Chemical Engineering

Experiment 4

Name Javid Mammadli

Group Number 3

Experiment Title
Centrifugal Pump
Date of Experiment 22/03/2018

Demonstrator Rafael Samadov and Natavan Samadova

Contents
Synopsis .................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................. 4
Theory ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Experimental Details .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Procedure ................................................................................................................................................................ 9
Results ....................................................................................................................................................................12
Discussion .............................................................................................................................................................12
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................15
Appendix ................................................................................................................................................................17
References ...........................................................................................................................................................17
Synopsis
A glance at the report reveals information about the centrifugal pumps, by analyzing
its behavior , characteristic curves and most importantly the duty point.
In general , the experiment was carried out via HM 150.04 G.U.N.T. production unit
, and intended to accomplish the following targets:
 acquaintance with the centrifugal pump by analyzing its behavior and properties.
 Calculation of the system head values from the discharge pressures
 plotting pump characteristic curves at 6 different values of speed.
 Plotting the pump performance curve
 Plotting the efficiency curve
 Plotting the system curve
 Determination of the duty point using two methods: graphical and analytical
The experiment contained 6 attempts , each time with a different value of the speed
by adjusting the switch on the display unit . Subsequently , each time the data from the
display unit and the manometers are gathered and tabulated. Next , the unknowns are
calculated which include the system head and the volumetric flow rates . After calculating
those parameters, the pump characteristic curves are plotted and the intersection point is
defined. Two methods, namely analytical and the graphical methods were used to discuss
the results. From the graphical method duty point parameters gave the following results:
Qdp = 0.000195 m3/s , Hdp = 9.5 m. In the same vein , the analytical method also yielded
quite similar results by providing Qdp= 0.000195 m3/s, and Hdp=9.4 m. The errors between
those two methods were substantially lower , just only 0 and 1 % respectively. Certain
uncertainties arouse from the calculations. The Introduction part analyzes the essence and
the applications of the centrifugal pump , while the Theory section clarifies the principles
applied throughout the experiment. Next , the experimental technique part explains the
working principle of the centrifugal pump, along with the steps undertaken in order to fulfill
the experiment. Finally, Discussion part and Conclusion section analyzes the results ,
uncertainties , recommendations, before coming to an ultimate conclusion.
Introduction
Pumps play a significantly important role in the process industries . Interestingly, it
appears in almost all the industrial processes. In general , the pumps are utilized to transfer
main working fluids from one point of the plant to the other point by increasing its pressure.
There are many types of pumps utilized in the industry , which is generally divided into two
categories:
 positive displacement pumps
 roto-dynamic pumps
These two general categories of the pumps can further be divided into the specific
pumps. Sliding vane pumps, piston pumps, gear pumps , centrifugal pumps and many others
can be prime examples. The main discussion of this report, however , is the centrifugal
pumps. In general, a centrifugal pump is one of the most basic pieces of equipment in any
process plant. Its goal is to convert energy of a prime mover (a electric motor or turbine)
initially into a kinetic energy and then into pressure energy of a working fluid. The energy
changes occur by virtue of two main parts of the pump, the impeller and the volute (diffuser)
. The impeller is the rotating part which helps to convert the energy of the prime mover to
kinetic energy, whereas the volute is the stationary part which converts the kinetic energy to
the pressure energy of the fluid[1].
A centrifugal pump was firstly harnessed as a mud lifting machine which appeared in
1475 discovered by the Italian Renaissance engineer Francesco di Giorgio Martini. The
centrifugal pumps, that are currently used in the industries, were not developed until the late
17th century, when Denis Papin created a pump with straight vanes[2].
According to the number of the impellers, centrifugal pumps can be classified into
single stage, two stage and multi stage pumps. The orientation of the volute split categorizes
these pumps into another classification , as axial and radial splits. Due to the type of the
impeller they can be regarded as single or double suction centrifugal pumps. Furthermore,
they are also classified according to their volute design , bearing support , shaft orientation ,
industrial standards and many other.
A number of advantages can be listed for the centrifugal pumps. Firstly , centrifugal
pumps are known for their higher efficiency, durability and rigidity Interestingly, those pumps
do not require too frequent maintenance too, on the grounds that they have a very simplistic
design. They consume less power compared to the other types of pumps. Apart from the
capital cost savings, simplistic design and easy maintenance , they are also advantageous
in terms dealing with relatively larger volume rates . Furthermore, long term service, and
straightforward connections with motors, turbines and other prime movers , make them
further prestigious .
There are many applications of the centrifugal pumps in the industry. Firstly, the
pumps can be utilized in the sugar refining , bleaching, disinfecting processes. These
processes , however, require certain careful attention because of the purity of the materials
used. Therefore, in order to maintain the pristine environment for the system ,the material of
the centrifugal pumps used should be taken into account. Waste water treatment , purifying
water, industrial effluent also require centrifugal pumps for the carriage of the working fluids.
Centrifugal pumps are also utilized in agriculture in the processes of fungicide. Insecticide
and fertilizer manufacturing. Textile, pulp and paper industries are one of the main
applications of those prestigious pumps[3].
 Apart from their positives, centrifugal pumps can also occasionally pose certain
problems . It is sometime difficult to work with highly viscous fluids for the centrifugal
pumps. Moreover, it is also hard to deliver higher heads and extra priming can further create
challenging issues. Most importantly , however, is the cavitation phenomenon , which should
be avoided at all costs. As it is not good to have liquid droplets inside the casing of the
compressors, similarly it is not acceptable to have vapor bubbles inside the centrifugal
pumps. The reason is that the high pressure of the bubbles can damage the hardware of the
pumps, of which consequences are really unavoidable and costly.
There are many characteristic parameters describing the centrifugal pumps. The
pump characteristic curves , efficiencies can be reasonable examples. A
typical characteristic curve shows the total dynamic head (system and pump head),
efficiency, and net positive suction head all plotted over the capacity range (flow rate) of the
pump. There is one important point on these curves which is the point where the pump can
operate. This point is called the duty point. The essence of duty point is discussed in this
experiment.
The centrifugal pumps are also harnessed in the laboratory scales , in order to
conduct certain experiments and analyze some principles. The experiment conducted via
HM 150.04 was aimed to fulfill certain targets. Those targets are as following:
 Plotting the characteristic curve of hydraulic system of the pump
 Determination of the duty point of the pump
 Evaluation of the efficiency of the centrifugal pump
Those goals were accomplished by the help of HM 150.04 which is the G.U.N.T.
production at 5 various volumetric flow rates and speeds. The principles and terms utilized
for the experiment, the working principle of the pump and the steps undertaken in order to
accomplish the experiment and finally the results and their discussion will be considered
next.

Theory
Theory section analyzes the basic principles that should be acquired in order to reflect
the results of the experiment and to understand the reasons for the uncertainties.
Pressure is very important parameter and should be precisely evaluated in order to
meet the requirements of the processes. Pressure can be measured by means of
manometers. The indication of the manometers is the gauge pressure , which is the
difference between the absolute pressure and the atmospheric pressure.
There are some terms and principles that are inherent to pumping systems. These
include suction , discharge pressure heads and frictional head losses, NPSH , NPSHA,
efficiency and characteristic curves. Pressure head merely represents the pressure in the
certain point divided by density of the fluid and the acceleration due to gravity. For instance
, if the pressure head is 3m just after the pump (for water) , it implies that if the manometer
was connected to that particular section of the pipe , the pressure indication would be
approximately 30 kPa gauge or the height of the fluid inside the manometer would rise 3
meters. There are mainly two types of pressure heads -dynamic and static head. Dynamic
head arises due to the velocity (kinetic energy) of the working fluid , while the static head is
due to the pressure energy of the fluid. Furthermore, the heads around the pump
occasionally classified as suction and discharge heads. Suction head is the distance from
the top level of the tank to the suction side of the pump and plus the frictional losses and can
be considered as the pressure head at the suction of the pump , while the discharge head
represents pressure head at the discharge of the pump and is the distance until the top of
the another tank where fluid is to be delivered. Frictional loss heads are other types of heads
which should be considered closely. The following equations analyze all of these heads
mentioned above:

𝑃𝑠
ℎ𝑠 = + ℎ𝑠1 + ℎ𝑠2 − ℎ𝑓𝑠 (1)[4]
𝜌𝑔
𝑃𝑑
ℎ𝑑 = + ℎ𝑑1 + ℎ𝑑2 + ℎ𝑓𝑑 (2)[4]
𝜌𝑔

𝐿 𝑢2
ℎ𝑓 = 8𝜑 ( ) ( ) (3)[4]
𝑑 2𝑔

∆ℎ𝑝 = ℎ𝑑 − ℎ𝑠 (4)[4]

𝑃𝑑 − 𝑃𝑠 𝑣𝑑2 − 𝑣𝑠2
∆ℎ𝑝 = +𝑦+ (5)[5]
𝜌𝑔 2𝑔

In details, ℎ𝑠 and ℎ𝑑 are suction and discharge heads respectively. Next, subscripts
1 and 2 refer to the level of the tank and suction levels accordingly. P s and Pd are suction
and discharge pressures in turn. It is also observed that each of the equation contains the
term hf , which is regarded as the frictional head loss, that is mainly due to the velocity, and
𝜑 is the friction factor which embodies other reasons that the frictional loss is present for.
Finally, the total pump head is the difference between the discharge and the suction heads.
It can be also demonstrated in another way, where y is the height difference between the
two manometers and in which velocity values are the same due to the fact that pipe diameter
stays the same. Aforementioned heads can be converted into pressures as well, by simply
multiplying with density and acceleration due to the gravity.
In each of the attempts the volume of 5l is recorded and the elapsed time was taken
into account. Consequently, following equation was used in order to calculate the volumetric
flow rate values:

𝑉
𝑄̇ = (6)
𝑡

Efficiency is another target of the experiment which needs to be investigated (although

the values are taken from the previous experiment).

𝑊̇ℎ = ∆𝑃𝑃 𝑄̇ = 𝜌𝑔∆ℎ𝑝 𝑄̇ (7)[5]

𝑊̇ℎ is the minimum output power that must be supplied by the pump. Pump efficiency can
be determined by the division of output and input powers (asynchronous motor power , of
which efficiency is 92 %):

𝑊̇ℎ
𝜀(%) = ∗ 100% (8)[5]
𝑊𝑖𝑛 𝑥 0.92

The pump characteristic curves are one of the goals of the experiment which should
be plotted. Firstly, it comprises of the pump curve which is the dependence of head
developed by the pump on the volumetric flowrate. Next , the system curve is also added
which represents the system head vs flow rate relationship. Another included curve is NPSH
curve , which is quite important to consider (explained before). Efficiency curve and the
power consumption curve are also the part of pump characteristic curves most of the time.

In details the pump head or discharge head of a water pump is a measure of the
‘power’ of a pump. The greater the pump head, the greater the pressure that the pump can
generate. The pump will only operate on that curve, it can never be off that curve:

Figure 1 [6]: Pump head curve

On the other hand , the system head is the head needed (generated by the system)
to drive the working fluid all the way through the pump piping system.

Figure 2[6]: System head curve

 Duty point is the point , in which the pump operates. It is the most optimum for the
pump to work. A general representation of the pump characteristic curve is provided next:

Figure 3 [6] : Representation of the duty point.

Changing the motor speeds will alter the pump head curves, while varying the flow
rates change the system curve. Due to that , closing the valve partially , moves the duty point
along the pump head curve up to a new system curve and a new duty point:

Figure 4 [6]: changing pump head Figure 5 [6]: changing system head

All those graphs are theoretical representations, while in the experiments (which will
be shown) it can vary significantly due to many reasons.
If the equations of the functions derived the equation for the pump head would be as
following:

HP = a + bQ +cQ2 (9)[5]
The system head can be calculated from the following correlation:

𝑃𝑑𝑠
𝐻𝑠𝑦𝑠 = (10)[5]
𝜌𝑔
Where ,
Hsys- system head in m,
Pds- discharge pressure in Pa,
Q- volumetric flow rate, m3/s
𝜌- fluid density , kg/m3
g- acceleration due to gravity m/s2

Finally, it is also worth pointing out that the maximum point of the efficiency curve
should be located within +- 10% error of the duty point.

Experimental Details

Equipment and apparatuses

This part of the report analyzes the data on the equipment that is utilized in the
experiment. Those apparatuses include HM 150 and HM 150.04 which will be analyzed in
details.
HM 150
In general , HM 150 plays a role of scaffolding to the other units. Apart from being a
base it also has other various functions. For instance with the help of it, the volumetric flow
rates can be easily determined. Furthermore, it has a closed water circuit which supplies
water to the HM 150.04 unit. Besides, the water tank, a submersible pump, valves are other
sections of the HM 150.04 scaffolding. Picture 2. demonstrates the HM 150 unit.

Figure 6: HM 150 scaffolding

1-flow control valve, 2- overflow , 3-storage tank with submersible pump, 4-gate valve for
emptying the measuring tank , 5- measuring tank level indicator, 6- measuring tank
 HM 150.04
This unit mainly consists of the centrifugal pump , the manometers, and the display
unit. It is primarily made of anti-corrosive materials on the grounds that the working fluid here
is water which can corrode the piping. The centrifugal pump has two sections namely, suction
and discharge sides to which the manometers are attached . Those manometers measure
the gauge pressures at bara. Besides, there is a display unit , which has an alteration switch.
An alteration switch regulates the demonstration of data either on power consumption , or
on the speed of the pump. The speed of the centrifugal pump is regulated by an asynchro-
nous motor. The following picture provides more data on the HM 150.04 unit [7].

2
3
1

4 5
Figure 7: HM 150.04 . 1- display unit, 2- manometers, 3- ball valve , 4-centrifugal pump ,
5-motor
Centrifugal Pump
The working principle of the centrifugal pump will be analyzed next. The impellers of
the centrifugal pump move rapidly which in turn induces the fluid into the pump casing. The
fluid travels through the impellers, which provide kinetic energy to the fluid because of the
higher speed. In general , the fluid flows radially across the impeller. As it reaches the diffuser
, however, its velocity is reduced , which causes the fluid to gain a static head. The exiting
fluid loses the velocity , but obtains the pressure which is the main target of the pumps. The
following pictures illustrate the centrifugal pump in more details[7].
Figure 8[8]: Radial flow through the impellers Figure 9[9]: Centrifugal pump

Furthermore, the stopwatch is also used for measuring the volumetric flow rates from
the base module of HM 150.

Procedure
As it is assured that all the laboratory safety precautions are taken into consideration
the experiment was started. The following steps were taken in order to accomplish the
experiment.

 Firstly , the unit is plugged in to the electrical source

 Main switch is turned on and the submersible pump in HM 150 is started
 Consequently, the valve for the submersible pump is opened
 As the difference between the two manometers is noticed then the main switch of HM
150.04 can also be turned on
 Now, the submersible pump is turned off
 The frequency is adjusted
 Each attempt was conducted at different speed values
 Each time the discharge valve (ball valve) is closed partially, so as to prevent the
backflow formed because of the pressure at the discharge
 The volumetric flow rates are measured by using the stop watch and HM 150 water
tank.
 Pressure indications from only discharge manometer are also noted down
simultaneously.
 After tabulating all the results, the unit was turned off by stopping the centrifugal pump
first and closing the outlet and inlet valves subsequently . It is unplugged from the
electric source finally.
Results
Before analyzing the results of this experiment, it is needed to demonstrate the results
of the pump head and the efficiency data collected from the experiment , in which 2000 rpm
speed and the various volumetric flowrates were adjusted:

Table 1. Data from the previous experiment

Attempts ∆ℎ𝑝 (𝑚) Q (m3/s) 𝜀(%)

1 5,29 0,000278 4,60%
2 5,19 0,000266 4,41%
3 6,42 0,00024 4,99%
4 6,31 0,000225 4,61%
5 6,88 0,000223 5,03%
6 6,82 0,000218 4,91%
7 9,68 0,000194 6,32%

Next, as the experiment was conducted , all the data were recorded in a following way:

Table 2: Data from the experiment

Attempts speed (rpm) Pds(bar) time (s) volume

1 2800 1,58 21 5
2 2300 1,1 24 5
3 1900 0,75 27 5
4 1500 0,42 34 5
5 1100 0,05 38 5
6 600 -0,18 45 5

The leftest column represents the number of attempts, after which the speed values
are shown. Next , the discharge pressure values recorded from the second manometer are
also shown in the third column. In order to calculate the volumetric flow rate time and volume
values are tabulated in the last columns.
After tabulating the initial data, it was necessary to compute the system head values.
The calculations related to the first attempt is provided below.

𝑃𝑑𝑠 1.58 ∗ 105 𝑃𝑎

∆ℎ𝑠𝑦𝑠 = = = 16.1 𝑚
𝜌𝑔 𝑘𝑔 𝑚
998 3 ∗ 9.81 2
𝑚 𝑠
Next, the volumetric flow rates should be determined with the help of volume filled
during the elapsed time :

𝑉 5𝑙 1𝑚3 𝑚3
𝑄̇ = = ∗ = 0.00028
𝑡 21𝑠 1000𝑙 𝑠
 Next table of data was obtained after the abovementioned calculations:

Table 3. Ultimate results

Attempts speed (rpm) H(sys) Volumetric

in m flowrate
(m^3/s)
1 2800 16,11 0,00024
2 2300 11,21 0,00021
3 1900 7,65 0,00019
4 1500 4,28 0,00015
5 1100 0,51 0,00013
6 600 -1,83 0,00011

After linking the results of table 1 and table 3 , it is possible to plot the graph of the
pump characteristic curve , showing the duty point. The efficiency curve is also shown in the
graph:

17,60 Pump Characteristic curve

Head in m

16,80
16,00 y = 8E+07x2 + 107961x - 14,687
15,20
14,40
13,60
12,80
12,00
11,20
10,40
9,60
8,80
1
8,00 y = 8E+08x2 - 426314x + 62,173
7,20
6,40 2
5,60
4,80
4,00
3,20 y = 4E+08x2 - 227054x + 33,653
2,40
1,60
0,80
0,00
-0,80
0,00000 0,00002 0,00005 0,00007 0,00009 0,00012 0,00014 0,00016 0,00018 0,00021 0,00023 0,00025 0,00028 0,00030
-1,60
-2,40
-3,20
Hsys(in m) pump Volumetric flow rate

Graph 1 : Determination of the duty point

Point 1 refers to the duty point of the pump, while point 2 refers to the maximum
value of the efficiency.

Aforementioned analysis of the data is called graphical method. From the graphical
method , it is observed that Qdp at the operating point (duty point) is approximately 0.000195
m3/s , whilst Hdp is in the vicinity of 9.5 m. Next the analytic method to analyze the results is
discussed.
Firstly , the polynomial equations of the curves are displayed on the graph. From
making the equations of pump head and the system head curves equal to each other, it will
become straightforward to determine the duty point parameters at that point of intersection.
In the following two equations x is the volumetric flow rate of the water at duty point:

𝐻𝑝 = 8 ∗ 107 ∗ 𝑥 2 + 107961𝑥 − 14.687

{
𝐻𝑠 = 8 ∗ 108 ∗ 𝑥 2 − 426314𝑥 + 62.173

8* 107x2 + 107961x – 14.687=4* 108 x2 - 227054x + 33.653

From the calculations ,

X=0.0001952.. , it implies that Qdp= 0.0001952 m3/s, and Hdp=9.4 m

Inserting volumetric flow rate value in the polynomial equation of efficiency curve , the
value for efficiency can be determined analytically:

𝜀𝑑𝑝 = 4 ∗ 108 ∗ 𝑥 2 − 227054𝑥 + 33.653

From the calculation it appears to be 𝜀𝑑𝑝 = 4.6%.

The following table compares these results derived from those two methods by
indicating the relative errors:

Table 4: Comparison of two methods

Operation The Graphical The Analytical The Relative
factors method method error, %%
The duty 0.000195 0.000195 0%
volume flow
rate Qdp, m3/s

The duty 9.5 9.4 1%

head Hdp, m
Discussion

In this section the pump characteristic curves will be analyzed throughout. Two
methods are used to determine the parameters at duty point , namely graphical and the
analytical which will be investigated in a following way.
Firstly, the results obtained from the previous experiment are reported , so as to take
the pump head and the efficiency values. It is because, the duty point cannot be formed by
the presence of the system curve alone. The pump head curve , system curve and the
efficiency curve all together determine the possibility of the pump operation. From table, it is
immediately observed that pump head increases along with the partial closure of the valve.
The reason behind it is that as the volumetric flow rate decreases pump has the ability to
form much higher heads , on the grounds that the residing time of the fluid inside the pump
increases. There is also an overall increasing trend in the value of efficiency which verifies
that the impellers of the centrifugal pump convert the kinetic energy of lower flow rate fluid
to the pressure energy of it more than the higher flow rate , thus making the efficiency higher.
Next , the data obtained from the experiment is tabulated in table 2. As it is clearly
seen , each time the speed of the pump was decreased from 28000 rpm to 600 rpm by
overall of 6 attempts. It is accomplished in order to get different values for the system curve
as it only changes with the speed. The volumetric flow rate was changed only slightly in order
to prevent the back flow formed at the discharge because of the higher pressure. The
discharge pressure values are also indicated which show the decreasing trend, with
decreasing speed values. After tabulating this initial data and knowing all the necessary
parameters , the system head values and the volumetric flow rates are calculated using the
equation 10 and equation 6 respectively.
Table 3 demonstrates those results obtained from the calculations. As it is observed
decreasing the speed causes the system head to decrease too. The reason becomes
obvious , when by definition it is said that the system head is the head generated by the
overall system. Therefore, less head is generated at lower speeds. Another interesting point
is that there is a seemingly directly proportional trend for the system head and the volumetric
flow rate values. As the volumetric flow rate decreases the system head values also go down.
It is because of the head losses formed due to the friction as the volumetric flow rate goes
up.
As the system head values, pump head values and the efficiency values are already
available , it is then possible to plot the graphs to accomplish the main targets. The blue line
in the graph represents the system curve . It is the head generated by the system . As it is
clearly observed , by increasing the volumetric flow rate, it is also increased proportionally .
The polynomial proportionality of the line is shown on the curve (the quadratic equation).
Next, the pump head curve is plotted which is the orange curve in the graph. The curve
decreases to a point where the flow is maximum and the head minimum.. The pump curve
is relatively flat and the head decreases gradually as the flow increases The last curve on
the graph is the efficiency curve. As it is seen different values are achieved for this parameter
at different flow rates by falling to the range of 4-6.5%.
The ultimate goal of the experiment was to determine the duty point. It is the point
where the pump can operate and is obtained from the intersection of the pump and the
system curves. Two ways of illustrating and defining this point was fulfilled throughout the
results, namely graphical and the analytical methods.
 The graphical method is accomplished in order to approximate the values of the
parameters at duty point from the axes. It mainly relies on the parallax view therefore can
contain several errors. The results obtained from the graphical methods were as following.
Qdp = 0.000195 m3/s , Hdp = 9.5 m.
Polynomial equations for all three curves are displayed which helped us to determine
the duty point analytically. It is done by making the equations of the pump and the system
curves equal to each other and finding the “x” , which is the volumetric flow rate at the
intersection(because both are the functions of Q). It turns out that by analytical way Q dp=
0.0001952 m3/s, and Hdp=9.4 m. Efficiency at duty point can also be determined analytically
, which appeared to be 4.6%. From the both methods it is observed that only minor
uncertainties are formed regarding these two ways (0 and 1% relative errors), which implies
that both methods are reliable to calculate the parameters on the duty point.
Another point that should be highlighted is that the duty point or operation point
should have been within +-10% error of the maximum efficiency value theoretically. As it is
seen from the table number 1 , maximum efficiency was 6.32%, which located well below
the duty point. The operation of the pump , therefore , seems reasonable.
The results, however , were not ideal. There can be certain reasons causing it. Firstly,
the volumetric flow rates are found relying on the angle of vision and the time accuracy.
Therefore, the volumetric flow rate values may contain several errors. The pressures read
from the manometers also required a parallax view, which may be another reason for the
errors. As the system head values were calculated using the discharge pressure values read
from the second manometer, it was inevitable to contribute to the errors. Finally , the pump
head and the efficiency values were derived using different equations, which compose of the
parameters that are determined empirically, thus containing slight errors each.
In general , it is recommended that the plants should design the right pump operation
point , considering the higher efficiency point , and the behavior of the system and pump
performance curves . To do this , certain parameters impeller diameter , speed , throttling
processes can be taken into account for the management of the duty point of the centrifugal
pump.
Conclusion
It is already obvious that the pumps can be harnessed in many areas of the process
industry, such as pharmaceuticals, food industry, petrochemical, paper and pulp industry,
waste treatment, sugar refining , bleaching, power generation and many more, which once
again verifies that they are exceptional for the process engineer. Among many types of
pumps present in the industry , the centrifugal pumps are mostly preferred ones because of
their several advantages. Therefore, it is quite important and can be occasionally difficult to
select and to design the right type of the centrifugal pump. The restraints are the efficiency,
the pump head , cavitation problem, the input and the output power and electrical
requirements, spacing ,cost , materials and so on.
Overall this experiment was conducted in order to analyze the behavior of one of the
most traditionally utilized pumps , namely centrifugal pumps, and to plot the pump
characteristic curves which include the pump performance curve, system curve and the
efficiency curve and finally determine the duty point of the pump which is the point where the
centrifugal pump operates. Overall, 6 attempts were made , each with different speeds
ranging between 600-2800 rpm . The results were tabulated and after certain calculations
the ultimate data were analyzed. Two methods, namely analytical and the graphical methods
were used to discuss the results. From the graphical method duty point parameters appeared
to be Qdp = 0.000195 m3/s , Hdp = 9.5 m. The analytical method yielded quite similar results
by giving Qdp= 0.000195 m3/s, and Hdp=9.4 m. The errors between those two methods
were quite minor , just only 0 and 1 % respectively. Certain errors also accompanied the
results (approximations and the angle of vision errors) , which are discussed in the
Discussion section.
In conclusion , it is vey important to report the requirements and the characteristics of
the centrifugal pumps , so that it can operate optimally. The pump suppliers try to match the
system curve supplied by the user with a pump curve that satisfies these needs as closely
as possible. A pumping system operates where the pump curve and the system resistance
curve intersect. The intersection of the two curves defines the operating point of both pump
and process. This duty point, however , can change its location by varying impeller size,
speed , throttling and other techniques.
References
[1] McCabe, W.L., Smith, J.C., and P. Harriott, “Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering,”
5th edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1993.
[2] https://www.pumpsandsystems.com/topics/pumps/pumps/history-pumps-through-years
“The history of the pumps: Through Years”
[3] https://pumpsolutions.com.au/best-uses-for-centrifugal-pumps/ “Best uses for the
centrifugal pumps” , by Pump Solutions , Australasia
[4] Process Engineering A , B48BB- textbook, topic 4, pages 10-14
[5] Experimental Instructions for HM 150.04 (version 2) produced by G.U.N.T.
[6] Process Engineering A , B48BB- textbook, topic 4, pages 28-34
[7] The Appendix to HM 150.04 (version 2) by G.U.N.T.
[8] Process Engineering A , B48BB- textbook, topic 4, pages 8.
[9] http://www.enggcyclopedia.com/2011/10/centrifugal-pump-maintenance/ , “Pump
Maintenance”