig. 8 below shows a typical pump curve as furnished by a manufacturer. It is a composite curve
which tells at a glance what the pump will do at a given speed with various impeller diameters
from maximum to minimum. Constant horsepower, efficiency, and NPSHR lines are superimposed
over the various head curves. It is made up from individual test curves at various diameters.
 Fig. 8 Composite Performance Curve
Characteristic curve
The characteristic curves of centrifugal pumps plot the course of the following parameters against flow
rate (Q): head (H) (see H/Q curve), power input (P), pump efficiency () and NPSHr, i.e. the NPSH
required by the pump. The characteristic curve's shape is primarily determined by the pump type
(i.e.impeller, pump casing or specific speed. Secondary influences such as cavitation, manufacturing
tolerances, size and physical properties of the fluid handled (e.g. viscosity, solids transport or pulp
pumping are not taken into account in these diagrams.
For the normal operating range of centrifugal pumps (n, Q and H all positive), it is sufficient to plot the
characteristic curve in the first quadrant of the H/Q coordinate system.
Figs. 1 to 4 Characteristic curve
 Fig. 1 Characteristic curve: Centrifugal
pump curves for various specific speeds. Curves plotted in percentage ratios referred to the best efficiency point (ns
increasing from left to right)
 Fig. 2 Characteristic curve: Radial flow centrifugal pump,

specific speed Fig. 3 Characteristic curve: Mixed flow centrifugal

pump, specific speed nS 80 rpm
 Fig. 4 Characteristic curve: Axial flow centrifugal pump, specific
speed nq ~ 200 rpm
As the specific speed increases, the (negative) slope of the H/Q curve becomes steeper.

In the case of centrifugal pumps with a low specific speed, the efficiency curve is relatively flat in the vertex,
whereas the efficiency curve of high specific speed pumps is more pointed (see High specific speed).
The power input curve of a low specific speed pump has its minimum value at Q = 0 (shut-off point), whereas
the power input of a high specific speed pump reaches a maximum at Q = 0.

The presentation of parameters in a characteristic curve can provide

Qualitative information
See Fig. 1 Characteristic curve
Quantitative information on existing centrifugal pumps of various specific speeds
See Figs. 2 to 4 Characteristic curve
Evenat a given specific speed the characteristic curve's shape can still be influenced via the selection of an
appropriate head coefficient. The higher the head coefficient for given operating data, the smaller the impeller
diameter is, the flatter the H/Q curve and the steeper the P/Q curve. It is thus possible to match the pump's
characteristic curve to the specific systems requirements. See Fig. 5 Characteristic curve
 Fig. 5 Characteristic curve: Influence of head coefficient on
characteristic curve's shape
For the normal operating range of centrifugal pumps (n, Q and H all positive), it is sufficient to plot the
characteristic curve in the first quadrant of the H/Q coordinate system.
The operating points at which pumps are usually not operated, are situated in the other three quadrants. These
include, for example, operation in turbine mode, the pump's behaviour following a drive failure orstart-
up (starting torque at reverse direction of rotation).
A centrifugal pump's complete characteristics chart (four-quadrant characteristic curves selection chart) is
primarily established on the basis of experiments and depends on the pump type. Figure 6 shows an example
of a double-suction centrifugal pump with ns = 35 rpm (according to Stepanoff).
See Fig. 6 Characteristic curve
 Fig. 6 Characteristic curve: Complete characteristics chart of a
double-suction centrifugal pump with nq = 35 rpm (according to Stepanoff)
The clearest overall presentation is obtained by plotting the following centrifugal pump's operating parameters
in one diagram: the rotational speed as relative speed (n/nN) against the flow rate as relative flow rate
(Q/Qopt) with the head (H) and the torque (T). All parameters are specified as percentages of their design
values (including negative values) in order to facilitate translating the results into diagrams for similar pumps.