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Centrifugal Pump Design
Centrifugal Pump Design
Centrifugal Pump Design
The client will usually specify the desired head and pump capacity. The type and speed of the driver may
also be specified. Speed is governed by considerations of cost and efficiency as well as drivers available to
the client. Given these parameters, the task of the engineer is to minimize cost.
Which cost to minimize, first cost or life-cycle cost, however, is an important consideration. From
a life cycle viewpoint, we must take into account power consumption and operation and maintenance costs.
These considerations call for optimizing efficiency, reliability (the mean time between failure) and
maintainability (the mean time to repair). In general, designing to optimize these categories results in
increased costs. Often, these considerations are not very important and we can design for minimum first
cost. In appropriate cases, the engineer should initiate a dialog with the client concerning available options.
For example, designing a boiler feed pump that operates continuously would probably call for maximizing
efficiency. Efficiency considerations would not be so important, however, for a drainage pump that is only
required to operate occasionally.
QL CA 2 gH L
where: C = flow coefficient
A = leakage area = Ds / 2
D = mean clearance diameter
HL
3
U 22 U 12 / 2 g
N = 1760 rpm
Quantity flowrate:
Q
2.
hP = 150ft
2500 gal
min
min
ft 3
5.57 ft 3 / s
60
s
7.48
gal
Mass flowrate:
5.57
m&
ft 3 62.4 lbm
348lbm / s
s
ft 3
3.
Specific speed: Assume a double suction impeller; then, Q = 2500/2 = 1250gpm, and:
N sd
(rpm) Q( gpm)
h ( ft )
3/ 4
(1760) 1250
1450rpm
(150) 3/ 4
Water horsepower.
WHP
5.
&
mgh
(348)lbm (32.2) ft (150) ft
s hp
s2
550
s
s2
(550) ft lbf 32.2 ft
WHP 94.6hp
Shaft diameter. Calculate shaft diameter based on torque. Increase the calculated value
somewhat to allow for bending moment which is unknown at this point and to ensure that the
critical speed exceeds the operational speed by a reasonable margin. The bending moment
will depend on the weight distribution of the shaft and any unbalanced radial thrust acting on
the impeller. From the figure shown below, with the given flow of 2500 gpm and calculated
value of specific speed of 1450, we select a tentative value of efficiency of 80%.
BHP
Thus:
WHP 94.6
118hp
0.8
4230lbf in
s hp
(1760)rev min (2)( ) rad ft
16T
(16)(4230)lbf in in 2
3
Ds 3
1.75in
ss
( )(4000)lbf
To account for the unknown bending moment and critical speed, increase the shaft diameter to
2 1/8 in. Church states that the hub diameter, DH , is made from 5/16 to in. larger than Ds:
Let DH 2 in.
6.
(4)(5.57) ft 3 s (144)in 2
2
4Q
VSU ( ) DSU
DSU
10.1, say,10in
Q
( )VSU
( )(10) ft s ft 2
4
; or,
;thus,
VSU
(4)(5.57) ft 3 (144)in 2
10.2 ft / s
( ) s(10) 2 in 2 ft 2
Q V0 A0 V0 (
D0
7.
(4)(1.02)Q
DH2
( )(2)V0
D02 DH2
)
4
4
(4)(1.02)(5.57)(144)
5
(2.5) 2 7.33in, say, 7 in
( )(2)(11)
16
U 1 r
(1760)(2)( )(7.315)
56.2 ft / s
(60)(2)(12)
The radial velocity should be slightly higher than V0 because a converging shape is more efficient than a
divergent one. Let Vr be 12 ft/s.
The inlet area will be decreased by the vane thickness. Assume a contraction factor, 16 , of 0.85; the
entering width then is:
b1
Q
(102
. )(557
. )(144)
175
. in
D1Vr11 ( )(2)(7.31)(12)(0.85)
W1
Vr1
1 tan 1
Vr 1
12
tan 1
12.10
U1
56.2
1
U1
1 is usually increased slightly to account for contraction of the stream as it passes the inlet edges as well
as prerotation. The inlet angle is usually between 10 and 25 degrees7. Let 1 be 130.
8.
The theoretical head can be found from integrating the force on a differential mass:
dF dmr
and
dP
dF
A ; dm d brddr
brddr r 2
2 2
2
dP
rdr
(r2 r12 )
1
1 brd
1
2
2
but U r
and
P P1 U 22 U 12
H 2 H1 2
g
2g
P
H
g ;hence,
For a closed rotating cylinder containing a fluid, the pressure head developed at the outer rim is:
H2
U 22
2g
D2
(2)( ) N
N
(12)
D2
1840 H
N
(13)
Church8 gives several charts for which have been based on a large number of tests. Most of the plotted
points fall within a range of 0.9 to 1.1. Noting that if the head on test is found to be too high, the impeller
diameter can be machined to an appropriate diameter, select 1.05 for ; then:
D2
9.
(1840)(105
. ) 150
13.4in
(1760)
; say, 13 in.
The normal range for discharge angles is between 20 and 25 degrees9. Furthermore, 2 is usually made
larger than the inlet angle. Assume 2 = 200.
8 Church, pp. 199-104.
9 Id., p. 35.
The radial outlet velocity, Vr2 , is made the same as, or slightly less than, the radial inlet velocity, Vr1.
Assume Vr2 = 11 ft/s10.
Outlet area (based on required flow plus leakage).
A2
3
2
Q (1.02)(5.57) ft s (144)in
74.4in 2
2
Vr 2
s (11) ft ft
(1.02)(5.57) ft 3 s (144)in 2
Q
b2
1.896in
Vr 2 D2 2 s (11) ft ( )(13.5)in ft 2 (0.925)
10. Outlet velocity diagram.
The absolute outlet velocity, V2 , is used in the design of the volute. We proceed as follows:
U 2 r2
V 2 U 2
Vr 2
11
103.7
735
. ft / s
tan 2
tan 20 0
V' 2
V 2
Church assumes a value of of 0.7. This coefficient can be calculated from tests. Pump manufacturers
will maintain records from which a reasonable value might be estimated for a given design.
V' 2 (0.7)(735
. ) 515
. ft / s
The outlet vector diagram can now be drawn:
2' tan 1
11
12.10
515
.
, say, 130
10 Id., p. 110.
11 See, Church, p. 28 for a discussion of circulatory flow.
'2
V2
2
Vr2
Vr2
V2
V2
U2
Wall and vane thicknesses are usually made a minimum consistent with good foundry practice. The
stresses due to centrifugal force and fluid pressure are relatively low for average applications; otherwise,
they need to be taken into account12.
12 Id,, p. 152.
13 Church attributes this equation to A.J. Stepanoff: Leakage Loss and Axial Thrust in Centrifugal
Pumps, A.S.M.E. Trans., HYD-54-5, 1932.
3 U 22 U 12 (3)(103.7 2 56.2 2 )
HL
88.5 ft
4 2g
(4)(2)(32.2)
From Figure 6-1, p 92, Church, the flow coefficient for 1760 rpm and a 0.013 in clearance is 0.410. Thus,
the leakage is:
DESIGN OF VANES
The entrance vane angle, 1 , has been found to be 130 ; that at the exit, 200 . For smooth flow, we
must design the vane such that this angle increases smoothly from 130 to 200 . We note also that the radial
components of velocity to these two angles are 12 and 11 ft/s, respectively. We also see from the vector
diagram that W Vr / sin . The relative velocities corresponding to the entrance and outlet stations are
then: 12 / sin 13 53.3 ft / s and 11 / sin 20 32.2 ft / s . To obtain intermediate values of radii
corresponding to intermediate values of the position angle, , we proceed as follows (see Fig. 3):
0
1) Plot , Vr, and W against vane radius, r, for the entrance and outlet stations and connect by a
straight line (or a smooth curve).
2) The corresponding values for vane angle, , are computed from sin Vr / W . These
values are also plotted against their radii.
Alternatively, write a computer program to perform the above functions. Referring to the figure below:
tan
dr
dr
d
r tan
rd or
dr
180
dr
180 r r
r1 r tan
r1 r tan
rd
3) Plot the radii against to give the shape of the trailing edge
of the vane.
Draw the front edge of the vane with the same curvature as the back edge with a thickness of about 1/8 in14.
NUMBER OF VANES
The number of vanes is given by the Pfleiderer equation15. First, calculate the average vane angle:
m
z no. vanes 6.5
1 2 13 20
16.50
2
2
; then,
D2 D1
(13.5 7.312)
sin m (6.5)
sin 16.50 6.21, say ,6.
D2 D1
(135
. 7.312)
( )(7.312)
383
. in
(
6
)
The circumferential pitch of the vanes is:
Check the contraction factor:
zt
sin
zt
1
D
D sin
1 1
2 1
(6)( 0125
. )
0.855(0.85assumed )
(7.31) sin 130
(6)(0125
. )
0.948(0.925assumed )
(13.50) sin 20 0
SUMMARY
Diameter of suction flange, Dsu ------------------------------- 10in
Velocity in suction flange, Vsu ---------------------------------10.22 ft/s
Shaft diameter, Ds -----------------------------------------------------------------------2 1/8 in
Impeller hub diameter, DH --------------------------------------2 in
14 Church, p. 115.
15 Id.
V'2
---51.5 ft/s
'
Angle of water leaving impeller, 2 ----------------------------130