PUMPS

Centrifugal Pumps
 Prepared by:

Fahad D. Al-Ghamdi
 OUTLINE
¾ Introduction
¾ Construction of Centrifugal Pump
¾ Principle of Operation
¾ How to pick the correct size pump for
your application?
¾ Common Problems
 INTRODUCTION:
¾ Pumps are defined as machines which
supply energy to a liquid in order to move
it from place to another, which is at a
higher energy level. Pumps enable a liquid
to:
1. Flow from a region at low pressure to
one at high pressure.
2. Flow from a low level to a higher level.
3. Flow at a faster rate.
 Centrifugal pumps can be
manufactured as:

¾ horizontal and vertical configurations

¾ radial, axial or mixed flow
¾ single or multi-stage
¾ single suction/discharge or double
suction/discharge
¾ overhung, between bearings or vertically
suspended
Construction of Centrifugal Pump:
¾ Centrifugal pumps comprise of the
following parts:
1) Casing
2) Impeller
3) Shaft and shaft sleeves
4) Wear rings (impeller, casing)
5) Bearings
6) Packing and Stuffing box
7) Mechanical Seals
 Casing
¾ The centrifugal pump casing is the housing which
surrounds the impeller. Casing generally are two
types:

z Circular casings for low head and high capacity

z Volute casing for high head and low/medium
capacity

Î Double- volute casings are used when the radial

thrusts become significant at reduced capacities.
¾ Some pump casings use a split volute design
instead of a double volute and some centrifugal
pumps also contain diffusers.
 Impeller
z Open impellers: For handling suspended matter
with a minimum of clogging.
z Semi-open impellers: For chemical services and
slurry handling.
z Closed impellers: For liquids which contain
minimal solids of a size that can get lodged in the
passages.
 Shaft and Shaft Sleeve
¾ Transmit the torques encountered when starting
and during operation while supporting the
impeller and other rotating parts.
¾ Must do this job with a deflection less than the
minimum clearance between the rotating and
stationary parts.
¾ Sleeve protects the shaft against corrosion,
erosion, wear…etc
 Wear Rings
¾ To allow a small running clearance between the
impeller and the pump casing without causing
wear.
 Bearings
¾ A bearing is a device which supports a shaft to enable
it to rotate or slide axially with the least possible
frictional resistance.
¾ A. Journal Bearings: Constrain radial movement
¾ B. Thrust Bearings: Constrain axial movement
 Packing and Stuffing Box
¾ Stuffing box is a cylindrical space in the pump casing
surrounding the shaft.
¾ Packing is material in the form of rings that is placed in
the stuffing box to form a seal to control the rate of
leakage along the shaft.
¾ The high speed rotation of the shaft generates a
significant amount of heat as it rubs against the packing
rings. If no lubrication and cooling are provided to the
packing, the temperature of the packing increases to the
point where damage occurs.
 Mechanical Seal
¾ The proper selection of a seal is critical to the success of
every pump application.

¾ Rotating seal
¾ Stationary seal
¾ Elastomer type seal
¾ Single seal
¾ Dual seal
¾ Inside mounted
¾ Outside seal
¾ Cartridge seal
¾ Split seal
¾ There are many advantages of mechanical
seals over conventional packing as follows:
¾ Zero or limited leakage of product
¾ Reduced friction and power loss
¾ Elimination of shaft or sleeve wear
¾ Reduced maintenance costs
¾ Ability to seal higher pressures and more
corrosive environments
¾ The wide variety of designs allows use of
mechanical seals in almost all pump
applications
 Principle of Operation
¾ A centrifugal pump consists of two main
elements:
(1) Prime mover, such as an electric motor,
steam turbine or diesel engine
(2) Rotating element of the pump called an
impeller.
¾ With the energy provided by the prime mover,
liquid enters the suction side of the pump and is
thrown by an impeller to the outside of the
casing through centrifugal force. The resulting
velocity of the existing fluid can be expressed as
pressure energy.
 How to pick the correct size
pump for your application?
¾ To clearly define the capacity and
pressure needs of our system we will
construct a type of graph called a system
curve.
¾ If the system head-capacity and the pump
curves are plotted on the same graph,
their intersection will determine the head
and capacity that the pump will deliver.
This intersection is known as the pump
operating point.
 System Curve
¾ The system head-capacity curve is used to
determine the head and capacity that a pump will
deliver for a given piping system.
¾ To accomplish the total head, we have
to calculate:

1) Static Suction Head (SSH)

2) Static Discharge Head (SDH)
3) Friction Head
4) Velocity Head
5) Minor Head Loss
6) Total Dynamic Head (TDH)
1) Static Suction Head (SSH):
The static suction head, hs is the difference in
elevation between the suction side liquid surface
level and the centerline of the pump impeller.

2) Static Discharge Head (SDH):

The static discharge suction head, hd is the
difference in elevation between the discharge
liquid level free liquid surface and the centerline
of the pump impeller.
ÎTotal Static Head (TSH):
The static head Hstat is the difference in
elevation between the static discharge and
static suction liquid levels (hd – hs).
Î TSH = SDH – SSH
3) Friction Head:
The friction head is head of liquid that must be supplied
to overcome the frictional loss caused by the flow of
liquid through the pipes and valves in the piping system.
It can be computed using the Darcy-Weisbach
equation:

2
L V
hL = f
D 2 g
Moody Diagram
4) Velocity Head:
The velocity head is the kinetic energy contained in
the liquid that is being pumped at any point in the
system as is given by:

V 2
H =
2g
Where,
H = Total head developed (ft)
V = Velocity of the impeller (ft/sec)
g = Acceleration due to gravity = 32.2 (ft/sec^2)
5) Minor Head Loss:
The head of liquid that must be supplied to overcome the
loss of head through fittings and valves is the minor
head loss.

2
V
hm = K
2g

Where,

K = head loss coefficient.

6) Total Dynamic Head (TDH):
Total Dynamic Head is the head against which the pump
must work when the liquid is being pumped.
Vd2
Ht = Hstat + hfs + ∑hms + hfd + ∑hmd +
2g
Bernoulli’s equation can also be used to determine the
total head if it is applied between the suction and
discharge nozzle of the pump yields:

Pd V d2 ⎛ Ps V s2 ⎞
Ht = + + z d − ⎜⎜ + + z s ⎟⎟
γ 2g ⎝ γ 2g ⎠
Back
 Pump Curves
The head that a pump can deliver at various flow rates
and constant speed is established in pump tests
performed by the manufacturer.
 Selecting Pump Material
¾ Will you need any special materials for the pump components?

z The pump manufacturer will try to choose pump metal

components that are chemically compatible with what you
are pumping.
z If the temperature of the pumpage changes, the corrosion
rate can change also.
z His choice of materials could have a serious affect on your
spare parts inventory. Will he be selecting universal and
easily obtainable materials?
z If the product you are pumping is explosive or a fire
hazard, you should be looking at non-sparking materials
for the pump components.
z If there are abrasive solids in the pumpage you will need
materials with good wearing capabilities. You may have to
go to some type of coating on the pump wetted parts or
select an expensive duplex metal.
 Common Problems

z Low Performance
z Cavitation
z Seal Leakage
z Bearings Failure
z Noise
z Vibration
 THANKS

ANY QUESTIONS!!