Centrifugal Pumps

Pumps converts the mechanical energy supplied to it

externally to hydraulic energy and transfers it to the liquid
flowing through a pipe
Pumps are used to move water from lower points to higher
points with a required discharge and pressure head
On the basis of mode of action of conversion of mechanical
energy to hydraulic energy, pumps are classified as
Rotodynamic pumps and Positive displacement pumps
Rotodynamic pumps: Centrifugal pumps (radial-flow pumps)
Propeller pumps (axial-flow pumps) and Jet pumps (mixed-
flow pumps)
Positive displacement pumps: Screw pumps and Reciprocating
pumps
 Main Components and Working of Centrifugal Pump
Impeller:
Impeller is the rotating part of the
centrifugal pump.
It consists of a series of
backwards curved vanes (blades).
The impeller is driven by a shaft
which is connected to the shaft of
an electric motor.
Casing:
Casing is an air-tight passage
surrounding the impeller
It is of spiral type in which the
area of the flow increases
gradually
Suction Pipe: Water is drawn to the eye of impeller from sump
through suction pipe.
Delivery Pipe: Water is pumped to delivery tank from casing
through delivery pipe.
The Shaft: which is the bar by which the power is transmitted
from the motor drive to the impeller.
The driving motor: which is responsible for rotating the shaft. It
can be mounted directly on the pump, above it, or adjacent to it.
Foot Valve: Allows flow in one direction (Upward)
Strainer: Prevent entry of debris
H: Static Head
hs = Static suction head
hd = Static delivery head
 Working of Centrifugal Pump
Centrifugal pumps are used to induce flow or raise pressure of
a liquid.
As the impeller rotates, fluid is sucked in through the eye of
the casing and flows radially outward.
Impeller has a series of (backward) curved vanes fitted inside
the shroud plates. When the impeller is made to rotate, it
makes the fluid surrounding it also rotate.
Impeller imparts centrifugal force to the water particles, and
water moves radially out. Since the rotational mechanical
energy is transferred to the fluid, at the discharge side of the
impeller, both the pressure and kinetic energy of the water will
rise. While flowing through the impeller part of the kinetic
energy imparted by impeller is converted into pressure energy
Remaining kinetic energy is converted into pressure energy
while flowing through the casing.
 Working of Centrifugal Pump
At the suction side, water is getting displaced, so a negative
pressure will be induced at the eye. Such a low pressure helps
to suck fresh water into the pump.
If no water is present initially, the negative pressure developed
by the rotating air, at the eye will be negligibly small to suck
fresh stream of water. As a result the impeller will rotate
without sucking and discharging any water content. So the
pump should be initially filled with water before starting it.
This process is known as priming.
Priming of a centrifugal pump is the process of filling the
liquid at the suction pipe, the impeller, casing and delivery pipe
(up to deliver valve) to remove gases present in the pump.
Priming is done to put pump into working order by filling or
charging with water
The impeller is always immersed in the water.
 Classification of Centrifugal Pumps
1. Working Head (H)
a. Low-Head Centrifugal Pumps (H<15 m)
b. Medium-Head Centrifugal Pumps (15m<H<40m)
c. High-Head Centrifugal Pumps (H>40m)
2. Types of Casing
a. Volute-Chamber Pump
b. Vortex-chamber Pump
c. Diffuser Pump
a. Volute-Chamber Pump:
casing is of spiral form, and has a
sectional area, which increase uniformly
from the inlet to the delivery pipe. More
area is provided to accommodate
increased quantity of water as the water
moves towards the delivery pipe.
b. Vortex-chamber Pump:
In a vortex chamber, a uniformly
increasing area is provided between
the impeller outer periphery and the
volute casing as shown in fig. Water
on leaving the impeller becomes free
vortex to adopt its path.
C. Diffuser Pump: In a diffuser
Pump, the guide vanes are arranged at
the outlet of the impeller vanes. Water
enters the guide without shock. As the
guide vanes are of enlarging cross
sectional area, the velocity of water
decreased and pressure increases Since
the vanes provide better guidance to
flow, eddy losses are reduced which
increases the efficiency.
3. Direction of Flow of Water:
a. Radial Flow Pump: b. Mixed flow Pump; c. Axial Flow Pump

Radial flow is one in which the flow in the impeller is completely in a

radial direction. This is used when the requirements are high and low
discharge. In a mixed-flow, by changing the direction of flow from pure
radial to a combination of a radial and axial. Thus mixed-flow pumps
(screw Pumps) are used where medium discharge is needed to raise the
water to medium heads. These are mostly used for irrigation purposes.
Axial flow pumps (Kaplan or Propeller pumps) find their use where high
discharge at low heads is required, as in irrigation.
4. Type of Impeller:
a. Shrouded or closed impeller Pump : It can guide the fluid
effectively but cannot handle high viscous fluids and debris like
sewage water. It has both base and crown plates.
b. Semi open impeller Pump : It has only base plate. It can
handle high viscous fluids and fluids with light debris
c. Open impeller Pump: It has no plates and can handle coarse
debris.
5. Number of Entrances to the Impeller: Pumps can have either
single or double entrance according to the discharge needed:
a. Single Suction Pump and b. Double Suction Pump
Single Suction Pump:
Pumps which have
suction pipe only on one
side of the impeller are
called single-suction
pumps
Double Suction Pump:
In double suction pumps,
the suction is made from
both sides of the impeller.
This increases the
discharge considerably
6. Specified Speed:

7. Number of Stages:
a. Single stage centrifugal pump: A centrifugal pump can have a
single stage with one impeller keyed to the shaft.
b. Multi stage centrifugal pump: A multistage pump has a
number of impellers mounted on the same shaft and enclosed
in the same casing.
i. Pumps in series (H is more & Q=Constant)
ii. Pumps in parallel (Q is more & H=Constant)
8. Disposition of Shaft: Usually, the centrifugal pumps are used
with horizontal shafts. Vertical shafts are used where there is
space limitation i.e. in deep wells, mines etc.
9. Type of impellers vane:
a. Radial vanes, Fig. (a).
b. Forward vanes, Fig. (b).
c. Backward vanes, Fig. (c).