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Centrifugal Pumps
An introduction to Centrifugal Pumps
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A centrifugal pump converts input power to kinetic energy by accelerating liquid in a revolving device - an
impeller.

The most common is the volute pump - where fluid enters the pump through the eye of the impeller which
rotates at high speed. The fluid accelerates radially outward from the pump chasing and a vacuum is
created at the impellers eye that continuously draws more fluid into the pump.

The energy from the pumps prime mover is transfered to kinetic energy according the Bernoulli Equation .
The energy transferred to the liquid corresponds to the velocity at the edge or vane tip of the impeller. The
faster the impeller revolves or the bigger the impeller is, the higher will the velocity of the liquid energy
transferred to the liquid be. This is described by the Affinity Laws .

Pressure and Head

If the discharge of a centrifugal pump is pointed straight up into the air the fluid will pumped to a certain
height - or head - called the shut off head. This maximum head is mainly determined by the outside
diameter of the pump's impeller and the speed of the rotating shaft. The head will change as the capacity of
the pump is altered.

The kinetic energy of a liquid coming out of an impeller is obstructed by creating a resistance in the flow.
The first resistance is created by the pump casing which catches the liquid and slows it down. When the
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liquid slows down the kinetic energy is converted to pressure energy.

it is the resistance to the pump's flow that is read on a pressure gauge attached to the discharge line

A pump does not create pressure, it only creates flow. The gauge pressure is a measurement of the
resistance to flow.

In fluids the term head is used to measure the kinetic energy which a pump creates. Head is a
measurement of the height of the liquid column the pump could create from the kinetic energy the pump
gives to the liquid .

the main reason for using head instead of pressure to measure a centrifugal pump's energy is that the
pressure from a pump will change if the specific gravity (weight) of the liquid changes, but the head
will not

The pump's performance on any Newtonian fluid can always be described by using the term head.

Different Types of Pump Head

Total Static Head - Total head when the pump is not running
Total Dynamic Head (Total System Head) - Total head when the pump is running
Static Suction Head - Head on the suction side, with pump off, if the head is higher than the pump
impeller
Static Suction Lift - Head on the suction side, with pump off, if the head is lower than the pump impeller
Static Discharge Head - Head on discharge side of pump with the pump off
Dynamic Suction Head/Lift - Head on suction side of pump with pump on
Dynamic Discharge Head - Head on discharge side of pump with pump on

The head is measured in either feet or meters and can be converted to common units for pressure - like
psi, Pa or bar.

it is important to understand that the pump will pump all fluids to the same height if the shaft is turning
at the same rpm

The only difference between the fluids is the amount of power it takes to get the shaft to the proper rpm. The
higher the specific gravity of the fluid the more power is required.

Centrifugal Pumps are "constant head machines"

Note that the latter is not a constant pressure machine, since pressure is a function of head and density. The
head is constant, even if the density (and therefore pressure) changes.

The head of a pump can be expressed in metric units as:

h = (p2 - p1) / (ρ g) + v22 / (2 g) (1)

where

h = total head developed (m)

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p2 = pressure at outlet (N/m2)

p1 = pressure at inlet (N/m2)

ρ = density (kg/m3)

g = acceleration of gravity (9.81) m/s2

v2 = velocity at the outlet (m/s)

Head described in simple terms

a pump's vertical discharge "pressure-head" is the vertical lift in height - usually measured in feet or m
of water - at which a pump can no longer exert enough pressure to move water. At this point, the pump
may be said to have reached its "shut-off" head pressure. In the flow curve chart for a pump the "shut-
off head" is the point on the graph where the flow rate is zero

Pump Efficiency
Pump efficiency, η (%) is a measure of the efficiency with which the pump transfers useful work to the fluid.

η = Pout / Pin (2)

where

η = efficiency (%)

Pin = power input

Pout = power output

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Related Topics
Pumps - Piping systems and pumps - centrifugal pumps, displacement pumps - cavitation, viscosity,
head and pressure, power consumption and more

Related Documents
Alternating Pumps - Securing a system and achieve equal wear by alternating pumps in parallel
BEP - Best Efficiency Point - Pump - Pump efficiency design
Centrifugal Pump Standards - Centrifugal pump design and dimension standards
Centrifugal Pumps - Speed Torque Curve - Centrifugal pumps and the characteristic speed torque
curve
Centrifugal Pumps and Shut-Off Head - Centrifugal pumps and maximum (shut-off) head
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Classifications of Pumps - Selecting between Centrifugal Pumps and Positive Displacement

Pumps
Converting Pump Head to Pressure and Vice Versa - Converting head (ft or m) to pressure (psi or
bar, kg/cm2) and vice versa
Modulate Centrifugal Pump Capacity - Adapting pump capacity to variable process demand
NPSH - Net Positive Suction Head - An introduction to pumps Net Positive Suction Head - NPSH
Positive Displacement Pumps - Introduction tutorial to positive displacement pumps basic
operating principles
Pressure to Head - Unit Converter - Convert between pressure and head units - like lb/in2, atm,
inches mercury, bars, Pa and more ..
Pump - Volume Flow and Temperature Rise - Calculate temperature rise in pumps
Pump Affinity Laws - Turbo machines affinity laws can be used to calculate volume capacity, head
or power consumption in centrifugal pumps with changing speed or wheel diameters
Pump Power Calculator - Calculate pump hydraulic and shaft power
Pump Suction Head and Altitude - The suction heads of pumps are affected by altitude
Pumping Water - Energy Cost Calculator - The energy costs of pumping water
Pumping Water - Required Horsepower - Horsepower required to pump water
Pumps - Suction Specific Speed - Suction Specific Speed can be used to determine stable and
reliable operations for pumps with max efficiency without cavitation
Pumps in Parallel or Serial - For pumps connected in serial - add head, for pumps connected in
parallel - add flowrates
Specific Speed Pumps - Characterize the type of impeller in pump in a unique and coherent
manner
Stable and Unstable Centrifugal Pumps - Characteristics of stable and unstable centrifugal pumps

Tag Search
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de: Kreiselpumpen Tutorial Kopfdruck Kapazität
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