Centrifugal pumps

Impellers
Multistage impellers
Cross section of high speed
water injection pump

Source: www.framo.no
Water injection unit
4 MW

Source: www.framo.no
Specific speed that is used to
classify pumps

Q
nq  n  34
H
nq is the specific speed for a unit machine that
is geometric similar to a machine with the head
Hq = 1 m and flow rate Q = 1 m3/s

n s  51,55  n q
 Affinity laws
Q1 n1

Q2 n 2
2 2
H1  u 1   n 1 
     
H2  u 2   n 2 
3
P1  n1 
  
P2  n 2 

Assumptions:
Geometrical similarity
Velocity triangles are the same
 Exercise
• Find the flow rate, head and power
for a centrifugal pump that has
increased its speed
• Given data:
h = 80 % P1 = 123 kW
n1 = 1000 rpm H1 = 100
m
n2 = 1100 rpm Q1 = 1 m3/s

n2 1100
Q2   Q1  1  1,1 m s
3

n1 1000
2 2
 n2   1100 
H 2     H1    100  121 m
 n1   1000 

3 3
 n2   1100 
P2     P1    123  164 kW
 n1   1000 
 Exercise
• Find the flow rate, head and power
for a centrifugal pump impeller that
has reduced its diameter
• Given data:
h = 80 % P1 = 123 kW
D1 = 0,5 m H1 = 100 m
D2 = 0,45 m Q1 = 1 m3/s

Q1   D1  B1  c m1 D1 n1
  
Q 2   D 2  B2  c m 2 D 2 n 2

D2 0,45
Q2   Q1  1  0,9 m 3 s
D1 0,5
2 2
 D2   0,45 
H 2     H1    100  81 m
 D1   0,5 
3 3
 D2   0,45 
P2     P1    123  90 kW
 D1   0,5 
Velocity triangles
 Reduced cu2

Slip angle

Slip angle Friction loss

Impulse loss

Slip

Best efficiency point

 Power
P  M 
Where:
M = torque [Nm]
 = angular velocity [rad/s]

P    Q   r2  c 2  cos  2  r1  c1  cos 1   
   Q   u 2  c u 2  u 1  c u1   
   Q  g  Ht
 In order to get a better understanding of
the different velocities that represent the
head we rewrite the Euler’s pump
equation
u 2  c u 2  u 1  c u1
Ht 
g

w 12  c12  u12  2  u1  c1  cos 1  c12  u12  2  u1  c u1

w 22  c 22  u 22  2  u 2  c 2  cos  2  c 22  u 22  2  u 2  c u 2

u 22  u12 c 22  c12 w 22  w 12
Ht   
2g 2g 2g
 Euler’s pump equation
u 2  c u 2  u 1  c u1
Ht 
g

u 22  u12 c 22  c12 w 22  w 12
Ht   
2g 2g 2g

u 22  u12 Pressure head due to change of

 peripheral velocity
2g

c 22  c12 Pressure head due to change of

 absolute velocity
2g

w 22  w 12 Pressure head due to change of


2g relative velocity
 Rothalpy
Using the Bernoulli’s equation upstream and
downstream a pump one can express the
theoretical head:
 p c2   p c2 
H t     z      z 
 g 2g 2    g 2  g 1

The theoretical head can also be expressed as:

u 22  u12 c 22  c12 w 22  w 12
Ht   
2g 2g 2g
Setting these two expression for the theoretical
head together we can rewrite the equation:

p2 w 22 u 22 p1 w 12 u12
    
g 2g 2g g 2g 2g
 Rothalpy

The rothalpy can be written as:

p w   r
2 2

I    cons tan t
g 2g 2g

This equation is called the

Bernoulli’s equation for
incompressible flow in a rotating
coordinate system, or the rothalpy
equation.
 Stepanoff
We will show how a centrifugal pump is designed
using Stepanoff’s empirical coefficients.

Example: H = 100 m
Q = 0,5 m3/s
n = 1000 rpm
2 = 22,5 o
Specific speed:
Q 0,5
nq  n  34
 1000  34
 22,4
H 100

n s  51,55  n q  1153

This is a radial pump

 K u  1,0

u2
Ku   u 2  K u  2  g  H  44,3 m s
2gH

2 n
  104,7 rad s
60
We choose: D hub  0,5  D1  0,17 m

D2 u2  2
u2    D2   0,85 m
2 
 K m 2  0,11

cm2
K m2   c m 2  K m 2  2  g  H  4,87 m s
2g H

Q Q
cm2   w2 c2
A   D2  d2 cm2

u2
Q cu2
d2   0,038 m
  D2  cm2
 Thickness of the blade
Until now, we have not considered the thickness
of the blade. The meridonial velocity will
change because of this thickness.

We choose: s2 = 0,005 m
z = 5
s2 0,005
su    0,013 m
sin  2 sin 22,5 o

Q Q
cm2  
A    D2  z  su   d 2

Q
d2   0,039 m
   D2  z  su   cm2
 K m1  0,145

c m1
K m1   c m1  K m1  2  g  H  6,4 m s
2g H

w1
c1= cm1

u1
 Dhub

D1
 0,405
D2

D1
 0,405  D1  0,405  D 2  0,34 m
D2

We choose: D hub  0,5  D1  0,17 m

D12  D 2hub
D1m   0,27 m
2
Q Q Q
c m1    d1   0,09 m
A1   D1m  d1   D1m  c m1
Without thickness
 Thickness of the blade at
the inlet
w1
Cm1=6,4 m/s
1
u1

D1 0,34
u1     104,7   17,8 m s
2 2

 c m1   6,4 
1  a tan   a tan   19,8o
 u1   17,8 

s1 0,005
s u1    0,015 m
sin 1 sin 19,8 o

Q
d1   0,10 m
   D1m  z  s u1   c m1
 w2 c2
cm2=4,87m/s
2=22,5o
u2=44,3 m/s
cu2
cm2 cm2
tan  2   cu 2  u2   32,5 m s
u 2  cu 2 tan  2

u 2  c u 2  u1  c u1 44,3  32,5
H   153 m
h  g 0,96  9,81
 w2 c2
cm2=4,87m/s

u2=44,3 m/s
cu2

u 2  cu 2 H  h  g 100  0,96  9,81

H  cu2    21,3 m s
h  g u2 44,3

cm2 4,87
'  2  a tan  a tan  11,9o
u 2  cu 2 44,3  21,3

slip  slip '  2  22,5o  11,9o  10,6o