Gent Eductor pumps: the calculations The eductor pump, or ‘ejector’, is as old as the Greeks, but it is not as well utilised as the centrifugal pump with which it shares some performance features. The principal reason is the poor overall power efficiency, but lack of use creates lack of familiarity. In fact, i treated just as a water-operated suction pump the eductor is embarrassingly simple and becomes another tool in the skilled pump man's range. Trevor Benjamin describes the principles of how it works, provides guidance on how it can be applied and gives a procedure selecting the right dimensions. centrifugal pump — will deliver two or cheee times as much water as an eductor ppunp for the same power, iis smaller and familiar, The eductor pump however survives in comers of the fluid handling field where power is not che first consideration ancl other problems come higher on the list They can be totally unsuitable for ninety nine applications but fit one like a glove. The eductor pump: how does it work? Ifa fire jer is pointed at the surface of alake the water moves away in eddies from the point of impact. The energy in the fire jet has been transferred 10 the water in the lnke and that water thas now been moved on, ‘Thesame effect takes place when the white snooker ball is sent down the table at high speed. The reds scatter , mainly in a direction away from the ce ball. The cue ball slows up having parted with its energy in hitting the reds An eductor pump comprises a jet of fluid and a collecting pipe The only moving parts are the fluids, The energy in the power fluid is imparted to the entrained fluid in the collecting pipe and both are moved Terminology ‘At this point it is worth defining our terms. As most pumps handle water lor air the terms water and air will be used in the rest of this article as a Fluids of all {including general description sorts can be handles slurries and fluid borne trash and particulates, Aifaie Aurfliguid Liguid/aie Liquidliquid Combinations. ‘The range is wide. Eductors are being used, powered by gaseous ammonia t0 transfer lubricating oi in refrigeration plants. They are used to create exceptionally high vacrums with liguid ring pumps. They shift muds and slurries and they extract drinking water from deep wells. Steam as the gas power is particularly effective in power stations 1 | Discharge Discharge ehot water ([Eareataa Collecting pips Figure 1. Basic principles of the educto. 34 WORLD PUMPS February 2001 Even sand can be pumped us eductor pump as a mixer and ‘water as a conveyor. Air/air ‘Air eductors are vacuum pumps have application where reliability is required, possibly disty. of corrosive conditions also permit very high vacuums to Be achieved as second stages mechanical vacuum pumps Airliquid ftom the uber bulb to force a jer air acts the wp ofa dip pipe in recat Corl ieee directs it at right angles , pump where needed. Using compressed vo move a Ligeia ea that the discharge is expansive and the liquid spread into the open world in deops that are diffcule to xe coalesce. The scent spray, the paint gun and the carburettor hh exploit this ‘eawback’ full erlictor is realise Liquid/air Many laboratory sinks the he applied to a fi so that at water wp a instance. The filtrate can be washed away down thy sink with the power Liquidfiquid This article will concentrate on more conventional pumping of liquids. The diluting effect of 2 drive water has great benef esping slurries moving dlischarge pipe and the deep s 0262 1762/01/5 -see Yont matter © 2001 lseier Science xe All rights =ebe el capability can be exploited in > pumping difficult liquids from inaccessible places, The calculations differ for compresile fluids and this article wall concentrate on the fluids you will most likey to need to consider and the LiguidLiquid pump. Shape and A tubular tee shape with a sie inlet is the most common for large versions. Deep well pumps have a’) | shape with a bottom inlet, This allows them to ft snugly down a well ‘Slim versions are available in which eats ees the pressure pipe and the discharge pipe are concentrie and give the appearance of a single hose They are very manageable and if the pipe is flexible hose they have the ‘operating feel of using a vacuum cleanee Because of the poor enenuy efficiency, very lange eductors are not common, There are no obvious ‘Grand Coulee! sizes. However spillways of dams river Figure 3, The terminology of eductors, and coastal defences and large rainage schemes take into account velocity jet water has transfered its che pump but the poorer the the energy transfer equations that energy the whole hody of water needs efficiency, apply. to be slowed down otherwise the friction’ losses, as we call chem, will Here we must pause again to establish ‘The biggest sizes thatare viable are in he too wasteful, Slowing the water the terminology. The term nozzle is the ‘multiple kilowatt! hand and the carefully changes its Kinetic energy, sometimes applied to this part smallest can be tiny. As a rule of which isa result of the velocity; into. However an eductor pump already has thumb Liguid/Liquid eductor pumps potential energy, which we call head. a nozzle the part chat has so far heen are in the 25 mm pipe size up to 500 This is done with a tapered pipe referred to as the jet. This can ‘mim, the most common being in the which connects the theoat ro the pipe confuse, The terms Jet, Throat and smaller end of this range. work. Taper as used in Fig, 3 have heen found to be easily understood. The Whether the size is small or large and Exactly the same considerations apply term nozzle is eliminated. however the exterior is configured, to the centrifugal pump. The water is the heart of the eductor is shown in hooted up to high velocity by the The throat fig inpeller and then sun ahrough «The dhroat diameter conteols the rebatively small entrance into a shine of che curve, when related to The taper tmpered pipe. We cll his the volute, the jer deter. A namow throat High velocity water ac low pressure is gives @ high head guin at the cose of Consider again the fre jet and take changed to high pressure at low flow. Opening up the throat improves ‘As the eddies swirl away ftom the velocity and the presure drives the the flow entrained and the solid size point of impact their energy is water along the pipe against the that can be passed but at the loss of Uissipared and not much gers to the system head. head. Ie is this jet to throat ratio chat other side. By surrounding the point ‘5 the main design point. Seepanoff, of impace with a pipe we can direct The taper controls the rate of — inhis excellent treatise on centrifigal the lake water to where we want it. If deceleration and the edly losses. It is and other pumps, covers. eductor the surrounding pipe is too big eddies tolerant of wide variation but 8” pumps. He uses the ratio of the areas ssil form so a closer fit is required inclusive is a popular compromise of the jet and throat which needs around the entrance. Once the high angle. The wider the angle the shorter further mathematics. I have always once WORLD PUMPS. Faby 2001 |Gon Figure 4. Charactriste curves of eductors, used the ratio of the diameters which is more practical in engineering. This ratio is designated R, The jet “The jet controls the amount of drive water going into the throat. The higher the pressure at the entrance to the jet the more the flow that goes theough i. Table 1 gives the practical results for jets in the commonly used sees, The pressure mast take into account any extra static head which may result from the eductor pump being below ( or ahove ) the poine of reading the pressure For instance the jet in a pump ina well with have the benefit of all the static head above it, less any friction losses, at the jet The connections ‘The pipe connections will depend on the flow carried by each. Pressure ratings will suit the conditions, allowing for maximum closed valve pressures in the event of Mockage The discharge pipe is often one size Targer than the deive pipe, because itis carrying hoth flows. One size larger fhas twice the capacity The performance curve The performance curve of an eductor pump is therefore much like that of a centriagal pump. Instead of each curve being marked foe inpuc ppm the curves are marked for input pressure Cavitation curves have the same formar Deep well pumps are_presented differently, to suit their mode of use.) The recovered head. Fig. 5 gives the relationship between the drive pressure and the recovered hhead. The recovered head is that pressure measured at discharge end of the tapes just as with any centrifugal pump with which we are all familiar. ‘This is designated H. The recovered head is always less than the drive head. Typically only 30% of the drive pressure is seen atthe discharge of the ceduetor pump. foe eee The entrained flow ‘The entrained flow is that coming in to the eductor pump fiom the surroundings. Ie is the water that you are trying to move. The ratio of the entrained flow #0 the drive flow is designated Q. The entrained flow is normally less than the drive flow, Fat 50% 10 80% is reasonably achievable The entrained flow can be greater than the drive flow hur at severe loss of head. Best efficiency point (On Fig. 6 te best efficiency aie indicated by a dot on the curve, This eee ee one is wed ast sual i Cavitation ‘The eductor pump, even one designed for liquidliquid operation, will pull very high air and water vacuuums However they still cavitate and for hhigh end flows they often need submerging to improve the NPSHa The vacuum achievable may be high bur not necessarily at high flow Surface finish and radii Rounding the throat inler and hellmouhing the entry are improvements. There was an instance however where a perfectly fla entry improved the efficiency of 14mm 16mm 18mm 20mm = 24mm = 30mm = 4omm Dive In tars > en | 3 43 68 9.70 aa > (eee s are > ae s |r 10 159 > fete wo | es ae Wo Wi i 3B = 417A) | aad $4 201A 2 ma) zea eae 1s 246 ia] a m3 66 oT H6 i mo 30138 aT m2 317 aga a 319500890 320 61S 108 44 70 ts sos 794i 556 810155 1 940167 643 1179 2 10788 1a 12200 WORLD PUMPS February 2001 ‘veeoacworkdpumps.com :fen 1 gas sampling eductor. Chamfering Recovered head ard entrained flow ratios the exit to the jet reduces breakaway at this point and reduces wear which is due to peripheral recirculation of fine particles at that point. One of the benefits of the eductor pump is however its resistance to abuse and ‘wear. lewill soldier on giving reliable pumping when mechanical pumps are in pieces on the workshop floor A drive pump isstill required bur this can be made to handle less a drive water or even another other fluid. Ir can also be more Pumping in se parallel sand in Just like a centrifugal pump educt ieee trae ne vere naet ae eres Pmps may be operted in series and in parallel, with similar | Procedure for selecting the dimensions ee angie centrifuge! pump. The eductor is |. Decide on the flow that you require (The entrained flow). Seed fet relent eee | 2. Select an R ratio curve in the middle of Fig. 5 and select apoint | ft exc. and che centritugal provises oon that curve near abe. the more efficient energy ansler 3. Check the drive flow required by dividing the flow that you | once the water has heen brought require by the Q factor. The drive flow will normally be greater ‘than the induced flow. 4. Decide on the head you require at the discharge of the eductor pump. (Taking into account the static head and an estimate for ‘the friction at the combined drive and induced flows.) 5. Check the drive head ratio H required at the eductor pump for ‘he point selected above in line 2. Multiply the discharge head. from line 4 by this factor to get the drive head, This will be | ‘chamite igh pressure drive pump eater tan the head from line 4 simplifies the ealculations and in the 6. To get the drive pump pressure add or subtract any static head | <2 of slurries reduces the presure and line losses. This together with line 3. gives you the size of | _ loads on the abrasive handling parts of pressure pump or hydrant characteristics needed to drive the | the stem. eductor pump. 7. From the drive pressure and fiow select a jet size from Table 1. | General This in turn will give you the throat size from the R ratio that you selected in line 2. Whether you are scavenging waste 8, The throat size establishes the small end of the taper and a | water fiom under a nuclear power laper of 8° included angle brings the diameter up to that of the appropriate pipe connection. It is usually necessary to try different combinations to get an ideal combination to match the availability of drive pumps and to allow for throat diameters large enough to pass solids. 9, The gap between the jet and thioat is not critical and a dimension of one throat diame:er is suitable on most ‘occasions, Concentricity and alignment should be within Sea aete anata gnginesring practice Trevor Berjamin, Clearline Asistance 10. When handling denser entrained fluids the flow and head will | Ux ia. High View, Ponteland, . be reduced in proportion to the specific gravity in a similar | Northumberland, NE2O SET, UK. manner to a centrifugal pump. Tel: +44 1865 1661 822480, 11. When handling viscous materials (8) also applies. This is an | [2 *#4 1661 822480 ‘ E-mail: tevorehigh: ‘energy transfer device like a centrifugal pump. eu aap Deep well systems are generally like this and the drive water recitculates hough the centrifugal pump. Calewlations are more involved. A. station, or a ear plant, geeting water from a long way across or down, need an engine driven borehole pump, an eductor purnp might just be che best choice. And once installed it will usually he Fit and Forget . Contact vary 2001 veww.noridpumps.com __38) WORLD PUMPS