Physical study of a centrifugal pump

ME 56
Exercise 5

SY 2018-2019
What is a Centrifugal Pump?

- converts the mechanical energy from a motor to energy of a

moving fluid

-A portion of the energy goes into kinetic energy of the fluid motion,
some into potential energy (represented by fluid pressure, or by lifting
the liquid, against gravity to a higher altitude)
 The word, ‘CENTRIFUGAL’ is derived from the Latin language and is formed
from two words:

‘CENTRI’ meaning ‘CENTRE’ and ‘FUGAL’ meaning ‘TO FLY AWAY FROM’

CENTRIFUGAL - ‘to fly away from the center’

Centrifugal Force - a force that causes an object moving in a circular path to move out away from the
center
 What is a Centrifugal Pump?

Centrifugal pumps are the primary pump type

in the class of pumps called "kinetic" pumps.

All centrifugal pumps include a shaft-driven

impeller that rotates (usually at 1750 or 3500
RPM) inside a casing.
 What is a Centrifugal Pump?

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 Pump

enables a liquid to:

• Flow from a region or low pressure to one of high pressure.

• Flow from a low level to a higher level. (position)
• Flow at a faster rate.
 Centrifugal Pumps Application and Uses

• Industry
• Agriculture (irrigation)
• Municipal (water and wastewater plants)
• Power generation plants
• Petroleum
 Centrifugal Pumps Application and Uses

• Centrifugal pumps are commonly used for

pumping water, solvents, organics, oils,
acids, bases and any ‘thin’ liquids in both
industrial, agricultural and domestic
applications.
Centrifugal Pump present in our ME LAB
Working Principle of Centrifugal Pump
Working Principle
An increase in pressure is created by transferring
mechanical energy from the motor to the fluid
through the rotating impeller
Working Principle
 A vacuum is created in the impeller eye that
continually draws more fluid into the pump
Working Principle
 Fluid enters the pump through the eye of the impeller
which rotates at high speed
 The fluid is accelerated radially outward from the pump
casing
Working Principle
 The centrifugal force hereby increases the fluid velocity and
consequently also the kinetic energy is transformed into pressure
which in turn lift the fluid against gravity.
Priming in Centrifugal Pump

Before the Pump is used…

The pump casing must be filled with liquid before the pump is started,
or the pump will not be able to function.

Otherwise, if the pump casing becomes filled with vapors or gases, the
pump impeller becomes gas-bound and incapable of pumping.
Continuously doing so will damage the pump impeller.
 Centrifugal Pump
main components and functions
 Stationary Part
• Casing
• Suction and Discharge Nozzle
• Seals
• Bearing Housing

Rotary Part
• Shaft
• Impeller
• Radial Flow
• Axial Flow
• Mix Flow
Stationary Part
 Casing

The impellers are fitted inside the casings

- acts as a pressure containment vessel that
directs the flow of liquid in and out of the
pump.

Function of Casing
-Incorporates nozzles to connect suction &
discharge piping
-Directs flow into & out of the impeller
Type of Pump Casing

Volute Casing
• a curved funnel that increases in area as it
approaches the discharge port.
• casing that receives the fluid being
pumped by the impeller, slowing down the
fluid’s rate of flow.

• Therefore, according to Bernoulli’s

principle, the volute converts kinetic
energy into pressure by reducing speed
while increasing pressure.
Volute Casing
 Type of Pump Casing

Diffuser Casing

• In this case, the fluid

pressure increases as fluid
is expelled between a set
of stationary vanes
surrounding the impeller
Casing
Volute cases are better suited to applications involving entrained solids or high
viscosity fluids when it is advantageous to avoid the added constrictions of diffuser
vanes.

The asymmetry of the volute design can result in greater wear on the impeller and
drive shaft.
Suction and Discharge Nozzle

1. End/Side suction/Top discharge -

The suction nozzle is located at the
end of, and concentric to, the shaft
while the discharge nozzle is located
at the top of the case perpendicular
to the shaft.

2. Top suction Top discharge nozzle -The

suction and discharge nozzles are
located at the top of the case
perpendicular to the shaft.

3. Side suction / Side discharge nozzles

- The suction and discharge nozzles
are located at the sides of the case
perpendicular to the shaft.
Side suction Side Discharge
Suction and Discharge Nozzle

End/Side suction/Top discharge

Side suction / Side discharge nozzles

 Seal

• A pump may be provided with one of two types of sealing elements -

packing rings or mechanical seal.
• The sealing elements prevent the leakage of the pumped liquid into
the atmosphere.
 Bearings (housing)

The functions of the bearings are to

support the weight of the shaft (rotor)
assembly, to carry the hydraulic loads
acting on the shaft
• keep the pump shaft aligned to the shaft
of the driver.
• reduce friction between the rotating
shaft and the stator
Bearings (housing)
Rotary Part
 Shaft

- transmits the input power from the driver into the impeller.
- In a close-coupled pump, the motor has an extended length of
shaft that acts as the pump shaft.
- transmits the torques when starting and during operation while
supporting the impeller and other rotating parts.
 Pump Impeller

It’s function is to increase the pressure

Direction of
of the liquid by means of its rotating
rotation action.

The impeller is the main rotating part

that provides the centrifugal acceleration
to the fluid.
Vanes
- may be of open, semi-open, or
enclosed type, and may have
anywhere between two to ten vanes.
- may also be of single, or double,
suction design.
 Pump Impeller
- a rotor used to increase the pressure and flow of a fluid.

Impeller design is the most significant factor for

determining performance of a centrifugal pump.

A properly designed impeller optimizes flow while

minimizing turbulence and maximizing efficiency.
 Open impeller
- has vanes open on both sides. Because vanes do not have
support on either side, they tend to be weaker.

- Can pump and handle suspended solids

- smaller and less powerful in order to reduce the frequency
of braking vanes.
- used in small-diameter, inexpensive pumps and pumps
handling suspended solids
Open impeller
Propeller

Used for pumping

high volumes of water
at low heads
Open impeller
Mixed Flow Impeller

Used for high

volume water
pumping at low to
medium heads
Open impeller
Centrifugal Screw
Impeller

Used for pumping oils

and other viscous liquids
Semi-open impeller
- vanes are free on one side and enclosed on the other.
- have vanes that are attached to a single plate, leaving the
other side of the impeller exposed to the interior of the pump
housing.

This design is less efficient than the closed impeller because

the liquid is immediately interacting with the rest of the liquid
in the pump casing.

- Can be used when pumping suspended particles in the

liquid and can handle more viscous fluids.
Semi-open impeller
Shredder Impeller

Used for chopping

solids to smaller
pieces when they
enter the pump
Semi-open impeller
Semi-Open Impeller

Used for trash

and debris
laden liquids
Semi-open impeller
Hardened Sand/
Slurry Impeller

Used for
pumping
abrasive liquids
Semi-open impeller
Vortex Impeller

Used for
pumping stringy
solids and
debris-laden
liquids
Closed impeller
- have vanes that are “sandwiched” between two solid,
circular plates.

The liquid travels through the channels between the

impellers and between the plates.

This design creates the most efficient flow from the eye to
the discharge port.

While this is the most common type of impeller, centrifugal

pumps with this design are intended for clear liquids.
Closed impeller
High Head Closed
Channel Impeller

- high-efficiency
design for pumping
water and other
liquids at higher head
pressures
Closed impeller
Closed Channel Impeller

Used for pumping

sewage and
wastewater
 Types of Pumps
Centrifugal pumps can be grouped into several types using
different criteria such as its design, construction, application,
service, compliance with a national or industry standard, etc.
Thus one specific pump can belong to different groups
and oftentimes this becomes descriptive of the pump itself.
Selecting the proper pump begins by knowing :

• Total head or pressure against which it must operate

• Desired flow rate
• Suction lift
• Fluid characteristics (temperature, corrosiveness, etc.)
• The amount of fluid
• The properties of the fluid
• Type of power supply
• Cost and mechanical efficiency of the pump
 Types of Pumps
Based on: number of impeller/s in the pump

Single stage - pump has one impeller only;

for low head service

Two-stage - pump has two impellers in series;

for medium head service

Multi-stage - pump has three or more impellers in series;

for high head service
Types of Pumps:
Based on: impeller suction

Single suction
- has suction cavity on one
side only
- simple design but impeller is
subjected to higher axial
thrust imbalance due to flow
coming in on one side of
impeller only.
Types of Pumps:
Based on: impeller suction

Double suction
• - impeller has suction cavities on
both sides

• Pump is considered hydraulically

balanced but is susceptible to
uneven flow on both sides of
impeller if suction piping is not
done properly.
Types of Pumps
Based on: nozzle location
-the suction and
discharge nozzles
Top nozzles are located at the
top of the
case perpendicular
to the shaft.
• Pump can either
be overhung type
or between- Over-hung impeller
bearing type but
is always a
radially-split case
pump.

Impeller between bearings

Types of Pumps
Based on: nozzle location

• Side/side nozzles - the suction

and discharge nozzles are
located at the sides of the case
perpendicular to the shaft.
 Types of Pumps
Based on: shaft orientation
Horizontal - pump with shaft in
horizontal plane; popular due
to ease of servicing and
maintenance.

Vertical - pump with shaft in

vertical plane; ideal when space
is limited or when pumping
from a pit or underground
barrel
Pump type Example:
Pump type Example:
PROPER CARE AND MAINTENANCE
MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE

It is recommended that a maintenance plan schedule is adopted, inline

with a User’ Instruction Manual.

It should include the following:

a. The pump must be completely vented and drained

before any disassembly operation.
b. Any auxiliary systems installed must be monitored, if
necessary, to ensure they function correctly.
c) During cleaning of the pump ensure the compatibility
between the cleaning products and the gaskets.

d) Inspect the condition of the gaskets.

e) Check any leaks from gaskets and seals. The correct

functioning of the shaft seal must be checked regularly.
f) Check bearing lubricant level.

g) Check that the duty condition is in the safe operating range for
the pump.

h) Check vibration, noise level and surface temperature at the

bearings to confirm satisfactory operation.

i) Check the tightness of the connections.

j) Check coupling alignment and re-align if necessary.

TROUBLESHOOTING
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