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Pump Basics

The document discusses some basics about centrifugal pumps that are important to understand. It defines seven key terms: head, capacity, best efficiency point, brake horsepower, specific gravity, velocity, and gravity. It also presents three important formulas: converting head to pressure, converting pressure to head, and how velocity converts to head. Finally, it outlines three rules: that velocity plus pressure equals a constant, velocity times area equals a constant, and that pressure times area creates a force. Understanding these definitions, formulas, and rules will allow one to troubleshoot pump problems.

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dlanoj102999
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62 views3 pages

Pump Basics

The document discusses some basics about centrifugal pumps that are important to understand. It defines seven key terms: head, capacity, best efficiency point, brake horsepower, specific gravity, velocity, and gravity. It also presents three important formulas: converting head to pressure, converting pressure to head, and how velocity converts to head. Finally, it outlines three rules: that velocity plus pressure equals a constant, velocity times area equals a constant, and that pressure times area creates a force. Understanding these definitions, formulas, and rules will allow one to troubleshoot pump problems.

Uploaded by

dlanoj102999
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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pump basics

Subject: Some of the basics you need to understand centrifugal pumps 13-4.

Fortunately the centrifugal pump business is a logical business so if you understand seven definitions,
three formulas, and three rules, the whole pump thing will make sense. The following are some of the
basics I teach in my pump seminars.

Let me say here at the beginning that you really do have to understand the following. You cannot fake it.
The good news is these definitions, formulas, and rules are not complicated and they will allow you to
troubleshoot just about any pump problem. We will begin with the seven definitions:

Head

If you point the discharge of a centrifugal pump straight up into the air it will pump the fluid 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 head is measured in either feet or meters. It is important for you to understand that the pump will
pump all fluids to the same height (air or sulfuric acid, it doesn't make any difference) 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 (amps) required.

Capacity

The amount of fluid the pump will move is determined mainly by the width of the impeller and the shaft
speed. Capacity is normally measured in gallons per minute (gpm.) or cubic meters per hour (m3/hr).
High capacity pumps need a wide impeller and that is why most manufacturers shift to the double ended
design at high capacity. The bearings on either side of the shaft do a better job of supporting the wider
impeller.

Best efficiency point (B.E.P)

There are two definitions of a pump's best efficiency point .

● The point where the power going into the pump is the closest to the power coming out
● The point where the pump shaft experiences the least amount of vibration.

Brake horsepower

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pump basics

The amount of actual horsepower going into the pump, not the horsepower used by the motor or driver.
In the metric system we use the term kilowatts

Specific gravity

A measure of the weight of a liquid compared to 39°F (4°C) fresh water. Fresh water is assigned a value
of 1.0. If the product floats on this water the specific gravity (sg.) is less than one. If the fluid sinks in
fresh water the specific gravity is more than one. Density is a better term and someday I am sure it will
replace specific gravity as the common unit.

Velocity

A measure of how fast the fluid is moving. Velocity = feet/second, or meters/second in the metric
system.

Gravity

G = 32.2 ft/sec2 or 9,8 meters/ sec2 in the metric system

Next we will learn the three formulas:

First you have to know how to convert head to pressure because pump curves are shown in feet or
meters of head. You have to know how to make the conversion to be able to reference the gage readings
to the numbers on the pump curve.

Next you have to know how to convert pressure to hea


head because pressure gages are calibrated in psi or
bar and you have to make the conversion to read the pump curve.

The last formula you need to know is how velocity converts to head. The only thing a pump can do is
impart velocity to the fluid. Since most pumps run at one speed, the pump can be described as a constant
velocity device. You have to understand how that velocity converts to head.

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pump basics

Here are the three rules I mentioned at the beginning of this paper:

Velocity + Pressure = a constant

This means that if the velocity of the fluid increases, the pressure (90° to the flow) will decrease. If the
flow decreases, the pressure will increase. The two numbers added together will always come out to the
same number. Flow often changes in a pump meaning that the pressure is changing also.

Velocity x Area = a constant

If the area inside of a pipe decreases, the flow through the pipe will increase as it passes through the
restriction. The two numbers multiplied together always come out to the same number. Inside a
centrifugal pump there are passages of various areas and hence various velocities and pressures.

Pressure x Area creates a force.

The unit we use to measure force is pounds, or in the metric system we use Newtons (kilograms x
gravity). Force can deflect the impeller and rotating shaft so that the pump's wear rings will come into
contact, or the rotating mechanical seal will hit something that can open the faces or damage a
component. It is important to keep the forces equal around an impeller to prevent shaft deflection.

If you understand the above definitions, formulas and rules, you should not have any trouble following
the discussions I have about pumps and seals in these papers

Link to Mc Nally home page

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