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Ansi Hi 9 6 1 Centrifugal NPSH Margin PDF
Ansi Hi 9 6 1 Centrifugal NPSH Margin PDF
Ansi Hi 9 6 1 Centrifugal NPSH Margin PDF
1-1998
9 Sylvan Way
Parsippany, New Jersey
07054-3802
www.pumps.org
This page intentionally blank.
Secretariat
Hydraulic Institute
www.pumps.org
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Standard Consensus is established when, in the judgement of the ANSI Board of Standards
Review, substantial agreement has been reached by directly and materially affected
interests. Substantial agreement means much more than a simple majority, but not nec-
essarily unanimity. Consensus requires that all views and objections be considered,
and that a concerted effort be made toward their resolution.
The use of American National Standards is completely voluntary; their existence does
not in any respect preclude anyone, whether he has approved the standards or not,
from manufacturing, marketing, purchasing, or using products, processes, or proce-
dures not conforming to the standards.
The American National Standards Institute does not develop standards and will in no
circumstances give an interpretation of any American National Standard. Moreover, no
person shall have the right or authority to issue an interpretation of an American
National Standard in the name of the American National Standards Institute. Requests
for interpretations should be addressed to the secretariat or sponsor whose name
appears on the title page of this standard.
Published By
Hydraulic Institute
9 Sylvan Way, Parsippany, NJ 07054-3802
www.pumps.org
ISBN 1-880952-25-4
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
9.6.1 Pump NPSH margin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
9.6.1.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
9.6.1.2 Suction energy level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
9.6.1.2.1 Suction energy factors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
9.6.1.2.2 Suction energy determination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
9.6.1.3 Cavitation damage factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
9.6.1.4 NPSH margin ratio recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
9.6.1.5 Application considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
9.6.1.5.1 Petroleum process pumps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
9.6.1.5.2 Chemical process pumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
9.6.1.5.3 Electric power pumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
9.6.1.5.4 Nuclear power/cooling tower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
9.6.1.5.5 Water/wastewater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
9.6.1.5.6 General industrial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
9.6.1.5.7 Pulp and paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
9.6.1.5.8 Building services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
9.6.1.5.9 Slurry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
9.6.1.5.10 Pipeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
9.6.1.5.11 Waterflood (injection) pumps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
9.6.1.6 Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Appendix A Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
iii
Purpose of Standards
1) Hydraulic Institute Standards are adopted in the public interest and are
designed to help eliminate misunderstandings between the manufacturer,
the purchaser and/or the user and to assist the purchaser in selecting and
obtaining the proper product for a particular need.
2) Use of Hydraulic Institute Standards is completely voluntary. Existence of
Hydraulic Institute Standards does not in any respect preclude a member
from manufacturing or selling products not conforming to the Standards.
Scope
This standard applies to centrifugal and vertical pump types. It describes the ben-
efit to pump life when the NPSH available is greater than the NPSH required by a
suitable margin, and suggests margins for various applications.
Units of Measurement
Metric units of measurement are used; corresponding US units appear in brack-
ets. Charts, graphs and sample calculations are also shown in both metric and US
units.
Since values given in metric units are not exact equivalents to values given in US
units, it is important that the selected units of measure to be applied be stated in
reference to this standard. If no such statement is provided, metric units shall govern.
vi
Although this standard was processed and approved for submittal to ANSI by the
Canvass Method, a working committee met many times to faciliate the develop-
ment of this standard. At the time it was developed, the committee had the follow-
ing members:
OTHER MEMBERS
Ronald Brundage, ITT Flygt
Fred Buse, Ingersoll-Dresser Pump Co.
Greg Case, Price Pump
R. Barry Erickson, ITT Industrial Pump Group
Herman Greutink, Johnston Pump
Al Iseppon, Sta-Rite Industries
Ray Perriman, Sundstrand Fluid Handling
Robert Stanbury, Flowserve Corporation
vii
9.6.1 Pump NPSH margin the service life of the pump. The full published pump
head will not, however, be achieved (by definition)
9.6.1.1 Introduction when the NPSHA equals the NPSHR of the pump. The
HI Pumps Centrifugal and Vertical Pumps for NPSH Margin
Where:
hvp = liquid vapor pressure head Most pump manufacturers use the industry standard
3% head drop for NPSHR values and provide the
See the ANSI/HI 1.6 Centrifugal Pump Tests for fur- NPSH Margin recommendations separately. A few
ther details on the definitions of NPSHA and NPSHR. manufacturers do include the NPSH Margin in their
pump NPSHR curves which then supersede the
By Hydraulic Institute definition, the NPSHR of a pump guidelines spelled out in this standard. Unless advised
is the NPSH that will cause the total head (first stage otherwise, however, the user must assume that there
head of multistage pumps) to be reduced by 3%, due is no margin in the published NPSHR, and that it is
to flow blockage from cavitation vapor in the impeller based solely on the 3% head drop criteria.
vanes. NPSHR is by no means the point at which cavi-
tation starts; that level is referred to as incipient cavita- 9.6.1.2 Suction energy level
tion. The NPSH at incipient cavitation can be from 2 to
20 times the 3% NPSHR value, depending on pump The suction energy level of a pump increases with the
design. The higher ratios are normally associated with casing suction nozzle size, the pump speed, the suc-
high suction energy pumps or pumps with large impel- tion specific speed and the specific gravity of the
ler inlet areas. pumped liquid. Anything that increases the velocity in
the pump impeller eye, the rate of flow of the pump, or
The 3% head drop criteria was selected for the the specific gravity, increases the suction energy of the
NPSHR value based on the ease of determining the pump. The suction nozzle size is used for simplicity
exact head drop off point. Most standard low suction because it approximates the impeller eye diameter and
energy pumps can operate with little or no margin ties to the rate of flow of the pump. The rpm ties directly
above the NPSHR value, without seriously affecting to the inlet tip speed of the impeller and relative inlet
velocities, and the suction specific speed is also The overlap of the impeller vanes. Overlap val-
dependant on rpm and rate of flow. The NPSHR in the ues less than approximately 15 degrees, such as
suction specific speed is appropriate as a measure of found on two or three vane impellers (see
suction energy in that larger impeller eye diameters Figure 2), can allow the high discharge pressure
are normally required for lower NPSHR values, which (energy) to recirculate into the impeller suction at
increases the impeller tip speed. low rates of flow. Overlap is defined as the angular
amount that the trailing edge of one vane (low
9.6.1.2.1 Suction energy factors pressure side) overlaps the inlet leading edge of
the following adjacent vane (at the outer diameter).
Many factors are known to contribute to the suction
energy level, and resulting NPSH margin requirements ROTATION
of a pump, more than used in the above definition.
Those used in the above definition are factors which
are typically available from standard pump manufac-
turers technical literature. Manufacturers of custom
engineered pumps may use alternate evaluation meth-
ods to establish NPSH margin requirements and these
would supersede the guidelines spelled out in this
standard. For general information a list of suction 15
energy factors is provided below:
Generally speaking, high suction energy pumps are Notes for Figure 9.6.1.3:
susceptible to noise and increased vibration, but will
not suffer significant erosion damage (especially with For two vane impellers and impeller trims with less
more erosion resistant impeller materials) when suffi- than 15 degrees vane overlap, (see Figure
cient NPSH Margin is not provided. Very high suction 9.6.1.2) increase suction nozzle size by one or two
energy pumps will more likely experience erosion sizes before using Figure 9.6.1.3.
damage from cavitation under inadequate NPSH mar-
gin conditions. Inducers, which are generally beyond the scope of
this document, should have the suction nozzle
decreased by at least one size before using
Figure 9.6.1.3.
For pump speeds higher than 3600 rpm, the suc- gas may be to quiet the pump, since the cushion-
tion nozzle sizes should be increased, propor- ing may more than offset the added cavitation.
tional to the increase in speed, and enter the However, with very high suction energy pumps,
graph at 3600 rpm. For example, increase the the force of the collapsing cavitation bubbles may
nozzle size by 2 times if the speed is doubled. be too great for any real cushioning, so the noise
and damage will increase with increasing gas
For vertical turbine (line shaft diffuser) type content.
pumps, the Impeller Inlet eye diameter should be
obtained from the supplier and used as the suction Additives in the liquid. Additives in the liquid
nozzle size, when using Figure 9.6.1.3. which increase vapor pressure can increase cavi-
tation damage. For example, cooling tower water
Multistage pumps, such as used for boiler feed treatment agents.
and pipeline services, are excluded from this fig-
ure due to the typically large shaft diameters in the The corrosive properties of the liquid. This can
impeller eye, which distorts the relationship accelerate the damage.
between the impeller eye diameter and the suction
nozzle size. Solids/abrasives in the liquid. Adding abrasives
to the high implosive velocities from the collapsing
9.6.1.3 Cavitation damage factors vapor bubbles increases the wear rate.
There are other factors which, although not affecting The duty cycle of the pump. Cavitation damage
the suction energy of the pump, will affect the degree is time related. The longer a pump runs under cav-
of cavitation erosion damage (and sometimes noise) itation conditions, the greater the extent of dam-
within a pump when sufficient NPSH margin is not pro- age. Fire pumps, which run intermittently, rarely
vided above the NPSHR of the pump. These non- have a problem with cavitation damage for this
suction energy factors are: reason.
The impeller material. Rigid plastics and com- 9.6.1.4 NPSH margin ratio recommendations
posites are normally the least cavitation resistant
materials. Cast iron and brass will experience the Field experience is the most accurate predictor of
most damage of commonly used metals, while future performance. Table 9.6.1.1 offers suggested
stainless steel, titanium and nickel aluminum minimum NPSH margin ratio guidelines (NPSHA/
bronze will have much less damage, under the NPSHR), within the allowable operating region of the
same cavitation conditions. pump (with standard materials of construction). The
table is based on the experience of the many pump
Pump size. Large pumps (impeller inlets over manufacturers with many different pump applications.
450 mm (18 in) in diameter can be more prone to
cavitation damage than smaller pumps. Vertical turbine pumps often operate without NPSH
margin without damage, but with slightly reduced dis-
The gas content of the liquid. Small amounts of charge head.
entrained gas (1 to 2%) cushion the forces from
the collapsing cavitation bubbles, and can reduce High and very high suction energy pumps that operate
the resulting noise, vibration and erosion damage. with only the minimum NPSH margin values recom-
The lack of any entrained gas can have the oppo- mended in Table 9.6.1.1 will normally have what is
site effect. Warmer liquids tend to release less dis- considered acceptable seal and bearing life. They
solved gas, which increases the noise level of a may still be susceptible to elevated noise levels and
pump. On the other hand gas can collect in the erosion damage to the impeller. This can require more
inlet of a pump which will block portions of the flow frequent impeller replacement than otherwise would
area, thus increasing the inlet velocity of the liquid be experienced had the cavitation been totally elimi-
and creating even more cavitation. This increases nated. It will typically take an NPSHA of 4 to 5 times
the apparent NPSHR of the pump. The net result the 3% NPSHR of the pump to totally eliminate cavita-
of these two counter effects of gas content on tion. This ratio can reach 20 for very high suction
pump noise and vibration will vary based on the energy pumps, and a low of 2 for some pumps with low
suction energy level of the pump. In the case of suction energy levels. There are studies that show that
low to high suction energy levels, the net effect of the maximum cavitation damage can actually occur at
NPSHA values twice the NPSHR or more for very high according to the Hydraulic Institute Standards (see
suction energy pumps. ANSI/HI 9.8-1998, Pump Intake Design), to ensure a
steady uniform flow to the pump suction at the
In addition to the minimum NPSH Margins recom- required suction head. Poor suction piping can result
mended in Table 9.6.1.1, extra margin may be required in separation and turbulence at the pump inlet, which
to account for changes in the pump geometry which decreases the NPSHA to the pump and causes added
can increase NPSHR, such as wear that can open cavitation. NPSHA Margins of two to five feet are nor-
impeller wearing ring clearances and increase the mally required (above those shown in Table 9.6.1.1) to
internal flow through the impeller eye. The NPSHR account for these uncertainties in the actual NPSHR
may also be affected by the gas content of the liquid and NPSHA values, and this added margin require-
pumped. Added NPSH Margin may be needed to ment could be even greater depending upon the sever-
cover uncertainties in the NPSH available or the actual ity of the conditions. If the application is critical, a
operating rate of flow. If a pump runs further out on the factory NPSHR test should be requested.
curve than expected, the NPSHA of the system may
be lower than expected and the NPSHR for the pump NPSH Margins are not normally a consideration for
will be higher, thus giving a smaller (or possibly nega- most standard vertical turbine pumps, since they gen-
tive) NPSH Margin. (See ANSI/HI 9.6.3-1997, Centrif- erally have Low Suction Energy, and cavitation noise is
ugal and Vertical Pumps for Allowable Operating normally not an issue. NPSHA must, however, be
Region). All pumping systems must be designed to equal to or larger than the NPSHR over the allowable
have a positive margin throughout the full range of operating region of the pump, including at low water
operation. Optimum pump performance also requires level. The determination of the minimum submergence
that proper suction/inlet piping practices are followed, required to avoid the formation of sump vortices
Table 9.6.1.1
Slurry 1.1a
around the pump inlet must be considered indepen- Low Suction Energy Single Stage Overhung, Verti-
dently from NPSHA, since they are a separate phenom- cal and Multistage Pumps: For all hydrocarbon liq-
ena. (See ANSI/HI 9.8-1998, Pump Intake Design). uids use an NPSH Margin Ratio of 1.1.
9.6.1.5 Application considerations High and Very High Suction Energy Single Stage
Overhung, Single Stage Double Suction Multi-
9.6.1.5.1 Petroleum process pumps stage Pumps: For all hydrocarbon liquids use a
NPSH Margin Ratio of 1.3.
Pumps used for petroleum (hydrocarbon) services can
usually survive with relatively small NPSHA margins The majority of vertical turbine pumps in the petro-
for several reasons: chemical industry are normally installed in a barrel or
can as shown in Figure 2.6 of the Hydraulic Institute
1) Processes are typically steady, with few sys- standard ANSI/HI 2.1-2.2, Vertical Pumps for Nomen-
tem upsets (transients) or quick flow change clature and Definitions. The NPSHA must exceed the
demands. NPSHR over the expected range of operation. Nor-
mally, the customers will give a margin value which will
2) Process requirements are typically well known vary from 0 to approximately 1.5m (5 feet). The
and demands can be planned and predicted. NPSHA is normally given at ground level or pump inlet
level. The manufacturer then determines the length of
3) Most hydrocarbon liquids have relatively low the pump required to achieve sufficient NPSHA at the
vapor volume to liquid volume ratios. This first stage impeller inlet to account for the NPSHR,
means that, if the liquid should vaporize at or pump inlet losses (inlet to eye of first impeller) and
near the pump suction (impeller inlet), the vol- margin.
ume of the resulting vapor does not choke the
impeller inlet passages as severely as does 9.6.1.5.2 Chemical process pumps
water vapor during cavitation. This results in a
smaller drop in developed head for the same Pumps for these applications frequently share the fol-
NPSH margin. lowing characteristics:
4) Less energy is released when hydrocarbon 1) Operation frequently occurs at a wide variety
vapor bubbles collapse (velocity from implo- of rates of flow.
sion is less), and this means less damage
occurs as a result of cavitation. It is, therefore, 2) Materials of construction are often stainless
not as critical that cavitation be avoided, as steel impellers.
might be the case with other liquids.
3) They may operate with relatively low NPSHA.
Hydrocarbon liquids, especially mixtures of hydrocar-
bon liquids, because of their relatively low vapor vol- 4) Operators are frequently located remotely
ume, are sometimes associated with a hydrocarbon from the pumps.
correction factor. This correction factor is applied to
the water NPSHR values to correct for the fact that These factors emphasize the need to apply large
the vapor volume of flashed hydrocarbon liquid is NPSH margins when selecting pumps.
substantially less than that of flashed water and,
thus, has the effect of reducing the amount of NPSH Taking these issues into consideration, the following
required by the pump at a given rate of flow before NPSH Margin guidelines are proposed for Chemical
cavitation results in a 3% drop in the developed head Process pumps to account for the many uncertainties:
(first stage head) of the pump.
For low suction energy pumps, the margin should
This favorable vapor bubble size situation with hydro- be 10% of the NPSHR or 0.6m (2 ft), whichever is
carbons should be taken into account when determin- greater.
ing the NPSHA Margin requirements for petroleum
pumps. The margins can be lower than for other appli- For high suction energy pumps the margin should
cations. Typical NPSH Margins for pumps on hydrocar- be 30% of the NPSHR or 1.5m (5 ft), whichever is
bon services are as follows: greater. NPSH tests are recommended if the
pump specific speed is above 2,300 metric (2,000 system upsets, or transients, for flashing to occur in
U.S. units). the suction line to the pump, causing loss of suction
flow and allowing the pump to run dry. A common
If a pump is applied to the right of BEP, careful consid- side effect of a pump running dry is rapid mechanical
eration should be given to ensuring that, at the maxi- seal face wear, general seal deterioration and prema-
mum flow rate permitted by the system, and its ture, sometimes catastrophic failure.
controls, the NPSHA is in excess of the NPSHR of the
pump. Other pumps in the power plant are not usually
exposed to such severe transients as those in the
If the above criteria cannot be met and there is no prior boiler water system. Condensate pumps and heater
experience with the specific pump in the application, drain pumps are usually isolated from severe system
NPSH tests should be conducted on the pump. One upsets. They too, however, have special demands or
test should be conducted at the rated conditions and operating requirements which impact on NPSH and
must demonstrate that the NPSHR (3%) is equal to or NPSH Margin requirements. Since they are typically
less than the rated NPSHR. Tests should also be con- required to operate with very low NPSHA, they are
ducted at four additional rates of flow at approximately designed to function, and survive, with a certain
even intervals from the minimum to maximum antici- amount of cavitation present. Some systems operate
pated rates of flow to fully define the NPSHR (3%) on what is termed cavitation control, i.e. the pumps
characteristic curve. operate with cavitation at all times.
9.6.1.5.3 Electric power pumps In such a system, the pump is constantly under some
degree of cavitation which results in a reduced pump
Power plant pumps are water pumps. Cold water is developed head. The quantity of flow through the
one of the most difficult liquids to pump in that cavita- pump, and system, is controlled by the intersection of
tion can cause severe damage. Unlike hydrocarbon the pump reduced headrate-of-flow curve and the
liquids handled by petroleum pumps, water, when it system curve. For such an application, there is no
vaporizes (flashes), expands tremendously. This NPSH margin; and the pump must be designed to
results in higher impact velocities when the vapor bub- withstand constant cavitation. This means it must be of
bles implode, thus higher suction energy. One pound rugged construction to offset the detrimental effects of
of water at room temperature which occupies 4.5104 cavitation related vibration, and the materials of con-
cubic meters (0.016 cubic feet), will flash to over struction must be capable of withstanding the erosion
34 cubic meters (1200 cubic feet) of vapor. This is a associated with cavitation.
volume ratio of 75,000 to 1. For typical hydrocarbon
liquids, this volume ratio is one-half to one-tenth that of Vertical turbine type pumps used as condensate
water. pumps are normally installed in a barrel or can as
shown in Figure 2.6 of ANSI/HI 2.1-2.2, Vertical
Hot water, on the other hand, can act similar to hydro- Pumps for Nomenclature and Definitions.
carbon liquids. When water is heated to 250-300 F,
the vapor volume characteristics become similar to 9.6.1.5.4 Nuclear power/cooling tower
that of a typical hydrocarbon. This means that the
effects of flashing are diminished; however, the oppor- Pumps in nuclear power plants share the following
tunities for system transients increase significantly characteristics and requirements:
with temperature.
a) Nuclear Reactor Duty:
In addition to possible severe vaporization effects, typ-
ical power plant operating cycles are not stable. Most 1) Users are more frequently requesting NPSHR
pumps in these services do not remain at constant curves based on a 1% head drop.
flow rates for extended periods of time. The pump flow
demands vary widely with power demands. Because 2) The NPSHA Margin, over NPSHR (3%), is
of varying power demands, system upsets may occur often incorporated in the NPSH Required
which result in rapid changes in pump flow demands curve by the manufacturer.
and, many times, severe changes in pump suction
pressure. This is especially true for pumps in the boiler 3) High horsepower reactor cooling pumps, also
water systems such as boiler feed pumps and boiler called primary heat transport pumps, are of
feed booster pumps. It is not unusual, during such low to high suction energy levels.
4) Reactor cooling pumps normally operate at be installed; and a second to represent the
high temperatures and suction pressures, they condition of the system after some increase in
will operate at ambient temperature and low pipe roughness has occurred.
suction pressures during transients and
commissioning. 3) Many pumps are installed in wastewater appli-
cations with elbows mounted in front of the
b) Boiler Feed Duty: impeller eye. When suction elbows are neces-
sary, it is best to use reducing or long radius
1) NPSHR based on a 3% head drop is specified. elbows.
2) Suction energy levels are between low to very 4) Materials of construction are typically cast iron
high. (wastewater) or cast iron / bronze fitted
(water). These materials are preferred for
c) Cooling Tower Duty: water/wastewater, but they do not stand up
well under heavy cavitation. The protective
Cooling tower water typically has modified chemis- layer that is built up under normal operation is
try due to water treating agents. These additives destroyed by cavitation, causing abnormal
can increase the vapor pressure, which results in material removal rates. It is advisable to
a lower NPSHA than calculated for pure water. change to tougher materials such as stainless
This reduction can be as high as 1.8 meters (6.0 steel or aluminum bronze alloys if the pump
feet), although the exact number must be experi- must withstand destructive cavitation levels,
mentally determined. however, this will not help the seals or bearings.
own. Some pump manufacturers include a margin in NPSH Margins are suggested for stock consistencies
their published NPSHR curves. If everyone was to add up to 6%:
a margin, the result of this excess margin would
increase the cost of the pump stations dramatically. For Low Suction Energy pumps use an NPSHA
Margin Ratio (NPSHA/NPSHR) of 1.1 or a margin
9.6.1.5.6 General industrial of 0.6m (2 ft), whichever is greater.
Pumps for this application are used to pump a great For High Suction Energy pumps, or pumps having
variety of liquids, ranging from water to concentrated Specific Speeds greater than 2300 metric (2000
chemicals. These pumps are often sold as standard US units), use an NPSHA Margin Ratio of 1.3 or a
catalog, pumps. They are generally low suction energy margin of 1.5m (5 ft), whichever is greater.
designs.
9.6.1.5.8 Building services
Due to the variety of liquids pumped through an
extreme range of temperatures, the specifier must Fluid systems for the building trades or HVAC Industry
carefully calculate the NPSHA in the system, taking are comprised of both closed and open pumping sys-
into account the vapor pressure of the liquid at the tems. NPSH is generally not a concern when design-
extreme operating temperature. The use of hose con- ing closed pumping systems. The typical closed
nections and the associated piping bends must be system is filled and then pressurized to a fill pressure
accounted for. The use of hose or tubing connections of 4 to 10 psig. If an inadequate NPSH available
with internal diameters smaller than the pump suction (NPSHA) condition should occur, it can usually be
inlet should not be used on the suction side of the remedied by increasing the fill pressure.
pump.
For open systems, NPSH margin is a very important
NPSHA on tank draining applications should be calcu- consideration. As a guideline, the NPSHA for open
lated for the lowest possible level of the liquid in the systems should exceed the pump manufacturers
tank during the pumping process. stated NPSH-required (NPSHR) by a minimum of
0.6m, (2 ft) or 1.1 times the NPSHR for Low Suction
Another consideration in the NPSH Margin of catalog Energy Pumps. For High Suction Energy pumps the
type pumps is the common changes in flow rates margin ratio should be increased to at least 1.3, or a
experienced during process changes, as well as the minimum of 1.5m (5 ft). Pumps operating at these
physical expansion of process systems to meet higher established minimum NPSH margins may experience
production rates. In general an NPSHR versus rate of some degree of impeller erosion and/or noise but
flow curve has a parabolic shape. This may cause these effects should be minimal. System construction
large changes in NPSHR especially if the pump is may contribute to the problem of noise, and cavitation.
being run to the right of the best efficiency point. Increasing the NPSH margin will improve pump opera-
tion and reliability.
Due to the low suction energy of most general indus-
trial pumps, operation of the pump without any NPSH 9.6.1.5.9 Slurry
margin does not normally cause substantial damage
to the internal components of the pump. Typical prob- Pumps used in slurry service are frequently con-
lems are frequent replacement of the mechanical seal structed of either hard metals or elastic materials. It is
as well as the front motor bearings (on close coupled also common for the slurry concentration and flow
pumps) due to the intense vibration caused by the col- rates to change rapidly, imposing significant loads on
lapsing bubbles, when in fully developed cavitation. the impeller, shaft and bearings. Because of this, and
the erosive nature of many slurries, slurry pumps are
9.6.1.5.7 Pulp and paper of an extremely rugged design, making them relatively
insensitive to the mechanical effects of cavitation.
For horizontal end suction stock process pumps situ-
ated close to the suction chest, and operating in the Also, to minimize erosive effects, slurry pumps often
continuous allowable operating region, it is normal to operate at low speeds (less than 1200 RPM). As a
add sufficient NPSH Margin to account for the uncer- result of this, they normally fall into the Low Suction
tainties in the actual NPSHR and NPSHA from poor Energy category, and have NPSHR values below 6m
suction piping and entrained air. The following minimum (20 ft).
Slurries are typically water based and at ambient tem- vii) The NPSH Required (0%) vs NPSHR
peratures. Suction flow is usually gravity fed. Conse- (3%) ratio throughout the Allowable Oper-
quently the NPSHA is normally in excess of 9m (30 ft), ating Region flow range.
giving NPSHA/NPSHR ratios in excess of 1.5.
9.6.1.5.11 Waterflood (injection) pumps
The recommended NPSH Margin Ratio for slurry
pumps is 1.1 or a margin of 0.6m (2 ft) whichever is Water injection pumps for flooding of oil wells typically
greater. For applications where the margin is less, operate against relatively constant systems. The sys-
characteristics of the slurry, and the NPSHR perfor- tem requirements vary with time, but normally these
mance of the pump, should be reviewed to assure sat- variations are gradual and do not impact on operating
isfactory performance. NPSH Margins. For sizing of the pumps initially,
NPSHR considerations are based on a) expected flow
9.6.1.5.10 Pipeline rate requirements (changes) over the planned life of
the injection project and b) the nature of the suction
For this paper, pipelines are defined as hundreds of source for the pumps. Assuming that any changes in
miles in length for the transport of hydrocarbons or the nature of the suction source would also be gradual,
water. Pumps used for pipeline service normally share the NPSH Margins required by the pumps are rela-
the following application criteria: tively small in order to ensure satisfactory, consistent
pump performance.
1) Customers more often request the NPSH
Required values to be based on a 1% head Typical NPSH Margins for injection pumps are set
drop. based on the following criteria, considering variations
which could occur during the life of the injection
2) The NPSHA Margin, over NPSHR (3%), is project:
often incorporated in the NPSH Required
curve by the manufacturer. 1) Pump NPSHR at maximum expected flow
rate.
3) Some pipeline designers and operators
request two NPSH Required curves. One 2) Minimum NPSHA expected at this maximum
being the conventional NPSHR curve based flow rate.
on a 3% head drop, and a second based on
the NPSH required to guarantee a 40,000 The NPSH Requirement based on 40,000 hours mini-
hour impeller life. mum impeller life is being requested more frequently
in this market.
4) Specifications frequently require that the
NPSHA exceed the NPSH Required (40,000 9.6.1.6 Summary
hrs) over the full Allowable Operating Region
for the pump (Minimum to Maximum Flow). In summary, the following key points should be under-
stood about cavitation in a centrifugal pump, NPSH
5) There is no standard method for determining Margin requirements, and how they are affected by the
the NPSH Required for 40,000 hours impel- Suction Energy level of the pump:
ler life, however it is a function of:
Cavitation exists when NPSHA is at and substan-
i) Suction Energy Level. tially above the NPSHR of a pump.
ii) Material of impeller. The Suction Energy level of a pump (as installed in
a system) determines if the cavitation that fre-
iii) Acidity of pumpage (pH). quently exists in a pump will cause noise, vibration
and/or damage to the pump.
iv) Temperature of pumpage.
Low Suction Energy pumps can normally operate
v) Suction Specific Speed. at or near their NPSHR with little or no problems
from cavitation, except for the 3% head drop.
vi) Operating rate of flow vs pump best effi-
ciency point.
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11
Appendix A
Index
This appendix is not part of this standard, but is presented to help the user in considering factors beyond this
standard.
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