Characteristic

curves
9/4/2019

BILAL AHMED
2017-CH-80
Q.1: What are characteristic curves?

The characteristic curves are the curves to show the behavior of fluid like change in
temperature, pressure, entropy and flow rate etc. as it passes fluid moving machinery. These curves
pertaining to any machinery are supplied by its manufacturers based on actual tests. For example the
performance curve for a pump which include head, power and efficiency versus gas flow rate as
shown in fig. 1.1.

Fig. 1.1

Q.2: How Characteristic Curves are used in calculations and in selection of fluid moving
machinery e.g. Pump, Compressor and Fan etc.
The System Curve
A fluid flow system is characterized with the System Curve - a graphical presentation of the
energy equation.

The system head visualized in the System Curve above is a function of elevation - or the static
head and the major and minor losses in the system and can be expressed as:
h = dh + hl (1)
Where h is system head (m), dh is elevation (static) head difference between the inlet and
outlet in the system head(m) and hl is major and minor losses in the system (m)
A generic expression of major and minor head loss is: hl = k q2 (2)
 Where q is flow rate and k is constant describing the total system characteristics - including
all major and minor losses.
Increasing the constant - k - by closing some valves, reducing the pipe size or similar - will
increase the head loss and move the system curve upwards. The starting point for the curve - at no
flow, will be the same.
Pump Performance Curve

The pump characteristic is normally described graphically by the manufacturer as the pump
performance curve. It describes the relation between the flowrate and the head for the actual pump.
Other important information for a proper pump selection is also included - like efficiency
curves, NPSH-curve, pump curves for several impeller diameters and different speeds, and power
consumption.

Increasing the impeller diameter or speed increases the head and flow rate capacity - and the
pump curve moves upwards. The head capacity can be increased by connecting two or more pumps
in series, or the flow rate capacity can be increased by connecting two or more pumps in parallel.
Selection of Pump

The proper pump can be selected by combining the System Curve and the Pump Curve:
 The operating point is where the system curve and the actual pump curve intersects.
Best efficiency Point - BEP
The best operating conditions will in general be close to the Best Efficiency Point – BEP.
Special considerations should be taken for applications where system conditions frequently changes
during operation - like applications for heating and air conditioning systems or water supply systems
with variable consumption and modulating valves.
Carry Out

When a pumps operates in the far right of its curve with poor efficiency - the pumps Carry Out.
Shutoff Head

The Shutoff Head is the head produced when the pump operates with fluid but with no flow rate.
Churn

A pump is in Churn when it operates at shutoff head or no flow.

Q.3: What is the meaning of Surging Point and Best Efficiency Point in the Characteristic
Curves?
Surging point:
Surge point is the point where the flow rate is minimum and it is the peak point on the
characteristic curves as shown below. The system will go into the surge at the surging point.

Fig. 1.3
Surge is occurrence of backflow of the gas in a fluid moving machinery e.g. pump. Surge is
bad because it can damage the machine. The main purpose the fluid moving machinery is to bring
the fluid from the reservoir to the receiver. The fluid will flow from the tank to the fluid moving
machinery and the exit towards the receiver. After some time the pressure will become greater in the
receiver and it will result in the reversal of the direction of the flow of gas which result in the surge.
Best Efficiency Point:
“Between the shutoff and free delivery conditions, the net head may increase from its shutoff value,
somewhat as the flow rate increase, but H must eventually decreases to zero. The efficiency of the
fluid moving machinery like pump reaches its maximum value somewhere between shutoff
condition (an extreme condition where volumetric flow rate is zero by blocking the outlet port and
net head becomes maximum and efficiency is zero) and free delivery condition (an extreme
condition where volumetric flow rate is maximum and net head is zero and there is no useful work)
this operating point of maximum efficiency is approximately called the best efficiency point
(BEP).”
BEP is the point along a characteristic curve where efficiency is the highest and optimum
running conditions. When a fluid moving machinery operates at BEP it is at its most efficient, low
cost, lowest vibrations.

Fig. 1.4
Q.4: What is the effect of impeller diameter, flow rate, head and efficiency etc. on the
Characteristic Curves?
 When volumetric flow rate is maximum through the device then its net head will be zero as
shown in fig. 1.4. According to the equation (written below) when net head is zero then the
efficiency of the device will be zero i.e. no useful work and no load on the device. This extreme
condition is known as free delivery.

 If diameter of the impeller increases then capacity also increases which results in the increase of
the volumetric flowrate.

 When net head is maximum of the device then its volumetric flow rate will be zero as shown in
fig. 1.4. Net head can be maximized or volumetric flow rate is zero by blocking the outlet port of
the device. Efficiency of the device again become zero i.e. no useful work. This extreme is called
as shutoff head.
 As diameter of the impeller changes then it will have effect on the performance curves of the
device. For example, if diameter is increased then net head will increase at the same flow rate
which results in the increase of the power requirement as shown in the fig. 1.5.

Fig. 1.5
 Between these two extremes, from shutoff to free delivery, the pump’s net head may increase
from its shutoff value somewhat as the flow rate increases, but H must eventually decrease to
zero as the volume flow rate increases to its free delivery value. The pump’s efficiency reaches
its maximum value somewhere between the shutoff condition and the free delivery condition; this
operating point of maximum efficiency is appropriately called the best efficiency point (BEP) as
shown in fig. 1.4.
Q.6: How the head and flow rate vary if the devices (Pumps, compressors and fans etc.) are
connected in Series and Parallel. Please explain with the help of Characteristic Curves ?
Series operation:
Centrifugal pumps are connected in series if the discharge of one pump is connected to the
suction side of a second pump. The purpose of pumps operating in series is that flow rate Q remains
constant but total head H will be the sum of the individual pump head.
Hcombined=H1+H2+H3……………..HN
Arranging dissimilar pumps in series may lead to problems, because the volume flow rate
through each pump must be the same, but the overall pressure rise is equal to the pressure rise of
individual pumps, the smaller pump may be forced to operate beyond its free delivery flow rate,
whereupon it acts like a head loss, reducing the total volume flow rate.
As an example consider three pumps in series. For low values of volume flow rate, the net head of
the three pumps in series is equal to (H 1+H2+H3). Beyond the free delivery of pump 1 (to the right of
the first vertical dashed red line in Fig.1), pump 1 should be bypassed. Otherwise its motor could be
damaged. With pump 1 bypassed, the combined net head becomes (H 2+H3). Similarly, beyond the
free delivery of pump 2, that pump 2 should also be bypassed, and the combined net head is then
equal to H3 alone, as indicated to the right of the second vertical dashed gray line in Fig. 1.6.

Fig. 1.6
Parallel operation:
Pumps are operated in parallel when two or more pumps are connected to a common discharge
line, and share the same suction conditions. In parallel operation volumetric flow rate Q is different
(some of the volumetric flow rate of the individual devices) but head H remain same.
Qcombined=Q1+Q2+Q3+……….QN
Arranging dissimilar pumps in parallel may create problems because the overall pressure rise
must be the same, but the net volume flow rate is the sum of that through each branch. The smaller
pump may not handle the large head imposed on it, and the flow in it could actually be reversed; this
would reduce the overall pressure rise. The power supplied to the smaller pump would be wasted.

Fig. 1.7
As an example, consider the same three pumps, but arranged in parallel rather than in series.
The combined pump performance curve is shown in Fig. 1.7. The free delivery of the three combined
pumps is equal to the sum of the free delivery of each individual pump. For low values of net head,
the capacity of the three pumps in parallel is equal to sum of the individual flow rates of the pumps.
Above the shutoff head of pump 1 (above the first horizontal dashed red line in Fig. 2), pump 1
should be shut off and its branch should be blocked. Otherwise its motor could be damaged.
Furthermore, the volume flow rate through this pump would be negative, contributing to a net loss in
the system. With pump 1 shutoff, the combined capacity becomes individual flow rates of the second
and third pump. Similarly, above the shutoff head of pump 2, that pump should also be shut off and
blocked. The combined capacity is then equal to flow rate of the third pump alone, the second
horizontal dashed gray line in Fig. 1.7. Assuming that the other two pumps are shut off and their
branches are blocked.

Q.7: The performance data for a centrifugal water pump are shown in Table 1.1 for water at
20°C (Lpm =liters per minute). (a) For each row of data, calculate the pump efficiency
(percent). Show all units and unit conversions for full credit. (b) Estimate the volume flow rate
(Lpm) and net head (m) at the BEP of the pump.

Table 1.1