Section

Page 1 Date April 2000

5030

ENGINEERING

DATA FROM AURORA PUMP

Supersedes Section 5030 Page 1 Dated September 1990

I Boiler Feed / Condensate Return Engineering Data I I I I I

BY-PASS ORIFICE SELECTION FOR CONTINUOUS OPERATION BOILER FEED PUMPS

Many steam boilers operate with continuous operation centrifugal boiler feed pumps. As the steam demands reduce during off peak periods, automatic controls or modulating valves regulate the flow of feed water to the boiler. Under these conditions, the pump will operate at reduced flows. When a centrifugal pump is operated at zero capacity or shut off, there will be a rise in temperature of the liquid in the pump because the input horsepower being converted to heat in the pump is not being dissipated. To control this temperature rise so that damage to the pump does not occur, it is important that a small amount of water be diverted from the discharge line back to the liquid source to dissipate the heat build-up. This can be accomplished by installing a properly sized by-pass orifice between the discharge pipe and the suction source. To determine the amount of liquid that must be by-passed, use the following equation:
HPSO x 5.3 T Where HPSO = Pump Horsepower required at shut off. (Refer to the pump performance curve.) T = Maximum allowable temperature rise F.

After the by-pass flow has been determined along with the pump shut off head, the proper orifice size can be determined from the orifice selection chart. Example: By-pass flow determination Given a 1.5 x 3 x 9 - 431 pump with a 7.25" diameter impeller and handling 210F water. From the performance curve at 3500 RPM, note that the shut-off head is approximately 400 feet and the shut-off horsepower (HPSO) is 9.0 BHP. For water temperature of 210F, hold the temperature rise to 3F rise.
9 x 5.3 3

By-Pass G.P.M. =

= 15.9 or 16.0 G.P.M. By-Pass flow

From the orifice flow chart at 400 feet shut-off and 16 G.P.M. by-pass flow, a 1/4" orifice is selected. When the G.P.M. falls between two orifice sizes, select the larger size. Note: Since the by-pass flow thru an orifice is continuous, regardless of boiler demand, this flow must be added to the maximum boiler demand to determine the design capacity for sizing of the boiler feed pump. For typical boiler manufacturers, this is normally accounted for in their basic selection data. Also be aware that these calculations are typical only and that a specific application may require adjustment due to minimal N.P.S.H. availability.

By-Pass G.P.M. =

Since most boiler feed pumps operate against a closed modulating valve for short periods of time, the following temperature ranges and temperature rises are recommended.
For temperatures to 130F Temperature rise of 15 degrees. For temperatures over 130F to 200F Temperature rise of 10 degrees. For Temperatures over 200F Temperature rise of 2 to 4 degrees maximum.

Section 5030 Page Date April 2000

Supersedes Section 5030 Page 2 Dated September 1990

ENGINEERING
9/64 1/16 5/64 3/32 7/64 5/32 3/16 7/32 1/8 5/16 11/32 3/8 13/32 7/16 15/32 1/2 17/32 9/16 19/32 1/4 9/32

DATA FROM AURORA PUMP

I Boiler Feed / Condensate Return Engineering Data I I I I I Flow Chart for 3/4 NPT x 2-1/2 Lg. St. Stl. Orifice Nipple
1000

DRILL SIZE

500 400

PUMP SHUT OFF HEAD (FEET)

300

200

100

50 40 30

20

10

.4

10

20

100

200

G.P.M. (BY-PASS FLOW)

DRILL SIZE

REF LETTER NONE D E F G H I J L N P R T V X Y Z ZZ AA BB CC DD

PART NO. 0005 0006 0007 0008 0009 0010 0011 0012 0013 0014 0015 0016 0017 0018 0019 0020 0021 0022 0023 0024 0025 0026

Orifice Nipple
1-1/16 DIA. DRILL SIZE (SEE CHART)

3/4 N.P.T.

2.50

3/4 N.P.T.

Orifice Nipple Part Number. 534 104 *

*Select size part number from chart at right.

NONE 1/16 5/64 3/32 7/64 1/8 9/64 5/32 3/16 7/32 1/4 9/32 5/16 11/32 3/8 13/32 7/16 15/32 1/2 17/32 9/16 19/32

Section

Page 3 Date April 2000

5030

ENGINEERING

DATA FROM AURORA PUMP

Supersedes Section 5030 Page 3 Dated September 1990

I Boiler Feed / Condensate Return Engineering Data I I I I I

TYPICAL ORIFICE NIPPLE INSTALLATION

The water by-passed should be returned to the tank from which the pump takes its suction, not back to the suction of the pump. The normal installation would be to run a bypass line from the discharge piping back to the tank with a properly sized orifice installed to give the correct minimum by-pass. The orifice nipples furnished by Aurora Pump are manufactured as a 2-1/2" stainless steel nipple with 3/4" NPT male threads. You may order your pump with a stainless steel by-pass nipple and Aurora Pump will properly size it for the pump you are purchasing. It is recommended to install the orifice with a valve and union on either side to permit removal for servicing.
OPTIONAL BY-PASS 3/4" MINIMUM PIPE SIZE -1" FOR RUN OF 10' OR MORE

NEEDLE VALVE

ORIFICE NIPPLE

VALVE UNION TANK

3/4"

TO BOILER

FEED PUMP

BOILER FEED AND CONDENSATE RETURN ENGINEERING DATA

Continuous vs. Intermittent Operation
1) In a continuous operation system the feed water to the boiler is controlled by a modulating valve, which opens and closes on changes in demand to keep a fairly constant water level in the boiler. As the valve regulates, the flow from the feed pump follows the pump performance curve at various discharge heads relating to the modulating settings of the valve. The continuous operation is suited to the centrifugal pump performance, which allows for wide capacity changes over a small change in head. Also the horsepower requirement does not increase as the pump is operating against a nearly closed modulating valve which can occur quite regularly. 2) For the intermittent (On-Off) operation, a float switch at the boiler controls the pump operation. As the water level in the boiler falls to a certain level, contacts in the float switch close and start the feed water pump. The pump supplies water until the boiler water level rises to a point that the float switch contacts open and the pump stops. This operation repeats as the water level drops again. The intermittent operation, normally used on smaller boilers, is well suited to the regenerative turbine for the following reasons: a) Comparatively low capacities are ideal for the small and medium range boilers. b) The pump covers a broad range of pressures, which cover a wide boiler pressure range. c) During operation, the pump is allowed to operate at a nearly constant head/capacity point and not over the entire pump curve as with continuous operation. The steep head curve of the regenerative turbine, with the horsepower rising to shut off, does not lend itself well to the varying performance of the continuous operation.

Section 5030 Page Date April 2000

Supersedes Section 5030 Page 4 Dated September 1990

ENGINEERING

DATA FROM AURORA PUMP

I Boiler Feed / Condensate Return Engineering Data I I I I I

CONVERTING BOILER HORSEPOWER TO G.P.M.

A boiler horsepower is equivalent to the evaporation of 34.5 lbs. of water per hour from a feed water temperature of 212F into steam at 212F or, in other terms, is equal to the evaporation of 0.069 GPM per boiler HP. The accompanying table of water requirements is based on these values. In selecting a boiler feed pump it should be remembered that most boilers are operated at more than 100% of their rating. With modern firing methods 200% to 300% is not uncommon even with small boilers. For example an 200 HP boiler operating at 300% of rating will actually evaporate 600 boiler HP or 41.4 G.P.M. A boiler feed pump should always develop a pressure higher than the boiler pressure. The amount the pump pressure exceeds the boiler pressure is called the Excess Pressure. This excess pressure is needed to overcome the friction losses in the check valve, regulating valve, piping and in the static elevation difference between the pump location and the water level in the boiler. The amount of excess pressure required should be determined from the layout of the installation. Generally, for estimating purposes, excess pressures of 25 lbs. for 100 lb. pressure boilers to 50lbs. for 300 lb. boilers can be used.

This table may be used as an aid in specifying Aurora Regenerative Turbine or Centrifugal pumps for boiler feed and condensate service. Keep in mind that the G.P.M. values will be fairly accurate for continuous operation with centrifugal pumps. For intermittent (On-Off) regenerative turbines, the capacity requirement should be multiplied by 2-3 to allow the pump to operate only 1/2 to 1/3 of the time.

WATER REQUIRED TO FEED BOILERS, U.S. GPM

Boiler HP 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 125 150 GPM 0.7 1.4 2.1 2.8 3.5 4.1 4.8 5.5 6.2 6.9 8.6 10.4 Lb/Hr 345 690 1035 1380 1725 2070 2415 2760 3105 3450 4312 5175 Boiler HP 175 200 225 250 300 350 400 450 500 600 750 1000 GPM 12.1 13.8 15.5 17.2 20.7 24.1 27.6 31.1 34.5 41.4 51.8 69.0 Lb/Hr 6037 6900 7762 8625 10350 12075 13800 15525 17250 20700 25875 34500