How Does a Centrifugal Pump Work?

by Tom Hansen, P.E. | ©Dultmeier Sales

Centrifugal pumps are the most common type of pump used in industry,
agriculture, municipal (water and wastewater plants), power generation plants,
petroleum and many other industries.

Centrifugal pumps are the primary pump type in the class of pumps called
"kinetic" pumps and are distinctly different than "positive displacement" pumps.
All centrifugal pumps include a shaft-driven impeller that rotates (usually at
1750 or 3500 RPM) inside a casing. Liquid flows into the suction port (inlet) of
the casing and is thrown to the outside of the casing and then exits the
discharge port. The velocity imparted to the liquid by the impeller is converted to
pressure energy or "head".

Centrifugal pumps are unique because they can provide high or very high
flowrates (much higher than most positive displacement pumps) and because
their flowrate varies considerably with changes in the Total Dynamic Head (TDH)
of the particular piping system. This allows the flowrate from centrifugal
pumps to be "throttled" considerably with a simple valve placed into the
discharge piping, without causing excessive pressure buildup in the piping or
requiring a pressure relief valve. Therefore, centrifugal pumps can cover a very
wide range of liquid pumping applications.

As described above, one key advantage of centrifugal pumps is the ability to

"throttle" their flowrates over a wide range. Throttling centrifugal pumps with a
discharge valve is not as energy-efficient as using a Variable Frequency Drive
(VFD) to slow the pump/motor speed down, but it is much less expensive to
install. Of course, throttling a centrifugal pump's flowrate has certain limits.
They should not be throttled below the "minimum safe flowrate" indicated by the
pump manufacturer for other than a minute or so; otherwise excessive
recirculation can occur inside the pump casing which can cause excessive heat
buildup of the liquid. In addition, too much "throttling" will cause excessive shaft
deflection which will increase the wear on bearings and seals inside the pump.
Therefore, the ideal flowrate for a centrifugal pump is near its "Best Efficiency
Point" (BEP). The BEP can be found on many pump Head-Flowrate Curves that
have Efficiency curves shown on the same drawing. The BEP for a given
centrifugal pump model, speed and impeller diameter is the point where
Efficiency is highest; this maximizes energy efficiency as well as seal and bearing
life inside the pump.
Another important point is that running centrifugal pumps at 1750 RPM motor
speeds instead of 3500 RPM motor speeds will reduce wear on seals and
bearings by almost 4 times and the pump will also be less likely to cavitate when
less favorable suction conditions (long suction pipes, high "lifts" from ponds or
pits, low supply tank levels, or liquids with high vapor pressures such as hot
water, gasoline, etc) are involved. However, centrifugal pumps running at 1750
RPM require much larger casings and impellers than those running at 3500 RPM
and therefore, cost considerably more money.

Most centrifugal pump manufacturers publish "Head-Flow" Curves for each

model, impeller diameter, and rated speed (RPM) for the centrifugal pumps they
manufacture. A key point regarding these Head-Flow Curves is that all
centrifugal pumps will always run along their Head-Flow Curve and the resulting
flowrate will always be at the intersection of the pump's Head-Flow Curve and
the "System" Curve which is unique for each piping system, fluid and application.
System curves can be developed quite easily using Hydraulic Modeling Software
and compared to various pump Head-Flow Curves in order to properly select
centrifugal pumps that meet each user's unique system and flowrate
requirements. Dultmeier Sales has engineers on staff with Hydraulic Modeling
Software to help pump users select the correct pump(s) for their system and
flowrate requirements (Call us at 1-888-677-5054 or fill out ourPump Sizing
Form). Another important point is that centrifugal pumps will require their
maximum horsepower, for a given impeller diameter and RPM, at maximum
flowrate on their Head-Flow curve. As the Head (or Discharge Pressure) a
centrifugal pump is working against is increased (i.e.-throttling valve being
closed, tank filling up, strainer clogging, longer or smaller diameter piping, etc),
the flowrate will decrease and horsepower will also decrease.

Centrifugal pumps are designed for liquids with relatively low viscosity that pour
like water or like a very light oil. They can be used with slightly more viscous
liquids such as 10 or 20 wt. oils at 68-70 deg F (ambient temperatures) but
additional horsepower must be added because centrifugal pumps become less
inefficient with even slight increases in viscosity and require more horsepower.
When viscosity of the liquids exceed those of 30 wt oils at ambient temps
(approx. 440 centistokes or 2,000 SSU), centrifugal pumps become very
inefficient and require much more horsepower. In those cases, most centrifugal
pump manufacturers start recommending positive displacement pumps (such as
gear pumps, progressive cavity pumps) instead of centrifugal pumps in order to
keep horsepower requirements and energy usage lower.
Centrifugal pumps also require increases in horsepower when pumping non-
viscous liquids that are more dense than water such as fertilizer and many
chemicals used in industry. Water has a density of 8.34 lbs/gallon. The specific
gravity of any liquid is the density in lbs/gallon of that liquid divided by 8.34.
The required increase in horsepower for a centrifugal pump used for a more
dense liquid than water is directly proportional to the increase in specific gravity
of the liquid. For example, if a particular fertilizer has a specific gravity of 1.40
(i.e.-1.4 times the density of water or 11.68 lbs/gallon), then the increased
horsepower for the centrifugal pump would be 1.4 times the horsepower
required when pumping water with the same pump. Therefore, in this example,
if a 20HP motor was required for pumping water, then a 30HP motor would be
required for pumping the fertilizer (actually, 28HP would be required which is
1.4 x 20 HP but the next largest motor commonly available is 30HP, since 25HP
would not be sufficient).