SECTION 12

Pumps & Hydraulic Turbines

Pumps
The most commo n types of pumps used i n gas processi ng plants
are c entrifugal and p ositive displacement. Occasionally
regenerative turbine pumps, axial-flow pumps, and ejectors
are used.
Modern practice is to use centrifugal rather than positive
displacement pumps where possible because th ey are usually less
costly, require less m ainte nance, and l ess space. Conven- tional
centrif ugal pu mps oper ate at sp eeds between 1200 and 8000 rpm.
Very high spee d centrifugal pumps, which can operate

FIG. 12-1
Nomenclature

A = cross-sectional are a of plunger, piston, or pipe, sq in. T = torque, ft lb

a = cross-sectional are a of piston rod, sq in. t r = temperature rise, °F
AC = alt ernating current u = impeller peripheral velocit y, ft/sec
bbl = barre l (42 U.S. gallons) bhp VE = volum etric effici ency, fraction
= brake hor sepower VEo = overall v olum etric efficie ncy
C = constant ( Fig. 12-16 ) VE   volumetric efficiency du e to density change
Cp = specific heat at av erage temperature, Btu/( lb  °F) VE l = volum etric efficie ncy due to leakage
cfs = cu ft/sec v = liquid mean velocity at a sy ste m point, ft/ sec
D = displac ement of reciprocatin g pump, gpm z = elevation of a point of th e system a bove (+) or
DC = direct curr ent below (–) datum of t he pump . For piping, the ele-
d = impeller diamete r, in. vation is from the datum to the piping center-
e = pump efficienc y, fraction line; for vessels and ta nks, the elevation is from the
g = 32.2 ft/sec2 (accelerati on of gravity) gpm datum to the liquid level.
= U.S. gallons/minute Greek:
H = tot al equipm ent h ead, ft of fluid  = de nsity at aver age flowing conditions, lb/ft3
h = head, ft of fluid pumped i = inlet den sity, lb/ft3
hyd hp = hydr aulic horsepower o = outlet density, lb/ft3
k = factor relat ed to fluid compressibilit y (Fig. 12-16 ) Subsc rip ts:
L = length of suction pipe, ft a = accelerati on
Ls = stroke length, in. bep = best efficiency point, for maximum imp eller
m = number of pl ungers or pi stons diameter
NPS H = net positive suctio n head of fluid p umped, ft c = compression
NPSH A = NPSH available, ft d = discharge of pump
NPSH R = NPSH required, ft dv = discharge v essel
n = speed of rotation, revolutions/minute (rpm) D = displacement
n s = specific speed, rpm f = friction
P = differential pressure, psi i = inlet of equipment
P = pressure, psia or psig l = leakage
P vp = liqui d vapor pressure at pumpin g temperature, psia o = outlet of equipment
psi = lb/sq in. ov = overall
psia = lb/sq in. absolute psig p = pressure
= lb/sq in. gauge r = rise
Q = rate of liquid flow, gpm s = stat ic, suction of pump, specific, or str oke
r = rat io of inter nal volume of fluid betwee n valves, sv = suction vessel
when th e piston or plunge r is at th e end of the suc- v = velocity
tion stroke, to the piston or plung er displac ement. vp = vapor pressure
RD = relat ive density to water at stand ard t emperat ure w = water
s = slip or leakage facto r for reciprocating an d rotar y pumps x = point x in th e system
S = suction specif ic speed (units per Eq 1 2-7) y = point y in th e system
sp gr = specific gravity at averag e flowing conditi ons. 1 = impeller diameter or sp eed 1
Equal to RD 2 = impeller diameter or sp eed 2

12-1
 FIG. 12-1 (Cont’d)
Nomenclature
Alignment: The straight line relation between the pump
shaft and the driver shaft.
Casing, Axially Split: A pump case split parallel to the
pump shaft.
Casing, Radially Split: A pump case split transverse to
the pump shaft.
Cavitation: A phenomenon that may occur along the flow
path in a pump when the absolute pressure equals the
liquid vapor pressure at flowing temperature. Bubbles
then form which later implode when the pressure rises
above the liquid vapor pressure.
Coupling: A device for connecting the pump shaft to the
driver shaft con sisting of the pump shaft hub and driver
shaft hub, usually bolted together.
Coupling, Spacer: A cylindrical piece installed between
the pump shaft coupling hub and driver shaft coupling
hub, to provide space for removal of the mechanical seal
without moving the driver.
Cutw ater: The point of minimum volute cross-sectional
area, also called the volute tongue.
Datum Elevation: The reference horizontal plane from
which all elevations and heads are measured. The pumps
standards normally specify the datum position relative to
a pump part, e.g. the impeller shaft centerline for centrifu-
gal horizontal pumps.
Diffuser: Pump design in which the impeller is surrounded
by diffuser vanes where the gradually enlarging passages
change the liquid velocity head into pressure head.
Displacement: The calculated volume displacement of a
positive displacement pump with no slip losses.
Double Acting: Reciprocating pump in which liquid is
discharged during both the forward and return stroke of
the piston.
Duplex: Pump with two plungers or pistons.
Efficiency, Mechanical: The ratio of the pump hydraulic
power output to pump power input.
Efficiency, Volumetric: The ratio of the pump suction or
discharge capacity to pump displacement.
Head: The flowing liquid column height equivalent to the
flowing liquid energy, of pressure, velocity or height above
the datum, whose sum is the total head. Also used to ex-
press changes of energy such as the friction losses, the
equipment total head and the acceleration head.
Head, Acceleration: The head equivalent to the pressure
change due to changes in velocity in the piping system.
HPRT: Hydraulic power recovery turbine.
Impeller: The bladed member of the rotating assembly of a
centrifugal pump which imparts the force to the liquid.
N PSHA: The total suction absolute head, at the suction noz-
zle, referred to the standard datum, minus the liquid va-
por absolute pressure head, at flowing temperature
available for a specific application. For reciprocating
pumps it includes the acceleration head. NPSHA depends
12-2
on the system characteristics, liquid properties and oper- ating
conditions.
NPSHR: The minimum total suction absolute head, at the
suction nozzle, referred to the standard datum, minus the
liquid vapor absolute pressure head, at flowing temperature,
required to avoid cavitation. For positive displacement
pumps it includes internal acceleration head and losses
caused by suction valves and effect of springs. It does not
include system acceleration head. NPSHR depends on the
pump characteristics and speed, liquid properties and flow
rate and is determined by vendor testing, usually with water.
Pelton Wheel: A turbine runner which turns in reaction to
the impulse imparted by a liquid stream striking a series
of buckets mounted around a wheel.
Recirculatio n Control: Controlling the quantity of flow
through a pump by recirculating discharge liquid back
to suction.
Rotor: The pump or power recovery turbine shaft with the
impeller(s) mounted on it.
Rotor, Francis-type: A reverse running centrifugal pump
impeller, used in a hydraulic power recovery turbine, to
convert pressure energy into rotational energy.
Run-out: The point at the end of the head-capacity per-
formance curve, indicating maximum flow quantity and
usually maximum brake horsepower.
Runner: The shaft mounted device in a power recovery tur-
bine which converts liquid pressure energy into shaft power.
Shut-off: The point on the pump curve where flow is zero, usually
the point of highest total dynamic head.
Simplex: Pump with one plunger or piston.
Single Acting: Reciprocating pump in which liquid is dis-
charged only during the forward stroke of the piston.
Slip: The quantity of fluid that leaks through the internal
clearances of a positive displacement pump per unit of
time. Sometimes expressed on a percentage basis.
Surging: A sudden, strong flow change often causing exces- sive
vibration.
Suction, Double: Liquid enters on both sides of the impeller.
Suction, Single: Liquid enters one side of the impeller.
Throttling: Controlling the quantity of flow by reducing the cross-
sectional flow area, usually by partially closing a valve.
Triplex: Pump with three plungers or pistons.
Vanes, Guide: A series of angled plates (fixed or variable)
set around the circumference of a turbine runner to con-
trol the fluid flow.
Volute, Double: Spiral type pump case with two cutwaters 180°
apart, dividing the flow into two equal streams.
Volute, Single: Spiral type pump case with a single cutwa-
ter to direct the liquid flow.
Vortex Breaker: A device used to avoid vortex formation in
the suction vessel or tank which, if allowed, would cause
vapor entrainment in the equipment inlet piping.
 FIG. 12-2
Common Pump Equations

FLOW RATE
Given 
3
mul tiply by ft /sec bbl/day bbl/h UK gal./min m3/h lb/h
to get 
US gal./min 449 0.0292 0.700 1.2009 4.40 1/(500  sp gr)
PRESS URE
Given  * std atm
multiply by k Pa ft water m water ft liquid bar 760 mm Hg kgf/cm2
to get  at 39.2°F at 0°C at 0°C
lb/in 2 0.145 0.4335 1.422 sp gr / 2.31 14.5038 14.6959 14.2233
DE NSITY
Given 
mul tiply by kg/m3 lb/US gal lb/UK gal kg/lt API gravi ty Ba umé gravity
to get 
lb/ft 3 0.062428 7.48047 6.22884 62.428 See Fig. 1-3

144  P 2.31  P Q  H  sp gr Q  P ** Q  H  sp g r Q  P **
h p  hyd hp   bhp   (for pumps)
 sp gr 3,960 1,714 3,960e 1,714  e
v2
hv 
2g
dn bhp 
hyd hp
for pumps bhp5252
u T
229 e n
14
Q 0.321 bhp  hyd hp  e for turbines  n  Q
bep n  H bep  
Q

v  ns  
bep
A 34 Hbep
sp gr = specific gravity Hbep 
1 HP = 0.7457 kW Water densi ty at 60°F = 62.37 lb/ft 3 See Fig. 1-7 for viscosity relationships
= 550 ft  lbf/s Standard gra vity acceleration: *Standar d atmospheric pressure:
= 33,000 ft  lbf/min g = 9.80665 m /s2 = 32.1740 ft /s 2 1 atm = 760 m m Hg = 101.32 5 kP a = 14.696 psi
**See Eq. 12-3 and 12-4.

CENTR IFU GAL PUMPS AFF INITY LAWS

1: Values at initial conditions 2:
Values at new conditions
CHANGE  SPEED DIAMETER SPEED AND DIAMETER
Q2 = Q1 n2n1 Q1 d2d1 Q1 d 2d1 n2n1
h2 = h1 n2n12 h1 d2d12 2
h 1 d2d 1 n 2n 1
bhp 2 = bhp1 n2n13 bhp 1 d2d13 3
bhp 1 d2d1 n2n1
NPSHR 2 = NPS HR1 n2n1 2 —
NPS HR1 n2n12

FIG. 12-3
Pump Selection Guide

12-3
 FIG. 12-4 between thes e points an d the equipment total head. Elev a- tions
are measured from the equ ipment datum.
Datum elevation
The tot al head at an y system point i s:
P u mp type Sta nda rd Datum 
2.31  P v2 2
elevation h  z  hp  hv  z   g Eq 12-1
Centrif ugal, hori- API 610 1
Shaft centerline
sp gr
zontal Hydraulic I nstitute 5
The system frict ion head is th e inlet syste m frict ion head plus the
Centrif ugal, vert i- API 610 1 Suction nozzle outlet system frictio n head:
cal in-line cen terli ne
Cen t rifugal, other API 610 1 Top of the h f  h fx  hfy Eq 12-2
vertical foundation
Centrif ugal, vert i- Hydraulic I nstitute 5 Entrance eye to The equipment total head is the outlet nozzle total head minus the
cal single suctio n, the fir st stage inle t nozzle total head:
volu te and diffused impeller 2.31 P  P  v2 – v2
vane type

i
H  ho  hi  zo – zi 
o i o
Eq 12-3
Centrif ugal, vert i- Hydraulic I nstitute 5 Impeller sp gr 2 g
cal double suction discharge
horizontal When the elevation and size of inlet and out let nozzles ar e the
cen terli ne same, the e quipment tot al head (H) equals the diff erence of
Ver tical t urbine. AWWA E10118 Unde rside of the pressure heads. H is positive for p umps and negative for
Line shaft and sub- discha rge head HPR Ts.
mersible t ypes or head baseplate
When using any suction-and-discharge-syst em points the fol- lowing
Reciprocati ng Hydraulic I nstitute 5 Suction nozzle general equati on appli es:
cen terli ne
Rotary Hydraulic I nstitute 5 Reference line or 2.31  Px vx2 – h H  z  2.31  Py vy2
suction nozzle cen zx  fx y  hfy
sp gr  2  g sp gr  2  g
terli ne
Eq 12-4

up to 23,000 rpm and highe r, are used for low-capacit y, high-
head applications. Most centrifugal pump s will operat e with
an approximately constant head over a wide range of capacit y.
Positive displacement pumps are either reciprocating or ro-
tar y. Reciprocatin g pumps include piston , plunge r, and di a-
phragm types. R otary pumps ar e: single lobe, multiple lobe,
rotar y vane, progressin g cavit y, an d gear types. Positive dis-
placement pumps oper ate wit h approximately consta nt
cap acities over wide variation s in head, hence they u sually are
install ed for services which r equire high heads at m oderate
cap acities. A special application of small reciproc ating pumps
in gas processing plants is for injection of fluids (e.g. methanol
and corrosion inhibitors) into process streams, where their
constant-capacity charact eristics are desirable.
Axial-flow pumps ar e used for services requiring very high
capacities at low heads. Regenerative-turbine pumps are used
for services requiring small capacities at high heads. Ejectors
are used to avoid the cap ital cost of installing a pu mp, when a
suitable motive fluid (fr equently steam) is available, and are
usua lly low-efficiency devices. These k inds of pumps are used
infrequently in the gas+pr ocessing industr y.
Fig. 12-1 provides a list of symbols and t erms u sed in the
text an d also a glossary of terms used in the pump industr y.
Fig. 12-2 is a summary of some of the more u seful pump equa-
tions. Fig. 12-3 provides guidance in selecting the k inds of
pumps suitable f or common services.
EQUIPMENT AND SYSTEM EQUATIONS
The energy conservation equation for pump or hydraulic
turbine systems comes from Bernoulli ’s Theorem and relates
the total head in two points of the system , the friction losses
When the points are l ocat ed in tanks, vessels or l ow velocity
points in the p iping, the v elocity he ad is norm ally negligible,
but may not be negligible in equipment nozzles . Note that the
subscript s "i" and "o" are used for v ari ables at pumps and
HPR Ts inlet and outlet nozzles, respectivel y, while the su b-
scripts "s" and "d" are us ed only for variabl es at pumps sucti on
and discharge nozzles. The subscripts "x" and "y " are used for
var iables at point s in each inlet and out let subsyst em and usu-
ally are suct ion and discharge ves sels. Also "x" and "y" are used
for friction head from point "x " to equipmen t inlet nozzle and
from equipment outlet nozzle to point "y".
The work done in compressing the liquid is negligible for
pr actically incompressible liquids and it is not included in
above equations. To evaluate the total head more accurately
when h andling a compressible liquid, the compression work
should be included. If a linear relat ionship betwee n density
and pr essure is a ssumed, t he liquid compre ssion head that
substitutes for the difference of pressure heads in the above
equations is:
H  1.155 P  1 1  Eq. 12-5
– P 
sp gr i
c o i
sp
 gro
When the differential pressure is sufficientl y high to have a
density change of more than 10%, or when the pressure is
near th e fluid’s critical pressure, the change in fluid d ensity
and oth er propert ies with pre ssure i s not linear. In these
cases, Equations 12-3 to 12-5 may not be accur ate. A specific
fluid propert ies relationship model is required in th is case. For
pure substances, a pressure-enthalpy-entropy char t may be
used for estimating purposes by assuming an isentrop ic proc-
ess. The pump m anufact urer should be consulted for t he real
process, includin g the equipment efficienc y, heat transfe r, etc.
to determin e the equipment performance.

12-4
 FIG. 12-5
Depropanizer Reflux Pump for Example 12-1

FIG. 12-6a FIG. 12-6b

Horizontal Single Stage Process Pump Vertical Inline Pump

12-5
 NET POSITIVE SUCTION HEAD NPSH and Suction Specific Speed — Suction specific
speed is an index describing the suction capabilities of a first
See NPSH definition in Fig. 12-1 . There should be sufficient stage i mpeller a nd can be calculated u sing Eq. 12-7. Use half
net positive suction head available (NPSHA) for t he pump to of the flow for do uble suction impellers.
work properl y, without cavitation, throughout its expected ca- nQbep
pacity ra nge. Ususally a safety marg in of about 2 to 3 ft. of NPSH A S Eq. 12-7
above NPSHR is adequate. Cavitation causes noise, impeller damage NPSHR bep 34
, and impaired p ump performance. Consid-
eration must also be given to any dissolved gases which may Pumps with high suction speed ten d to be susceptible to vi-
affec t vapor pressure. For a given pump, NPSHR increases bration (wh ich m ay cause seal and bear ing pro blem s) when
with increasing fl ow rate. the y are operated at other than design fl ow rat es. As a resu lt,
some users restrict suction specific speed, and a wid ely ac-
2.31  Pi  Pvp v2 cepted maximum is 11,000. For more details on the signifi-
NPSH A  zi  i
sp gr  2 g cance of suction specific speed, consult pump vendors or
refere nces listed in the Refere nces section.
2.31  Psv  Pvp
 z sv
 h fsv Eq 12-6 Subme rgence — The suction system inl et or the pump suction
sp g r
bell shoul d have suffici ent height of liquid to av oid
Datum — The pump datu m elevation is a very import ant vortex formation, which may entrain air or vapor into the sys-
factor to consider and should be verified with the m anufac- tem and caus e loss of capacity and efficiency as well as other
ture r. Some common references are shown in Fig. 12-4 . Some problems such as vibration, noise, an d air or vapo r pockets.
manufacturers provide two NPSHR curves for vertical can Inadequat e reservoir geometry can also cause vort ex forma-
pu mps, one for th e first stage impeller suction eye and the tion, primarily in vertical submerge d pumps. Refe r to the Hy-
other for th e suction nozzle. draulic Institute Standards 5 for more information.

NPSH Correc tion F actors —NPSHR is determined from

tests by the pump manufacturer u sing water near roo m tem-
perature and is expressed in height of wate r. When hydrocar-
CALCULATING THE REQUIRED
bons or high-temperature water are pumped, les s NPSH is DIFFERENTIA L HEAD
required than whe n cold water i s pumped . Hydraulic Institute
correctio n factors for various liquids are reproduced in Fig. 12-8. The following procedure is recommended to calculate the
Some users prefer not to use correction factors to assure a greater head of most pump services encount ered in the gas pr ocessing
design margin of safet y. industr y. See Example 12-1.

FIG. 12-6c FIG. 12-6d

Horizontal Multi-Stage Pump Vertical Can Pump

12-6
 FIG. 12-6e FIG. 12-7
Vertical, High Pressure, Double Case, Multi-Stage Pump Pump Selection Guide — Centrifugal Pumps

6000

DRIVER SHAFT

COUPLING

DRIVER STAND

SHAFT SEAL

SHAFT
1000
SUCTION
FLOW DIAGRAM

Total Head in Feet

STG 7

WEAR RING STG 8

INNER CASE
STG 9
100
OUTER CASE

STG 10
IMPELLER
DISCHARGE

STG 11
SUCTION PIPE
DISCHARGE
STG 6

STG 5

STG 4 10
10 100 1000 6000
STG 3

U.S. GALLONS PER MINUTE

STG 2
STG 1
Pump Type: Vertical, double case, high pressure,
multi-stage barrel type
Range: 50-1000 USGPM; 500-8000 feet TH; 3600 rpm
Typical Application: High pressure injection, ethane product,
miscible flood, boiler feed
Single Stage – Std. rpm (Single/Double Suction
Vertical Multistage – Barrel Type
Single Stage – High rpm
SUCTION
Horizontal Multistage – Barrel Type
Single Stage – Axial Flow
Single Stage – Mixed Flow
Horizontal Multistage – Single Case
Vertical Multistage – Barrel Type

Courtesy of Bingham – Willamette Ltd. Courtesy of Bingham – Willamette Ltd.

1. Prepare a sketch of the syst em in which the pump is to
be installed, including t he upstrea m and downstream
vessels (or some other point at which t he pre ssure will
not be affect ed by the op erat ion of the pump). Include a ll
components which might create frictional head loss (both
suction and discharge) such as valves, orifices, filters,
and heat exchangers.
2. Show on the sk etch:
— The datum posit ion (zero elevati on line) accord ing
to th e prop er standard. S ee Fig. 12-4 .
— The p ump nozzles sizes an d elevation s.
— The minim um elevatio n (referred to the dat um) of
liquid expected i n the suction vessel.
— The maximum elevat ion (referr ed to the datum) to
which the l iquid is to be pu mped.
6. Add the d ischarge v essel pre ssure, the frict ional head
losses in the discharge piping system , and the discharge
static head. This gives the total pressure (or head) of li q-
uid at the pump discharge . In orde r to provide good con-
trol, a discharge contro l valve shoul d be designed to ab-
sorb at least 30% of the frictional head loss of the
syste m, at the design flow rate.
7. Calculate the required p ump tota l head by subtr acting
the calculated pump suction total pressure from the cal-
culated pump discharge total pressure and converting to
head.
8. It is prudent to add a safety factor to the calculated pump
head to allow fo r inaccuracies i n the estimates of heads and
pressure losses, and pump design. Frequently a safety fac-
tor of 10% is used, but the size of th e factor used for each
pump should be chosen with consideration of:

— The he ad loss exp ected to result from each com po-
nent which cre ates a friction al pre ssure drop at d e-
sign capacit y.
3. Use appropr iate equations (Eq 12-1 to Eq 1 2-4).
4. Convert all the pressures, frictiona l head losses, and static
heads to consistent units (usually pound s per square inch
or feet of head). In 5 and 6 below, any elevation head is
negative if the liquid level i s below the datum. Also, the ves-
sel pressures are the pressures acting on the liquid su r-
faces. This is ve ry important for tall towers.
5. Add the static head to the suctio n vesse l pressure , then
subtract the frictional head losses in th e suction piping.
This gives the total pressure (o r head) of liquid at the
pump suction flange.
 The accuracy of the data used to calculate the re-
quired head
 The cos t of the safet y factor
 The problems wh ich might be caused by i nstalling
a p ump with inadequate head.
Example 12-1 — Liquid propa ne, a t its bubble point, is to be
pumped from a reflux drum to a depropa nizer. The maximum
flow rate is exp ected to be 360 gpm. The pressur es in th e ves-
sels are 2 00 and 220 psia respectivel y. The specific grav ity of
propane at t he pumpi ng temperat ure (100°F ) is 0.485. The
elevations and e sti mat ed frictional pre ssure losses are s hown
on Fig.12-9 . The pump curves are shown in Fig. 12-5. The
pump nozzles elevations are zero an d the velocit y head at noz-
zles is negligible.

12-7
 FIG. 12-8 Required differential head is determined as follows:
NPSHR Reduction for Centrifugal Pumps Handling Hydro- Absolute Total Pressure at Pump Suction
carbon Liquids and High Temperature Water
Reflux drum 200.0 psia
Elevation 20 ft.  0.485/2.31 = +4.2 psi
Friction piping –0.5 psi
valves –0.2 psi
203.5 psia
= 188.8 psig
Absolute Total Pressure at Pump Discharge
Tower 220.0 psia
Elevation 74 ft  0.485/2.31 = +15.5 psi
Friction piping +3.0 psi
valves +2.0 psi
orifice +1.2 psi
filter +13.0 psi
check valve +1.0 psi
control valve +9.0 psi
264.7 psia
= 250.0 psig
Differential pressure  250.0 – 188.8  61.2 p si
61.2  2.31
Differential head  H   292 f t
0.485
10% safety factor 30 ft
Required differential head (H) 322 ft
Calculation of NPSHA
Reflux drum pressure 200.0 psia
Elevation 20 ft  0.485/2.31 = +4.2 psi
Friction valves = –0.2 psi
FIG. 12-9 piping = –0.5 psi
Example 12-1 Depropanizer Fluid vapor pressure –200.0 psia
3.5 psi
NPSHA 3.5  2.31 = 16.7 ft
0.485

FIG. 12-10
Example Centrifugal Pump Head Curves

12-8
 This NPSH A result is ad equate wh en compar ed to the 9 ft. frequent ly lower t han equivalent horizont al pumps beca use
of NPS HR in the curv e shown in Fig. 12-5 . they require smaller foundat ions and simpler piping systems.
Calculation of Hydraulic Pow er Vertical can pumps are often used for liquids at their bu b- ble-
point temperature because the first stage impeller is lo-
Q H  sp g r cated below ground leve l and therefore requires less net
hyd hp  (from Fig. 12-2 )
3960 positive suction head at th e suction flange. The vertical dis-
360 322 0.485 tance from the suction flange down to the inlet of the first
hyd hp   14.2 hp stage impeller provides addit ional NPS HA.
3960
Centrifugal Pump Theory
Calculation of Actual Hor s epower Centrifuga l pumps increase the pressure of the pumped
fluid by action of centrifugal force on the fluid. Since the total
hyd hp
bhp  (from Fig. 12-2 ) head produced by a centrifugal pump is independen t of the
e density of the pumped fl uid, it is customary t o expr ess the
pressure increas e produced by centrifugal pumps in feet of
Fig. 12-5 is the performance curve of the selected p ump. The
head of fluid pumped.
efficiency at rate d capacit y and required head is 62%, with a brake
horsepower calculated as follows: Operating characteristics of centrifugal pumps are ex-
14.2 hp presse d in a pum p curve similar to Fig. 12-5 . Dependin g on
bhp   22.9 bhp impeller design, pump curves may be "drooping," "flat," or
0.62 "steep." Fig. 12-10 shows these curves graphicall y. Pumps
with drooping curves tend to have the highes t efficienc y but
Motor S izing — The maximum flow is 500 gpm with a may be undesirable because it is possible for t hem to oper ate
head of 240 feet for this particular pump impeller size, which
at eithe r of two flow rates at th e same he ad. The influence of
results in a brake horsepower r equirement of 26.2 bhp at r un-
impeller design on pump curves is disc ussed in detail in Hy-
out (i.e., end of h ead curv e). Therefore a 30 hp motor is se- draulic Institute Standards. 5
lected for the pump driver to provide "full curv e" protection.
Affinity Laws for Centrifugal Pumps — The rela-
tionships between rotational speeds, impeller diamete r, capac-
CENTRIFUGA L PUMPS ity, head, powe r, an d NPSH R for any particular pump are
defined by the affinit y laws (See Fig. 12-2 for affinity laws).
Figs. 12-6a/b, 12c/d and 12-6e are cross-sectional drawings These equations are to predic t new curv es for chang es in im-
showing typical configurations for five types of centrifugal peller diameter an d speed.
pumps. A guide to selecting centrifugal pumps is shown in
Fig. 12-7 . Horizontal centrifugal pumps are more common; The capacity of a centrifugal pump is directly proportional
however, vert ical pumps are ofte n used because they are more to its speed of rotatio n and its impeller diamete r. The total
compact and, in cold climates, may need less winteriz ing th an pump head develope d is proportional to the square of its speed
horizontal pumps. The total installed cost of vertical pump s is and its impeller diamete r. The power consumed is propor-
tional to t he cube of its speed and its impeller diameter. The
FIG. 12-11 NPSHR is proport ional to the square of its speed.
Example Combined Pump-System Curves These equat ions apply in any consistent s et of units but only
apply exactly if there is no change of efficiency when the rota-
tional speed is changed . This is usually a good approximation
if the change in rotati onal sp eed is small.
A different impeller may be installed or the existing m odi-
The operating point of the pump
is determined graphically by the fied. The modified impeller may not be geometricall y similar
intersection of the pump head-
capacity and the system head-capacity
to the or iginal. An approx imation may be found if it is as-
curve. sumed that the change in diameter changes the discharge pe-
HB -PUMP
ripheral velocit y without affectin g the efficienc y. Therefore, at
equal efficiencies an d rotational speed, for small variations in
HA impeller diamete r, changes may be calculated usin g the affi n-
ity l aws.
HB -SYSTEM
SYSTEM FRICTION HEAD Thes e equations do no t apply to geometrically similar but
different size pumps. In that case dimensional analysis should
be applied.
SYSTEM ELEVATION AND PRESSURE HEAD The affinity equations apply to pumps with radial flow i m-
pellers, that is, in the centrifuga l range of specific speeds, be-
B A
low 4200. For axial or mixed flow pu mps, consult t he
manufacture r. See Fig. 12-2 for specifi c spee d equation.
CAPACITY
Visco sity
Most liquids pumped in gas processing plant s have viscosi- ties in
the same range as wate r. Thus they are considered "nonviscous" and
no visc osity corrections are requir ed. Occa-

12-9
 FIG. 12-12
Series Pumps Selection

FIG. 12-13
Parallel Pumps Selection

12-10
sionally fluids with viscosities higher t han 5 centistokes are
encountered (e.g. triethylene glycol, 40 cs at 70°F) an d correc-
tions to head, capacit y, and power consumption may be re-
quired.
Viscosit y corr ection charts and the pr ocedures for using
them are included in Hydraul ic Institut e Standards. 5
Matching the Pump to the System Requ
ireme nts
A pump curve depicts the relationship between the head
and capacity of a pump. A system curve shows the relationship
between th e total head difference across the system and the
flow rate throug h it. The total head difference co nsist s of three
components: static (gravity ) head, pressure head, and head-
loss due to friction . Static and pressure heads do no t change
with flo w. However, frictional losses usuall y incr ease appr oxi-
mately as the square of the flow rate through the system . If
the system curve is plotte d with the same units as the pump
curve, it can be superimpose d as shown in Fig. 12- 11.
For pump selection, th e shape an d slope of the pump curve
shall be considered in its position with respect to the system
curve. When the curves are approximately perpendicular to
each othe r, the change in the op erat ing point posit ion due to
devia tions in the curves w ill be minimum. In addition, the
shape and slope shall be considered wh en sever al pumps are
used in series and/or par allel operat ion to produce the desired
range of flow and/or operating pressure. Refer to Fig. 12-12
and Fig. 12-13 for series an d parallel operation.
Throttling Control — If a centrifugal pump an d a sys-
tem were matched as shown in Fig. 12- 11, the flow rate
through the system will be "A" unless some kind of flow co n-
tro l is prov ided. Contr ol usually is prov ided by thr ottl ing a
valve in the discharge pip ing of the pump, which creates extra
frictional losses so that pump capacity is reduce d to that re-
quired. In Fig. 12-11, the required flow rate is represented by
"B." Required a mount of extr a frictional losses to achieve a
flow rate of "B" is represented on Fig. 12-11 by the difference
between "H B-PUMP" and "HB-SYSTEM." Fre quently the throt-
tling valve is an aut omatic contr ol valve which holds some
plant condition const ant (such as liquid level, flow rat e, or
fluid t emperature). This c ontr ol method consumes energy
since it artificially increas es the syst em resistance to fl ow.
Recirculation Control — Pump capacity can also be
controlled by recirculating a portion of the pumped flui d back
to the suction. This control method is used more fre quent ly for
positive displacement pumps than for centrifugal pumps,
since the discharge of mos t positive displacement pumps
should no t be throttled. This control method should be used
with caution for centrifugal pumps, since a wide-open recircu-
lation m ay result in a head so low that t he pumped fluid will
be circulate d back to th e suction at an extr emely high rat e,
causing high p ower consumption, increase in fluid t empera-
tur e, and possibly cavit ation, as well as possibly overloading
the drive r.
Spe ed Con trol — Another way of regulating centrifugal
pump capacit y is to adjust the rotational spee d of the pump.
This is freq uently not easily done because most pumps are
driven by fixed-spe ed motors. However, pumps contr olled by
adjusting the rotational speed often consume substantially
less energy than those c ontr olled in other ways. The changed
power consumption can be calculated by E q. 12-8, which as-
sumes that the frictional head is proportional to the square of
the flow rate.
12-11
e1 hs Q2Q1  hf1 Q2Q13

bhp2  bhp1    

e 2 hh Eq 12-8
   s f1 
subscript 1 ref ers to initial flow rate subscript 2
ref ers to the changed fl ow rate
hs (static) is equivalent to the zero flow system total head
On-Off Control — Pump capacity can be controlled by
starti ng and stoppi ng the pu mp m anually or by an automatic
contr ol such as pr essur e, level or temperatur e switch es.
Temper ature R ise Due to P umpi ng
When a liquid is pumped, its temperat ure incre ases because
th e energy resulting from the inefficiency of the pump appears
as heat.
1 
H   1 
e 
t r  

Eq 12-9
778 Cp
Usually when th e pump is running normall y, the t empera-
tur e rise is negligible. However, if the pump discharge is shut
off, all energy is converted to heat an d since there is no fluid
flow through th e pump to carry the heat awa y, the liquid in
the pump will heat rapidly an d eventually vaporize. This can
produce catastrophi c failures, particularly in large multistage
pumps.
Pu mp vendors should be requested t o provide data on mini- mum
flow.
Exp ensive pump s, such as large multistage u nits, can be
protected by installing minimum flow recirculation which will ensure
an adequate flo w through th e pump.
Serie s and P arallel Operation
Often pumps are installed in series or in parallel with other
pumps. In parallel, the capacities at any given head are
added; in series, th e heads at any given capacity are added. A
multi-stage pump is in effect a series of single stage u nits.
Figs. 12-12 and 12-13 show series an d parallel pumps curves,
a system curv e, and the effect of operatin g one, two or thr ee
pumps in a syste m. In both f igures, th e operat ing points for
both pumps "A " and "B" are th e same only when one pump is
operating. For 2 or 3 pumps op erat ing, the po ints are n ot the
same because of the pump curve shap es. Hence, due consider-
tion should be given to the pump curve shape when selecting
pumps for series or parallel operation.
Par allel oper ation is most effective wit h identical pu mps;
however, they do not have to be identical, n or have the same shut-
off head or c apacity to be par alleled. When pumps are op-
erating in parallel it is imperative that thei r performance
curves rise steadily to shut-off. A drooping curve gives two po s-
sible points of operat ion, and the pump load may oscillate be-
tween the two causing surging.
Drive rs
Most pu mps used in gas proces sing service are driven by electric
motors, usuall y fixed speed induction motors.
API Standard 610, Section 3.1.4. (Drivers), states:
"Motors shall have pow er ratings, including the service fac- tor (if
any), at least equal to th e percentages of power at pump rat ed
conditi ons given in. . ." th e next table. " How- ever, the p ower at
rat ed conditions shall n ot exceed the mo-

Trouble:
1. Failure to deliver liquid
2. Pump does not deliver rated
capacity
3. Pump does not develop rated
discharge pressure
4. Pump loses liquid after
starting
FIG. 12-14
Check List for Centrifugal Pump Troubles and Causes
Possible Causes: Trouble: Possible Causes:
a. Wrong direction of rotation 5. Pump overloads driver a. Speed too high
b. Pump not primed b. Total head lower than rated
c. Suction line not filled with head
liquid c. Excessive recirculation
d. Air or vapor pocket in suction d. Either or both the specific
line gravity and viscosity of liquid
e. Inlet to suction pipe not different from that for which
sufficiently submerged pump is rated
f. Available NPSH not sufficient e. Mechanical defects:
g. Pump not up to rated speed (1) Misalignment
h. Total head required greater (2) Shaft bent
than head which pump is (3) Rotating element dragging
capable of delivering (4) Packing too tight
a. Wrong direction of rotation 6. Vibration a. Starved suction
b. Suction line not filled with (1) Gas or vapor in liquid
liquid
(2) Available NPSH not
c. Air or vapor pocket in suction sufficient
line
(3) Inlet to suction line not
d. Air leaks in suction line or sufficiently submerged
stuffing boxes
(4) Gas or vapor pockets in
e. Inlet to suction pipe not suffi- suction line
ciently submerged.
b. Misalignment
f. Available NPSH not sufficient
c. Worn or loose bearings
g. Pump not up to rated speed
d. Rotor out of balance
h. Total head greater than head
(1) Impeller plugged
for which pump designed
(2) Impeller damaged
j. Foot valve too small
e. Shaft bent
k. Foot valve clogged with trash
f. Improper location of control
m. Viscosity of liquid greater than
valve in discharge line
that for which pump designed
g. Foundation not rigid
n. Mechanical defects:
7. Stuffing boxes overheat a. Packing too tight
(1) Wearing rings worn
b. Packing not lubricated
(2) Impeller damaged
c. Wrong grade of packing
(3) Internal leakage resulting
from defective gaskets d. Insufficient cooling water to
jackets
o. Discharge valve not fully
opened e. Box improperly packed.
a. Gas or vapor in liquid 8. Bearings overheat a. Oil level too low
b. Pump not up to rated speed b. Improper or poor grade of oil
c. Discharge pressure greater c. Dirt in bearings
than pressure for which pump d. Dirt in oil
designed e. Moisture in oil
d. Viscosity of liquid greater than f. Oil cooler clogged or scaled
that for which pump designed
g. Failure of oiling system
e. Wrong rotation
h. Insufficient cooling water
f. Mechanical defects: circulation
(1) Wearing rings worn i. Insufficient cooling air
(2) Impeller damaged k. Bearings too tight
(3) Internal leakage resulting m. Oil seals too close fit on shaft
from defective gaskets
n. Misalignment
a. Suction line not filled with
liquid 9. Bearings wear rapidly a. Misalignment
b. Air leaks in suction line or b. Shaft bent
stuffing boxes c. Vibration
c. Gas or vapor in liquid d. Excessive thrust resulting from
d. Air or vapor pockets in suction mechanical failure inside the
line pump
e. Inlet to suction pipe not e. Lack of lubrication
sufficiently submerged f. Bearings improperly installed
f. Available NPSH not sufficient g. Dirt in bearings
g. Liquid seal piping to lantern h. Moisture in oil
ring plugged j. Excessive cooling of bearings
h. Lantern ring not properly
located in stuffing box
12-12
 tor nameplate rating . Where it appears that this procedure will
lead to unn ecessar y oversizing of the motor, an alter- nate pr
oposal shall be submitted f or the purchaser’s ap- proval."
Motor Nam eplate Rating Percentage of
kW hp Rated
Pump Power
<22 <30 125
22-55 30-75 115
>55 >75 110
Alternatives to electric motor drivers are:
 internal combustion engines
 gas turbines
 ste am tur bines
 hydraulic p ower-recovery turbines
Usuall y the speed of rotation of these drivers can be varied
to prov ide control.
Var iable Spe ed Drives — Fig. 12-15 lists various types
of adjustable speed driv es, th eir char acter istics and th eir ap-
plication.
Materi als of Construction
Pumps manufactured with cast-steel cases and cast-iron i n-
tern als are m ost common in the gas proc essing ind ustry. API
Std 610 is a good reference for material s election. The mate-
rial selections in this d ocument can be ov er-ridden as required
to reflect experience.
Experience is the best guide to selection of materials for
pump s. Process pump m anufacturers can usually provide sug-
gestions for materials, based on their experience and knowl-
edge of pumps.
Shaft Seals
Mechanical seals are t he most common sealing devices for
centrifugal pumps in process service. The purpose of the seal
is to retain th e pumped liquid inside the pump at the po int
where the drive shaf t penetrates the pump bod y. Mechanical
seals consist of a st ation ary a nd a rotat ing face, and the act ual
sealin g takes place across these very smooth, precision faces.
Seal faces ma y requir e cooling and lubrication. API St d 610
describes seal flush syste ms used to coo l the sea l faces and re-
move foreign material. Seal manufacturers can provide appli-
cation an d design information.
Alignment, Supports, and Couplings
The alignment of the pu mp and driv er should be checked
an d adjusted in accordanc e with the manufacture r’s recom-
mendations before the pump is started. If the operatin g tem-
peratur e is greatly different from the temperature at which
the alignment was performed, the alignmen t should be
checked, and adjusted if necessar y, at the op erat ing tempera-
ture.
Pump and piping s upports should be desig ned a nd installed
so that forces exerted on the pump by the piping will no t cause
pump misalignment when oper ating t emperature changes or
other conditi ons occur.
The shaft coupling should be selected to m atch t he power
tra nsmitted a nd the type of pump a nd driver. A spacer type
coupling should be used if it is inconvenient to move either the
12-13
pu mp or the driver when th e seal (or ot her component) re- quires m
ainte nance.
Pipi ng
Pump requirements, nozzle size, type of fluid, temperat ure,
pressure and economics determine materials and size of pip-
ing.
Suction lines should be designed to keep fr iction losses to a
minimum. This is accomplished by using an adequate line
size, long radius elbows, full bore valves, etc. Pockets where
air or vapor can accumulate sh ould be avoided. Suction lin es
should be sloped, where p ossible, toward th e pump when it is
below the source, and toward the s ource wh en it is b elow the
pump. Vertical downward suction pipes requir e special care to
avoid pulsation and vibrat ions th at can be caused by a ir or va-
por entrainment. Elbows entering double suction pumps
should be installe d in a position parallel to the impelle r. Suffi- cient
liquid height above th e suction piping inlet, or a vort ex breaker,
should be prov ided to avoid vort ex form ation which may result in
vapors entering the pump.
For discharge piping, sizing is determined by the available
head a nd economic consider ations. Velocities ra nge from 3 to
15 ft/sec. A check valve should be installed between the dis-
charge nozzle and the b lock valve to prev ent backflow.
Auxiliary piping (cooling, seal flushing and lubrication) is a
small but extre mely importa nt item. API Sta ndard 6 10, “Cen-
trifugal Pumps for General Refinery Service,” or applicable
nat ional st and ard should be followed. Prov isions for pip ing of
stuffing box leak age and other dra inage away from t he pump
should be provided.
P ump Pr ote cti on
The following pr otection may be considered:
 low suction pressure
 high discharge pressure
 low suction vessel (or tank ) level
 high discharge vessel (or tank ) level
 low flow
 flow reversal
 high temperature of bearings, case, etc.
 vibrations
 lack of lubrication
 overspe ed
Protection may be cons idered for the pump driver and may
be combined wit h pump protection s.
Inst allation, Operation, M aintenance
Installation, oper ation, and m ainte nance manuals should be
provided by the pump manufacturer a nd are u sually applica-
tion specific. See Fig. 12-1 4 for a checklist of pump tr oubles
and causes.
Driver rotat ion and alignmen t should be checked before the pump
is oper ated.
A typical starting sequence for a centrifugal pump is:
 Ensure that all valves in auxiliary s ealing, cooling, and
flushing system pip ing are ope n, and t hat t hese systems
are functi oning prop erly.
 Close discharge va lve.
 Open sucti on valve.
 Vent ga s from t he pump an d associated piping.
  Energize the driver. and can pump high viscosit y liquids which are difficult to ha n-
 Open discharge valve slowly so that the flow increas es dle with normal centrifuga l or higher speed plunge r pumps.
gradually.
 Note that, on larger multistage pumps, it is very impor- Pump Calculations
tant that flow through the pump is established in a mat-
Power requirement b hp: see equation in Fig. 12-2.
ter of seco nds. This is freq uently accomplished by the
previously ment ioned minimu m flow recirculation.
Displac ement for single-acting pump
A  m  Ls  n
D Eq 12-10
RECIPROC ATING PUMPS 231

The most comm on reciprocatin g pump in gas plants is the
singl e-acting plunger pump which is generally empl oyed in
services with moderate capacity and high differential pres-
sur e. Thes e pumps f ill on the backstroke and exhaus t on the
forward strok e. They are available with single (s implex) or
multi-plungers (duplex, triplex, etc.), operating eithe r horizon- tally
or v erticall y. Exampl es of plunger pump service in gas plants are:
high pressure chemical or water injection, glycol circulation, an d low
capacit y, high pressure amine circulation,
and pipeline produc t pumps.
Double-acting piston pumps which f ill and exhaust on the
sa me stroke h ave the advantage of op erat ing at low speeds
Displac ement for double-actin g pump
D
2A  a m Ls  n
 Eq 12- 11
231
Notes:
1. Actual capacity (Q ) deliver ed by pump is calculated by
multiplyin g displac ement by the volum etric effici ency.
2. The combinat ion of mechanical and volumetric efficiency
for reciprocatin g pumps is normally 90% or high er for
nonco mpre ssible fluid s.
3. In doubl e-acting pumps with guided pist on (rod in both
sides) , change “a” to “2a” in Eq 12-11.

FIG. 12-15
3
Adjustable Speed Drives and Power Transmissions

Type Characteris tics Applica tions

Elect ric Dr ive rs
Solid State AC drives
Solid State DC drives
Elect romechan ical
Eddy Current Clutch
Wound-Rotor Motor
Mechan ical
Rubber Belt
Metal Chain
Hydraulic
P o w er Reco very
Turbines
 high effici ency  50 to 2500+ bhp
 good spe ed regulation  larger pumps wh ere good spe ed regulation
 low maint enance over not too wide a range is required
 compl ex contr ols  haz ardo us areas
 high cost
 can be explosion proof
 can r etrofit
 similar to A C except speed regulation g ood  50 to 500+ bhp
over a wide r range  non-haz ardo us areas
 efficient, proportional to slip  5 to 500+ bhp
 poor speed regulation  small er centrifugal pumps wh ere sp eed is
 require cooling usually near design
 non-haz ardo us areas
 poor speed regulation  50 to 500+ bhp
 reasonable effici ency  larger pumps n on-hazardous ar eas
 wide range of speed regulation p ossible  fraction al to 100 bhp
 small centrifugal and positive displacement
pumps
 low to medium efficiency  chemical feed pumps
 non-haz ardo us areas
 medium effici ency  available hydraulic head
 continu ously variable speed
 reversible use as pump

12-14
Example 12-2 — Calculate the p ower requir ed for a simplex
plunger pump d elivering 10 gpm of liquid of any specific grav-
ity at 3 000 psi differe nti al pressure a nd mechanical efficiency of
90%.
 10 3000
bhp   19.4 hp
1 714 0.90
Volumetric Efficienc y, Com pressible Fluids —
Unlike water, lighter hydrocar bon liquids (e.g. eth ane, pro-
pane, butane) are sufficiently compressible to affec t the
performance of rec iprocatin g pumps.
The theoretical flow capacity is neve r achieved in practice
because of leakage through pist on packing, stuffing box es, or
valves and because of changes in fluid density when pumping
compressible fluids such as light hydrocarbons.
The ratio of real flow rate to theoretical flow rate (pum p dis-
placement) is the volumetric efficiency. The volumetr ic effi-
ciency depends on the size, seals, valves an d internal
configur ation of each pu mp, the fluid char acter istics and oper-
ating conditions.
When pu mping compre ssible liquids, th e volumetric eff i-
ciency should be stated with reference to the flow rate meas-
ured in a specific side of the pump (sucti on or disch arge side).
The r elationsh ip of overall sucti on and discharge volumetric
efficienc y, displacement, and suction and discharge flow rate
of a reciprocating p ump is defi ned in Eq 12-12. When t he lea k-
age is not considered, the overall efficiencies may be substi-
tuted by the density change efficiencies.
Qs Qd
D  Eq 12-12
VEsov VE dov
The following equations are based on t he discharg e flow
rate. Similar equati ons may be writt en for the sucti on sid e,
and conversions may be made by multiplying them by the dis-
charge to suction densities ratio.
The overall discharge volumetric efficiency is a combinati on
of volumetric efficiency due to leakage and discharge volumet-
ric efficienc y due to fluid densit y change.
VEdov  VE l  VEd  Eq 12-13
The volumetric efficiency due to leakage is relate d to slip as
follows:
VE l  1  s Eq 12-14
The effect of the differe nce in the leakage flow rate meas-
ure d at suction pressure vs discharge pressure is neglected
here, assuming th at all leakages are intern al.
The discharge volumetric efficiency due to densit y change is:
 i  
VE d  1  r 1 
 o 
Eq 12-15
 
When the chang e in fluid densit y is linear with the change
in pressure and is smaller t han 10%, and the te mper ature
change is negligible, Equation 12-16 may be used to calculate
hydraluic powe r. Hc comes from Eq 12-5. Additionally, approxi-
mat ely 2 to 5% of power may be required f or the work done
during th e piston cycle, in compressin g and in d ecompressing
the fluid that is held in th e pump chamber without flowing
through the pump.
Qd  sp g ro  Hc
hyd hp  Eq 12-16
3960
When the differ ential pressure is sufficiently high to cause
a density change of more th an 10%, or when the pre ssure
is near the fluid’s crit ical pressur e, or wh en te mper a ture
change is not negligible, this equati on ma y not be
accurate. I n such cases the pump manufacturer s hould be
consulted. Se e Equipment an d System Equations, last
paragraph.
Data on density change with pressure and temperature can
be found in Section 23, "Physical Prop erties."
Example 12-3 — For a 3" diamete r and a 5 inch stroke trip lex
plunge r pump pumpin g propane with a suction density 31.4
lb/cu ft a nd a discharge de nsity 3 2.65 lb/cu ft and give n that r
= 4.6 and s = 0.03, find th e overa ll discharg e volumetr ic effi-
ciency.
Discharge v olum etric efficie ncy due to densit y chang e:
 31.4 
VEd   1  4.6 1  32.65  0.824
 
 
Volu m e t r ic effic ie nc y d u e to lea k a ge
VEl  1  0.03  0.97
Overall discharg e volumetric efficiency:
VEdov  0.824  0.97  0.799
Suct ion Syst e m Con sid erations
The suction piping is a critical part of an y reciprocating
pump installation. The suction line should be as s hort as pos-
sible an d size d to provide not more than three feet per second
fluid velocity, with a m inimum of bends and fitt ings. A cen-
tr ifugal booster pu mp is often used ahe ad of a reciprocating

FIG. 12-16
Reciprocating Pump Acceleration Head Factors

C= 0.200 for simplex double-acting k = a factor related to the flui d compressibility

= 0.200 for d uplex si ngle-acting hot oil 2.5
= 0.115 for d uplex double-acting most hydrocarbons 2.0
= 0.066 for triplex single or double-acting amine, glycol, wat er 1.5
= 0.040 for quintup lex single or doub le-acting deaerated wat er 1.4
= 0.028 for sept uplex single or double-acting liquid with small amount s of entr ained gas 1.0
= 0.022 for nonuplex single or double-act ing
Note: "C" will vary from the listed values for unusual ratios of connecting rod length to cra nk radius over 6.

12-15
pump to prov ide adequate NPSH wh ich would a lso allow
higher sucti on line velocities.
NPSH required f or a reciprocatin g pump is calculated in the same
manner as for a centrifugal pump, excep t that additional allowa nce
must be made for t he requirement s of the recipro- cating action of
the pump. The additional requirement is
termed acceleration head. This is the head r equir ed to acceler-
ate the fluid c olumn on each suction stroke so that this c ol-
umn will, at a mi nimum, c atch up wit h the receding face of
th e piston during its filling stroke.
Acceleration Head — Acceleration head is the fluctua-
tion of the suction head above and below the av erage due to
the inertia effect of the flui d mass in the suction line. With the
higher spee d of present-da y pumps or with relatively long suc-
tion lines, this pressure fluctuation or acceleratio n head must
be taken into accoun t if the pump is to fill properly without
formin g vapor which will caus e pounding or vibration of the
suction line.
With th e slide r-crank drive of a reciprocating pump, maxi-
mum plunge r acceleration occurs at the start an d end of each
stroke. The head required to accelerat e the fluid column (h a) is
a function of th e length of th e suction line and average veloc-
ity in this line, the number of strokes per minute (rpm) , the
type of pump and the relative elasticity of the fluid an d the
pipe, and may be calc ulated as follows:
L v n C
h a Eq 12-17
k g
where C an d k are given in Fig. 12-16 .
Example 12-4 — Calculate the accelerati on head, giv en a 2"
diamet er x 5" stroke triplex pump running at 360 rpm and
displacing 73 gpm of water with a suction pipe made up of 4
of 4" and 20of 6" sta nd ar d wall pipe.
Average Velocit y in 4" Pipe = 1.84 fps
Average Velocit y in 6" Pipe = 0.81 fps
Accele ration Head in 4" Pipe
4 1.84 360 0.066

ha4   3.62 f t
1.5 32.2
Accele ration Head in 6" Pipe
20 0.81 360 0.066
ha6   7.97 ft
1.5 32.2
Total Accele rat ion Head
ha  3.62  7.97  11.6 ft
Karass ik et al 9 recommend that the NPSH A exceed the
NPS HR by 3 to 5 psi for reciprocating pumps.
Pulsation — A pulsation dampener (suction stabilizer) is
a device i nstalled i n the s uction piping as close as possible to
the pump to reduce pressure fluctuations at the pump. It co n-
sists of a small pressure ve ssel containing a cushion of gas
(sometimes separated from t he pumped fl uid by a diaphragm).
Pulsation dampeners should be considered for t he suction side
of any reciprocating pump, but they ma y not be requir ed if the
suction piping is oversize d and short, or if the pump operates
at less th an 150 rpm. A properly installed and m aintained pul- sation
dampener sh ould abs orb the cyclical fl ow variati ons so
12-16
that the pressure fluctuations are about the same as those
that occu r when the sucti on piping is less than 1 5long.
Similar pr essure fluctuations occur on the discharge side of
every reciproc ating pump. Pulsat ion dampeners are also effec-
tive in absorbing flow variati ons on the discharge side of the
pump and s hould be considered if piping vibratio n caused by
press ure fluctuations appears to be a problem. P ulsatio n dam-
pener manufacturers have computer programs to analyze this
pheno menon and should be consulted for reciproc ating pump
application s over 50 hp. Discharge pu lsation da mpeners mini-
mize press ure peaks a nd contrib ute to longer pump a nd pump
valve life. The n eed for pulsation dampeners is increased if
multiple pump installations are involved.
Ensure that bladde r type pulsation dampeners contain the correct
amount of gas.
Capacity Control — Manual or automati c capacit y control
for one pump or several parallel pumps can be achieved by one
or a combination of the following m ethods:
 on-off control
 recirculation
 var iable speed driver or tra nsmission
 variab le displacement pump
Driver s — Two type s of mechanisms are commonly used
for driving reciprocating pumps; one in which the power of a motor
or engine is transmitted to a shaft and there is a mechanism to
convert its rotative movement to alternating
linear movement to drive the pumping piston or plunge r. In
the other type, there is a pow er fluid, such as steam, com-
pressed ai r, or gas acti ng on a piston, diaphragm or bellow
linked to the pumping piston or plunge r.
Pipin g — Suction and discharge piping considerations are
simila r to those for centrifuga l pumps. In addition, accelera-
tion head must be included for pipe sizing . For piping mater i-
als a nd thickness selection, pressure pulsations amplitude and
fatigue l ife should be considered.
ROTARY P UMPS
The rotary pump is a positive displacemen t type that de-
pends on the c lose clearance betw een both rotat ing and sta- tionary
surf aces to seal the disch arge from the sucti on. The
most common types of rotary pumps use gear or scre w rotat-
ing elements. These type s of positive displacement pu mps are
commonly used for viscous liquids for which centrifuga l or re-
ciproc ating pumps are not su itable. Low viscosity liquids with poor
lubricating properties (s uch as water) are not a proper application for
gear or scre w pumps.
DIAPHRAGM P UM P S
Diaphragm pumps are r eciprocating, positive d isplacement
type pumps, utilizing a valving system similar to a plunger
pump. These pumps can deliver a small, precisely contr olled
amount of liquid at a moderate to very high discharge pre s-
sure. Diaphr agm pu mps are commonly used as chemical injec-
tion pumps because of their contr ollable met ering capabilit y,
the wide range of materials in which they can be fabricated,
and thei r inherent leakproof design.
 MULTIPHASE PUMPS
Multipha se pumps can pump i mmiscible liquids such as oil
and water with gas. There are screw types and rotodynamic
types. A progressiv e cavity design is used along the flow path
to accomm odate gas volume reduction caus ed by incr eased
pressure. A full range of gas/liquid ratios can be handled. This
class of pumps is of interest in app lications where conven-
tional pumps and separate compressors wit h or without sep a-
rat e pipelines are not economically feasible.
Hydraulic Turbines
Many ind ustrial processes involve liquid stre ams wh ich flow
from higher to l ower pressures. Usually the flow is contr olled
with a thr ottling valv e, hence the hydraulic energy is wast ed.
Up to 80% of this energy can be recovered by passin g the liq-
uid through a hydraulic powe r recover y turbine (HPRT). To
justify the i nstallation of an HPRT, an economic analysis of
the power savings versus added equipment and installation
costs should be perfor med.
TYP ES OF HPRTs
Two major types of centrifugal hydrauli c power recovery
tur bines are used.
1. Reaction—Single or multistage Francis-type rot or with
fixed or variable guide vanes.
2. Impulse—Pelton W heel, usually specified for re lat ively
high differential pressures.
HPRTs with Francis-type r otors are simila r to centrifugal
pumps. In fact, a good centrifugal pump can be expected to op-
erate with high efficiency as an HPRT when the direction of
flow is reversed.
The Pelton Wheel or impulse runner typ e HPRT is used in
high head app lication s. The impulse type t urbine h as a nozzle
which directs the high pressure fluid against bowl-shaped
buck ets on th e impu lse whe el. This type of turb ines’ perform-
ance is dependent upon back pre ssure, while th e reaction type
is less dependent upon back pressure.
P o w er Rec overed b y HPRTs
The theoretica l energy which can be extracted from a high
pressure liquid stream by dropping it to a lower pressure
throug h an HPRT can be calculated using the hydraulic horse-
power. See Fig. 12-2 for bhp equation. Since some of the en-
ergy will be lost because of friction, the hydrauli c horsep ower
must be mult iplied by the efficiency of the HPR T.
The amount of power recovered by an HPRT is directly pro-
portional to the efficiency rather than inversely proportional
as is th e case when calculatin g the power required by a pump.
Thus, if a fluid is pumped to a high press ure and then reduced
to its original pressure us ing an HPRT, the proport ion of the
pumping energy which can be suppli ed by the HPRT is equal
to the efficiencies of the pump an d turbine multiplied togethe r.
Typicall y, good centrifugal pumps and good HPRTs have effi-
ciencies of between 70% and 8 0%. Thus, the HPRT can be ex-
12-17
LOW TEMPER ATUR E PUMPS
Two types of centrifugal pumps have been developed for
cryogenic applications: the external motor type and the sub-
merged motor type.
External motor ty pe — These pumps are of c onven- tional
configur ation with a coupled driver a nd can be single or multi-stage.
The p ump assembly is usually mounted in a ves- sel from which it
pumps.
Subme rged motor type — This type of pum p is charac- terized
by bein g directly coupl ed to its motor, with the c om- plete u nit
being submerged i n the fluid.
pected to provide between 50% an d 60% of the energy re-
quired for p umping.
Usually th e high-pr essure liquid c ontains a substantial
amount of dissolved g as. The gas comes out of solution as the
liquid pressure drops. This does not cause damage to the
HPRT, presumabl y because th e fluid velocity through the
HPRT is high enough to maintain a froth-fl ow regime. The
term NPSHR does no t apply to HPR Ts.
Appli cati ons
HPRTs ma y be used to drive any kind of rotating equipm ent (e.g.
pumps, compressors, fans, electrical generators). The
main problem s are m atching the power req uired by the dr iven load
to t hat available from t he HPRT a nd speed contr ol. Both the power
producer an d the speed can be controlled by:
 throttling the liquid flo w, either downstream or up-
stream from the HPRT
 allowing a port ion of the liquid to byp ass the HPRT
 adjusting inlet guide vanes installed in the HPRT
Sometimes HPRTs are installed with a "helper" driver. If
th is is an electric motor, the speed will be contr olled by the
motor speed.
Typical gas-pr ocessing streams f or which HPRTs should be
considered are:
 Rich sweete ning solvents (e.g. amines, etc.)
 Rich absorpti on oil
 High-pressur e crude oil.
The lower limit of the power recovery which can be economi-
cally justified with single-stage HPR Ts is about 30 hp and
with multistage, about 100 hp. HPR Ts usually pa y out their
capita l cost in from one to three y ears.
Fre quent ly, when an HPRT i s to be used to drive a p ump,
both devices are purchased from one manufacture r. This has
the advantage of ensuring that the responsibility for the en-
tire installation is assumed by a single supp lier.
The available pr essure diff erential across the HPRT is cal-
culated using a technique simila r to that used to calculate the
differential head of centrifuga l pumps.
Example 12-5—Specif y an HPRT driven pum p for a gas sweet-
ening process.
 FIG. 12-17
Rich DEA Pressure Letdown

FIG. 12-18
Lean Amine Charge Pump

12-18
Given: Hydraulic Institut e—Centrifugal, R eciprocating & Rotary Pumps
API Std 674—Positive Displac ement Pumps – Reciprocating
lean DEA flow 1000 gpm
API Std 675—Positive Displacement pumps – Controlled Vol-
lean DE A temperature 110°F ume
lean DE A specific gravity 1.00 API Std 676—Positive Displacement Pumps – Rotary
lean DEA vapor pre ssure at 1 20°F 1.7 psia API Std 682—Shaft S ealing Syst ems for Centr ifugal and Rotary
rich DEA flow 1000 gpm Pumps.
rich DEA temperature 160°F ANSI/AWWA E101-88—Vert ical Turbine Pumps – Line Shaft and
Submersible Types
rich DEA specific gravity 1.01
NEMA, EMMAC, UL, CSA—Electric Motor Drivers
pump suction tot al pressure 75 psig
UL, ULC, NF PA, FM—Fir e Water Pumps
pump discharge tot al pressure 985 psig
AIChE—American Institute of Chemical Engineers API—
HPRT inlet total pressure 960 psig
American Petroleum Institute
HPRT outlet total pressure 85 psig
ANSI—American National Standards Institute
Solution: AWWA—American Wat er Works Association CSA—
For this example, the suction an d discharge pressures have Canadian Standards Association
alr eady been calculated using a t echnique s imilar to that sug- EMMAC—Electrical Manufacturers Association of Canada FM—
gested for centrifuga l pumps.
Factory Mutual
2.31 75  14.7  1.7
NPSHA for pump   203 ft NEMA—National Electrical Manufacturers Association NF PA—
1.00
National Fire Preve ntion Association
2.31 985  75
Req uired head for p ump   2102 ft UL—Underwriters Laboratory
1.00
ULC—Underwriters Laboratory of Canada
The pump selected is a 5-stage u nit. From the pump curve
(Fig. 12-18), the exp ected efficiency of the pump is 78.5 %.
Hence, th e required power will be: REFERENC ES
1000 2102 1.00
bhp for pump   676 h p
396 0 0.785 1. API Standard 610, Eighth Edition, American Pe troleum Ins ti-
2.31 960  85 tute , New York, 1995.
Available head for HPRT   2001 ft 2. Bingham- Willamet te Ltd., Sales Man ual, Burnab y, B.C., Can-
1.01
ada.
The HPRT se lected is a 3-stage un it. Fr om the p erformance 3. Doll, T. R., "Making the P roper Choice of Adjustable-speed
curve ( Fig. 12-17 ), the expected efficiency of the HPRT is 76%. Drives ." Chem. Eng., v. 89, no. 16, August 9, 1982.
Hence, the avai lable power will be:
4. Evans , F. L., J r., "Equipmen t Design Handbook for Refineries and
100 0 2001 1.01 0.76 Chemica l Pla nts." Gulf Publi shing Compa ny, Hou ston, Texas,
bhp from HPRT   388 h p 1971, 1979.
3960
5. Hydra ulic Institute Sta ndard s, Fourtee nth Edition, Hydraulic
Another dr iver, such as an e lectric motor, would be requ ired Insti tute, 1983.
for the pump to make up th e difference in bhp between the
pump and HPR T. The other driver would have to be capable of 6. Henshaw, T. L., "Reciprocating Pumps ." Chem. E ngr., v. 88,
providing at least 288 hp. It is good pract ice to provide an no. 19, Sep t. 1981, p. 105-123.
electric motor driver l arge e nough to driv e the pump by itself 7. Ingersoll-Rand Compan y, 1962 , "A Pump Handbook for Sales-
to facilitate startups. The pump , HPR T, an d electric motor men."
driver (helper or full size) would usually be direct connected. 8. Jennet, E., "Hydraulic Po wer Recovery System ." Chem. Eng ., v.
In some cases, a clutch is used between the p ump and HPRT, 75, no. 8, April 1968, p. 159.
so the unit is independent of the HPR T.
9. Karassik, I. J., Krutzch, W. C., Frase r, W. H. an d Messina, J. P.,
The pump and HPRT are similar in hydraulic design except "Pump Handbook. " McGra w-Hill, Inc., 1976.
that the pump has five stages and the HPR T, three stages . In
10. McClasky, B. M. an d Lundquis t, J. A., "Can You J us tify Hydraulic
this case, the HPRT is a centrifugal pump running backwards.
Turbines?" Hyd. Proc ., v. 56, no. 10, October 1976, p. 163.
11. Pe r ry, R. H. and Chilton, C. H., Chemical Enginee rs Handboo k,
CODES & ORGANIZATIONS Fift h Edition, 1973, McGra w-Hill, I nc.
12. Purcell , J. M. and Beard , M. W., "Applying Hydraulic Turbines
API Std 610 8th Editi on—Centrifugal Pumps for General Refinery
to Hydrocracking Operations." Oil Gas J., v. 65, no. 47, Nov. 20,
Service
1967, p. 202.
ANSI B73.1—Horizontal End-Suction Centrifugal Pumps
13. Stepanoff, A. J., "Cen trifugal and Axial Flo w Pumps ." John Wiley
ANSI B73.2— Vertical Inline Centrifugal Pumps & Sons, Inc., 1948, 1957.

12-19
14. Tennessee Gas Transmission Co., "Operators Handbook for Gaso-
line Plants, Part 6-Rotary Pumps." Pet. Ref. (Now Hyd Proc) Nov.
1959, p. 307-308.
15. Westaway, C. R. and Loomis, A. W., Editors, Cameron Hydraulic
Data, Fifteenth Edition, Ingersoll Rand Company, 1977.
16. Cody, D. J., Vandell, C. A., and Spratt, D., "Selecting Positive-Dis-
placement Pumps." Chem. Engr., v. 92, no. 15, J uly 22, 1985,
p. 38-52.
17. AIChE Publ. No. E-22, Second Edition, AIChE Equipment Test-
ing Procedure, Centifugal Pumps, (Newtonian Liquids). New
York. 1983.
18. ANSI/AWWA E101-88, American Water Works Association, Den-
ver, 1988.

12-20