Experiment Title: E21/E21A CHARACTERISTICS OF A CENTRIFUGAL

PUMP

DATE: 23/11/2020

Author: F031445

Lab Partner: F011282

Loughborough University,

Chemical Engineering Department

1
Abstract
To determine the variations of delivery pressure and flow rate, the delivery pressure and the
power consumption of the pump were measured and recorded at different flow rates in this
experiment. 2 rotameters were used to control the flow rate while the delivery pressure
was measured using a pressure gauge. The power consumption was measured and recorded
using an electricity meter. Using energy balance equation, the output power was calculated
and the efficiency of the centrifugal pump was obtained. Based on the results, the
relationship of the delivery pressure and flow rate obeyed Bernoulli’s Principle. Delivery
pressure decreased when flow rate increased. The maximum efficiency of the centrifugal
pump used was recorded based on the graph plotted, which was 28.29% at a flow rate at
125m3/s. It was observed that the efficiency of the centrifugal pump increased with flow
rate until a certain point then it decreased. Cavitation happened in the pipe causing the
efficiency to decrease even though the flow rate was high. It was concluded that the flow
rate in the pipe played an important role in the efficiency of the pump. In summary, when
the flow rate increases, the efficiency will increase as long as the Net Positive Suction Head
available (NPSH-a) is relatively high.

2
Contents
Title page 1

Abstract 2

Content page 3

Introduction 4

Method 5-6

Results and Discussions 7-9

Conclusion 9

References 10

List of symbols and units 11

Appendices 12-13

3
Introduction
The aims of the experiment were to investigate the mutual relationship between pressure
and flow rate of a centrifugal pump and examine the characteristics of a centrifugal pump.
The flow rate of the water from the pump was controlled using a rotameter and the
pressure and power consumption was measured and recorded. The variation of the
pressure and flow rate was related to Bernoulli’s Principle which states that when a fluid is
flowing through a pipe and the velocity is increased, the pressure decreases as long as the
density of the fluid is constant (STANMECH Technologies Inc., 2014). A centrifugal pump is a
mechanical device which transforms kinetic energy from an impeller to useful kinetic energy
or pressure energy to an incompressible fluid (Michael Smith Engineers). The efficiency of a
centrifugal pump depends on the efficiency with which converts energy into useful kinetic
energy. To achieve maximum efficiency, it is important to understand the relationship
between pressure and flow rate, which is explained by Bernoulli’s Principle. Cavitation must
also be taken into account when working with a centrifugal pump as it affects the efficiency.

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Method
The experiment was conducted in the lab where all safety precaution steps were taken.
Safety goggles and gloves were worn throughout the experiment. The water level in the
tank was checked before used to avoid burns from overheated pumps.

Figure 1 is the schematic diagram of the centrifugal pump characteristic experiment

apparatus.
Figure 1 is the schematic diagram of the experiment carried out. Firstly, the power source
was switched on and the flow rate from the pump was set from 0-100 litres/min using the
two valves below the rotameter, V1 and V2, refer Figure 1. The small rotameter was used
from 0-10 litres/min in 1 litre/min intervals and the large rotameter was used from 10
litres/min in 5 litres/min intervals. Subsequently, the delivery pressure on the pressure
gauge and power consumption of the pump were measured for every flow rate. The reading
on the electricity meter was recorded in Watts. The height difference of the water level and
the pressure gauge was measured, ∆𝐻 = 0.66𝑚. The diameter of the pipe, d was 0.023m.
All the results were tabulated and converted into their respective SI units.
The efficiency of the pump and motor combination was calculated from:
[𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑂𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡]
𝛾= × 100%(1)
[𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝐼𝑛𝑝𝑢𝑡]
The input power was read off the electricity meter, while the output power was calculated
using energy balance over the pump:

𝜌2 𝑉2 2 𝜌1 𝑉1 2
(𝑧2 𝜌2 𝑔 + 𝑃2 + ) − (𝑧1 𝜌1 𝑔 + 𝑃1 + ) = ∆𝑃𝑃 − ∆𝑃𝑓 (2)
2 2

Then based on some assumptions and simplified to,

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 𝜌𝑉2 2
∆𝑃𝑃 = ∆𝐻𝜌𝑔 + ∆𝑃𝐺 + (3)
2
where ∆𝐻 was the height of the pressure gauge tapping above water level in the tank. The
power was calculated by multiplying through by the liquid flow rate.
8𝜌𝑄 3
𝑂𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 = 𝑄∆𝑃𝑃 = 𝑄∆𝐻𝜌𝑔 + 𝑄∆𝑃𝐺 + 𝜋2 𝑑4 (4)

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Results and Discussion
A graph of delivery pressure vs. flow rate and a graph of efficiency vs. flow rate were plotted
and analysed.

2.50
2.20
2.20
2.20
2.20
2.20
2.20
2.10
2.10
2.10
2.10 2.10 2.05
2.00 1.95
2.00 1.90 1.85
1.80 1.75
Delivery Pressure (10-5)/ Nm-2

1.70
1.60
1.50
1.50 1.40 1.35
1.25
1.15 1.10
1.00
1.00

0.50

0.00
0.00 20.00 40.00 60.00 80.00 100.00 120.00 140.00 160.00 180.00
Flow Rate, Q (10-5)/ m3s-1

Figure 2: The variation of the delivery pressure with the flow rate

Figure 2 shows the variation of the delivery pressure with the flow rate. The pressure gauge
measures the pressure of the water flow after the pump. From Figure 2, the delivery
pressure decreases as the flow rate increases. The results from figure 2, can be explained
using Bernoulli’s Equation.
𝑃1 𝑢1 2 𝑃2 𝑢2 2
+ + 𝑧1 𝑔 = + + 𝑧2 𝑔(5)
𝜌 2 𝜌 2
Bernoulli’s Equation is derived from the law of conservation of energy. When flow rate
increases, the kinetic energy of the fluid increases. Thus, the corresponding energy
associated with pressure must go down (STANMECH Technologies Inc., 2014). Therefore,
when flow rate increases, delivery pressure decreases. For this case, z1 and z2 are negligible
as the values are much smaller than the pressure term and the kinetic energy term. It is also
assumed that the flow in the pipe is turbulent, fluid is incompressible and friction is
negligible.
When it comes to calculating the efficiency of the pump, energy balance equation (2) is
simplified to equation (3) based on a few assumptions. Firstly, the friction between the fluid
and the wall of the pipe and the friction loss when fluid passes through V1/V2 are negligible.
The flow of the fluid is assumed to be turbulent flow, thus the friction between adjacent
layers of the fluid itself is negligible. Since u12˂˂u22, it is reasonable to assume that the

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kinetic energy in [1] is negligible therefore we can ignore the velocity head for [1]. Lastly,
the density of the water, ρ is assumed to stay constant throughout the experiment.
From equation (4), the velocity of the liquid, V2 is calculated using the following equation,

𝑄𝑚 = 𝜌𝑄𝑣 = 𝜌𝐴𝑉2
𝑄𝑚 4𝑄𝑚
𝑉2 = = (8)
𝜌𝐴 𝜌𝜋𝑑 2

30.00 28.0828.1328.0727.6828.2927.48
27.01 26.6826.73
25.65 25.53
24.07
25.00
22.36
Efficiency of the pump, γ / %

20.30
20.00 17.93

15.25
15.00
12.04

10.00 8.20
7.42
6.60
5.81
5.23
4.40
5.00 3.52
2.65
1.77
0.90

0.00
0.00 20.00 40.00 60.00 80.00 100.00 120.00 140.00 160.00 180.00
Flow Rate, Q (10 ) / m3/s
-5

Figure 3: The variation of efficiency of the pump with the flow

Figure 3 shows the variation of efficiency of the pump with the flow rate. From Figure 3, the
efficiency of the centrifugal pump increases as flow rate increases until a maximum. Then,
the efficiency of the pump decreases at higher flow rates. The maximum efficiency of the
centrifugal pump is 28.29% at a flow rate of 125 m3/s2.
The efficiency of the pump is low at both higher and lower flow rate. At lower flow rate, the
kinetic energy of the fluid is low, the shaft is rotated slower and shaft power is low.
Therefore, efficiency of pump is significantly low.
Theoretically, the efficiency of the pump should increase as the flow rate increases. This is
because when flow rate increases, the shaft is rotated more quickly, shaft power increases,
therefore the efficiency increases. (Michael Smith Engineers). In this experiment, as
expected, the maximum efficiency is at a high flow rate. However, the efficiency of the
pump is lower at higher flow rate after the maximum. Efficiency drops at higher flow rates
due to cavitation. Cavitation occurs when the pressure inside a pump becomes lower than

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the vapour pressure of the liquid. The delivery pressure is indeed lower when the flow rate
is higher.
Cavitation may cause harm to the components of the pump. When pressure of the fluid is
lower than the vapour pressure, it starts to boil and forms vapour and bubbles. When the
bubbles flow to a region of higher pressure, vapour condenses and bubbles implode and
release damaging high energy shockwave (Enggcyclopedia,2011).
To avoid cavitation, the NPSH available must be higher than the NPSH required. Net Positive
Suction Head (NPSH) is the difference between the pressure inside the pipe and the lowest
pressure level in the pump. NPSH required is calculated and quoted by manufacturers to
avoid vaporisation of fluid in the pump which leads to cavitation. NPSH available is the
difference between NPSH supplied and NPSH required. It should be greater than the NPSH
required by a minimum of 0.5m. The two equations listed below are used to determine the
NPSH available of a system (Engineering ToolBox,2014)
𝑃𝑆 −𝑃𝑣𝑝
𝑁𝑃𝑆𝐻 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 = ∆𝐻 + − ℎ𝑓𝑠 (6) where hfs is difference in head loss, Ps is pressure
𝜌𝑔
at the water surface, Pv is the vapour pressure of the fluid and ∆H is the difference in height
of the pump and water level. ρ and g are density of water and gravitational acceleration
respectively and are assumed to be constant.
𝑁𝑃𝑆𝐻 𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 = 𝑁𝑃𝑆𝐻 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑 − 𝑁𝑃𝑆𝐻 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑(7)
All the results obtained might differ from the theoretical values due to a few sources of
errors in the experiment. These errors are unavoidable but can be improved to get more
accurate readings. Parallax error occurs when ∆𝐻 is measured using a metre rule. To get a
more accurate reading, clamp the ruler on a retort stand and use a pair set squares to
ensure the metre rule is perpendicular to the ground. Take the reading 3 times and calculate
the average value. Besides that, the reading on the electricity meter fluctuates a lot. Repeat
the experiment several times and take the average reading.

Conclusion
All the objectives of this experiment has been achieved. A centrifugal pump operates
through the transfer of kinetic energy from the impeller into pressure energy. The efficiency
relies on the speed of rotation of the impeller. When kinetic energy of the impeller is high,
the more efficient the pump is. However, high flow rates have higher risk of cavitation.
Cavitation causes excessive wear and overheating, thus decreasing the efficiency of the
pump. For this experiment, the centrifugal pump used worked with the highest efficiency
when flow rate is 125 L/min. It is relevant to conclude that all centrifugal pump has high
efficiency at high flow rates given that the NPSH available is high. It is best to ensure the
NPSH available is more than 0.5m when a pump is fitted in a system so that cavitation can
be avoided.

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References
1. Flow, Velocity and Pressure, an article on STANMECH Technologies Inc. (4/14/2014)
https://www.stanmech.com/articles/flow-velocity-and-pressure
2. Useful Information on Centrifugal Pump, an article on Michael Smith Engineers
https://www.michael-smith-engineers.co.uk/resources/useful-info/centrifugal-
pumps
3. Pumpcalcs by Robert X. Perez, (12/17/2011)
4. NPSH- Net Positive Suction Head, Engineering ToolBox, (2004).
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/npsh-net-positive-suction-head-d_634.html
5. Pump Handbook by GRUNDFOS INDUSTRY (2016)
6. Cavitation of a pump and how to prevent it, article on Enggcyclopedia (2011)
https://www.enggcyclopedia.com/2011/11/prevent-pump-cavitation/

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List of symbols and their units
Symbols Descriptor Units
d Internal diameter of pipe m
g Gravitational acceleration ms-2
∆𝐻 Height difference between [1] and [2] m
P1 Pressure at position [1] Nm-2
P2 Pressure at position [2] Nm-2
∆𝑃𝑓 Pressure loss due to friction Nm-2
∆𝑃𝐺 Gauge pressure reading Nm-2
∆𝑃𝑃 Increase in pressure due to pump Nm-2
Q Fluid volumetric flowrate m3s-1
V 1, V 2 Fluid Velocity at positions [1] and [2] ms-1
γ Pump efficiency -
ρ 1, ρ 2 Fluid density at positions [1] and [2] kgm-3

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Appendices
Figure 4 is a table containing the raw data of the experiment, the delivery pressure(bars)
and the input power. They are then converted into their respective SI units.

Flow Rate Delivery Pressure Input Output Efficiency

Power Power of the
pump
Q ∆PG
PI PO γ
10-5 105
Lmin-1 m3s-2 bar Nm-2 Watts Watts %
1 1.67 2.20 2.20 421 3.78 0.90
2 3.33 2.20 2.20 425 7.54 1.77
3 5.00 2.20 2.20 428 11.32 2.65
4 6.67 2.20 2.20 429 15.11 3.52
5 8.33 2.20 2.20 430 18.90 4.40
6 10.00 2.20 2.20 433 22.65 5.23
7 11.67 2.10 2.10 435 25.27 5.81
8 13.33 2.10 2.10 437 28.86 6.60
9 15.00 2.10 2.10 438 32.48 7.42
10 16.67 2.10 2.10 440 36.10 8.20
15 25.00 2.10 2.10 450 54.16 12.04
20 33.33 2.05 2.05 463 70.59 15.25
25 41.67 2.00 2.00 481 86.25 17.93
30 50.00 1.95 1.95 498 101.10 20.30
35 58.33 1.90 1.90 515 115.18 22.36
40 66.67 1.85 1.85 534 128.51 24.07
45 75.00 1.80 1.80 550 141.07 25.65
50 83.33 1.75 1.75 566 152.90 27.01
55 91.67 1.70 1.70 584 164.01 28.08
60 100.00 1.60 1.60 602 169.37 28.13
65 108.33 1.50 1.50 617 173.19 28.07
70 116.67 1.40 1.40 632 175.49 27.68
75 125.00 1.35 1.35 645 182.50 28.29
80 133.33 1.25 1.25 663 182.16 27.48
85 141.67 1.15 1.15 676 180.33 26.68
90 150.00 1.10 1.10 690 184.49 26.73
94 156.67 1.00 1.00 697 177.95 25.53

The readings for the flow rate and the delivery pressure are converted into their respective
SI units.
From Figure 4, the sample calculation for the flow rate =50Lmin-1:

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1. Convert flow rate, Q into SI Units (m3/s)
50𝑙 1 𝑚𝑖𝑛 0.001𝑚3
𝑄= × × = 8.33 × 10−4 = 83.33 × 10−5 𝑚3 /𝑠
1 𝑚𝑖𝑛 60 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠 1𝑙
2. Convert delivery pressure, ∆PG into SI units (Nm-2)

105 𝑁𝑚−2
∆𝑃𝐺 = 1.75𝑏𝑎𝑟 × = 1.75 × 105 𝑁𝑚−2
1 𝑏𝑎𝑟
8𝜌𝑄 3
3. 𝑂𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 = 𝑄∆𝑃𝑃 = 𝑄∆𝐻𝜌𝑔 + 𝑄∆𝑃𝐺 + 𝜋2 𝑑4
= 83.33 × 10−5 × 0.66 × 1000 × 9.81 + 83.33 × 10−5 × 1.75 × 105 +
3
8×103 ×(83.33×10−5 )
= 152.90 Watts
𝜋 2 (0.023)4
[𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑂𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡] 152.90 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑠
4. 𝛾 = × 100% = × 100% = 27.01%
[𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝐼𝑛𝑝𝑢𝑡] 566 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑠

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