WATER PUMPING MACHINERY

Arsenio N. Resurreccion Mechanical device used to transfer fluid from one place to another The source of fluid is usually of lower elevation than the point of delivery (e.g. wells, rivers, lakes, reservoirs and canals) Basic principles involved in pumping water: 1) Atmospheric pressure This is pressure exerted by atmospheric air on the water surface. At sea level, atmospheric pressure P = 14.7 psi = 10,200 kg/m2 = 1 bar Atmospheric pressure decreases above sea level and increases below sea level At equilibrium, the water surface exerts an equal but opposite pressure on the atmosphere If a tube is dip into a surface of water and air is drawn out of the tube, the water will rise in the tube to a level where the pressure exerted by the column of water is again equal to atmospheric pressure Taking the specific weight of water as = 0.0361 lbs/in3 = 1000 kg/m3, the rise of water in the tube will be: h = P/ = (10,200 kg/m2)/(1,000 kg/m3) = 10.2 m = 33.9 ft The above rise of water can only be attained when: 1. 2. 3. There is perfect vacuum (no leaks) When pure water is used (various liquids have different weights) There is no resistance to flow (surface roughness, bends, strainer and couplings)

Because of impurity of water and frictional losses, most pumps can lift water at less than the amount stated above. Practical suction lift can only be specified at 7.62 m = 25 ft

2)

Specific gravity the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of a standard substance such as pure water The rise of a liquid in a tube under vacuum would be higher if the specific gravity of the liquid is less than 1.0. The performance of a pump is affected by the specific gravity of the liquid (e.g. mixture of water and air, mixture of two liquids of different density, liquid with different density than water)

3)

Centrifugal force force acting on a body moving in a circular path tending to force it away from the axis of rotation The action of centrifugal force can be illustrated in Fig. 1

Figure 1.

Centrifugal force

The water is rotated by the rotation of the cylinder with vanes. Water is forced out against the wall of the can and moves up. Water near the center is drawn downward since a vacuum is created near the center as the water moves outward.

Pump classification (Figure 2):

Figure 2.

Pump classification

According to the nature of output, pumps can be classified as: A. Positive Displacement Pump discharges the same volume of water regardless of the head against which it operates. This type of pump must be powered to meet its discharge head. Because of its small discharge capacity, it is not commonly used for irrigation and drainage. However, it is commonly used for home water supply system, backyard gardening, and well drilling. 1. Reciprocating Pump having to-and-fro motion (backward and forward or upward and downward motion) as distinguished from circular or rotary motion Four elements are necessary for its operation: 1) 2) 3) 4) Cylinder Piston or plunger Inlet or admission valve Outlet or discharge valve

Piston and plunger differentiation - the piston is shorter than its stroke while the plunger is longer than its stroke Another distinguishing feature - packing is inlaid on the rim of the piston for a tight seal while the packing is placed in a stuffing box located at the end of the cylinder for a tight seal in the case of a plunger. Types of reciprocating pumps: According to the way the water is handled, reciprocating pumps may be classified as: a. Lift Pump single-acting pump consisting of an open cylinder, piston with built-in bucket valve and inlet valve (Figure 3). When the piston goes up, water is sucked from the source through the inlet valve and enters the lower chamber. When the piston goes down, the inlet valve closes and the water is transferred from the lower chamber to the upper chamber through the bucket valve. Every time the piston goes up, water that is already in the upper chamber will spill out from the spout.

Figure 3.

Lift pump

b. Force Pump single-acting or double-acting pump consisting of a plunger, inlet valve, and discharge valve. When the plunger goes up, water is sucked into the cylinder through the inlet valve. When the plunger goes down, the inlet valve closes and water is forced out of the pump through the discharge valve. The force pump forces water above atmospheric pressure as distinguished from the lift pump (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Sample problem:

Force pump

A lift pump was used to collect water at 60 strokes per minute and 50 liters was collected. The lift pump has a bore of 10 cm and stroke of 15 cm. What is the volumetric efficiency of the lift pump? Given : B = 10 cm L = 15 cm pumping rate = 60 strokes/min water collected = 50 liters/min

Required: Solution: A.

Volumetric efficiency of the pump

Pump displacement:
4

(10 )2 (15 ) 4

3 = 1,178

B.

Theoretical discharge = VT = Pd X No. of strokes/min = 1,178 cm3/min X 60 strokes/min = 70,680 cm3/min ==> 70.68 li/min Volumetric Efficiency = Ev = =
50 / 70.68 /

C.

B.

Variable Displacement Pump The distinguishing feature is the inverse relationship between discharge rate and pressure head. High pressure head will result in low or zero discharge rate and vice versa Variable displacement pump requires the greatest power input at low head because of the increase in discharge rate. Variable displacement pump is commonly used for pumping water for irrigation because of the large discharge. 1. Centrifugal pump most commonly used type for domestic and irrigation purposes. Depends on centrifugal force for their operation. Consists of an impeller inside an involute casing (Figure 5).

100 = 70.74%

100

Figure 5.

Centrifugal pump

2.

Propeller Pump used for low pressure head and high discharge. Extensively used for drainage pumping and the transfer of water from canals and rivers to adjacent fields (Figure 6).

Figure 6.

Propeller pump

Figure 7.

Pump performance curve

Sizing of Pumps and Prime Movers: A criterion that is well accepted in computing the pump capacity is to base it on the highest daily water requirement of the crop.

According to the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), the water requirement for rice production is 10 mm/day. Table 1 shows the combination of pump capacity, area to be irrigated and time of irrigation that can supply the daily water requirement for rice production (10 mm/day). Area (ha) that can be irrigated at different capacities (gpm) and pumping time (hrs/day) Hectare for different gpm 40 50 60 70 80 0.67 1.00 1.33 1.67 2.00 0.85 1.25 1.67 2.08 2.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 1.17 1.75 2.33 2.91 3.50 1.33 2.00 2.67 3.33 4.00

Table 1.

Operating Hrs/day 8 12 16 20 24

20 0.33 0.50 0.67 0.83 1.00

30 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50

90 1.50 2.25 3.00 3.75 4.50

100 1.67 2.50 3.33 4.17 5.00

The size of the pump can be determined by the pump output using Table 2. Sizes and outputs of centrifugal pumps Pump output (gpm) 20 30 30 50 50 70 70 100 100 200 200 - 300

Table 2.

Pump Size, inches (inlet and outlet diameter) 1.25X1.25 1.5X1.5 2X2 2.5X2.5 3X3 4X4

The horsepower needed to drive the pump is computed as follows: Hp =

QXH 3960 X Eff s Q = pump output, gpm H = total head, ft.

Where:

Effs = system efficiency = Effp X Efft X Effpm Effp = pump efficiency Efft = transmission efficiency Effpm = prime mover efficiency The total head H may be estimated by adding the drawdown, static suction lift, friction and velocity head losses, and discharge head.

Pump efficiency varies with the size of the pump with bigger ones being more efficient (Table 3). Normal efficiencies of centrifugal pumps Pump Output (gpm) 20 30 40 60 100 150 Efficiency (%) 32 37 40 45 50 55

Table 3.

Table 4 gives the transmission efficiencies of four types of transmission systems Normal efficiencies of transmission systems Type of Transmission Direct Gear V-belt Flatbelt Efficiency (%) 100 98 95 90

Table 4.

For continuous operation, electric motors and engines are expected to deliver only a certain percentage of their rated power as shown in Table 5.

Table 5.

Continuous delivery rating of power units Delivery Rating, % 65 72 72 90 60 70 80

Type of Power Unit Electric Motor < 1 hp > 1 hp Internal Combustion Engine Air-cooled gasoline Air-cooled diesel Water-cooled diesel

The power unit for driving pumps may be electric motors or engines. Electric motors provide an economical installation when an adequate and reliable source of electric power is available at reasonable cost. Engine should be used when the source of electric power is not reliable or too costly. When an engine is considered, the decision is to use either a gasoline engine or a diesel engine. Where the annual use is high (more than 800 hours), the high cost of the diesel engine may be overcomed.

Specific Yield of well the discharge rate of a well per foot drawdown. Example: Specific yield = 3 gpm/ft drawdown ) Discharge rate of pump = 30 gpm Total drawdown = 10 ft Total drawdown is added to the total head for the computation of power to drive the pump.

Sample Problem: Determine the size of the centrifugal pump and air-cooled gasoline engine to use for a 1.5-ha field planted to lowland rice. The field is to be irrigated for 12 hours every 2 days. Source of water is a well with the following data: a. b. c. d. e. Static water level = 8 ft Specific yield = 12 gpm/ft DD Discharge head = 20 ft Friction and velocity head = 2 ft Power transmission uses v-belt

Given: Area = 1.5 ha Operating time = 12 hr every 2 days Static suction lift = 8 ft Specific yield = 12 gpm/ft DD Friction/velocity head = 2 ft Discharge head = 20 ft Type of transmission = v-belt Required: a. b. Size of centrifugal pump Size of gasoline engine

Solution: a. Size of centrifugal pump: From Table 1, at 12 hr/day and 1.5 ha, the required pump capacity is 60 gpm. Since pumping operation is to be carried out every two days, then the pump capacity should be doubled to 120 gpm. From Table 2, at 120 gpm, the required pump size is 3X3 centrifugal pump.

b.

Size of diesel engine: Hp =

QXH 3960 X Eff p X Eff t X Eff pm

Q = pump discharge = 120 gpm H = Total head = static head + drawdown + friction/velocity head + discharge head = 8 ft +

120 gpm + 2 ft + 20 ft = 40 ft 12 gpm/ft

From Table 3 and interpolating, Effp = 0.52 From Table 4, Efft = 0.95 From Table 5, Effpm = 0.60 Therefore: Hp =

120 gpm X 40 ft = 4.1 hp 3960 X 0.52 X 0.95 X 0.60

Since power units are available in standard sizes only, select the next higher standard size of air cooled gasoline engine.

Reading assignment: 1. 2. 3. 4. PAES 114:2000 PAES 115:2000 PAES 127:2002 PAES 128:2002 Agricultural Machinery Centrifugal Pump Specifications Agricultural Machinery Centrifugal Pump Methods of Test Agricultural Machinery - Drilling Rigs Specifications Agricultural Machinery Drilling Rigs Methods of Test