Centrifugal Pumps

Operation, Selection, Types, Performance

Types of Pumps
Positive displacement pumps
Rotary (gear, screw, etc.)
Reciprocating (piston, diaphragm, etc.)
Used as injection and sprayer pumps,

but not for irrigation water

Centrifugal pumps
Rotating impeller converts mechanical

energy into hydraulic energy (show

examples and transparency)

Rotating Impeller Converts Mechanical

Energy to Hydraulic Energy

Centrifugal Pump Impellers

Enclosed Impeller

Semi-Open Impeller

Centrifugal Pumps
Horizontal
Drive shaft is horizontal
Often used when pumping from a

surface source (pond, lake, stream, etc.),

Or for boosting the pressure in an
irrigation pipeline (booster pump)
Usually sold as completely assembled
units

Typical Horizontal Centrifugal Pump Installation

Horizontal
Centrifugal Pumps

Centrifugal Pumps, Contd...

Vertical Turbine
drive shaft is vertical
used when pumping from a well
normally custom built from components

(with multiple stages)

submersible: electric motor below the
lowest stage

Vertical Turbine Pump

Single-Stage Vertical Turbine Pump

Water Flow Path

Through a One-Stage
Vertical Turbine Pump

Two-Stage Vertical Turbine Pump

Water Flow Path

Through a Two-Stage
Vertical Turbine Pump

(Discharge Heads)

Gearhead for
engine drive
Holloshaft electric
motor

Submersible Water Pumps

- Same as vertical turbine
pump design
- Driven from below by
electric motor
- Good for deep wells
- High efficiency
- Wells as small as 4 diameter

Head Capacity Curve (Fig. 8.6)

Pump Characteristics
Head vs. discharge
discharge (or capacity): volume of water

pumped per unit of time (gpm)

head (or total head or total dynamic
head):
energy added to the water by the pump
units of feet (energy per unit weight of
water

Pump Characteristics Contd

Pump Efficiency vs. Discharge

output power (or energy) water HP whp

Ep

input power (or energy) brake HP bhp

Power = energy/time; 1 HP = 33,000 ft-lb/min

(Q)(TDH)
whp =
3960

- Q in gpm; TDH in ft, whp in horsepower

- whp = power added to the water by the

pump

Pump Characteristics Contd

Brake horsepower vs. Discharge

whp
(Q)(TDH)
bhp =

Ep
(3960)(E p )
where: Q, (gpm); TDH, (ft); bhp & whp,
(HP)
Combined characteristic curves
Horizontal centrifugal pump
Vertical turbine pump

Vertical Turbine Pump Performance Curve

Horizontal Centrifugal Pump Performance Curve

Affinity Laws
Speed
Law applies to virtually all irrigation pumps

Q 2 RPM 2

Q1 RPM 1

TDH 2 RPM 2

TDH 1 RPM 1

bhp 2 RPM 2

bhp 1 RPM 1

Ep may be affected a little, but not as

predictable
Ways of changing speeds:
pulleys, gear ratios, throttle, change motor

Affinity Law Example

A pump operating at 1800 RPM delivers 200 gpm at a TDH of 150 feet
and requires 10 HP to operate. What will be its Q, TDH and BHP
conditions if it is sped up to 2000 RPM?

RPM1=1800

RPM2= 2000

RPM2/RPM1=1.11

Q2/Q1= RPM2/RPM1 Q2= Q1 x RPM2/RPM1 = 200 x 1.11= 222 gpm

TDH2/TDH1=[RPM2/RPM1]2

TDH2 = TDH1 x [RPM2/RPM1]2

TDH2 = 150 x [1.11]2 = 185 feet

BHP2/BHP1 = =[RPM2/RPM1]3 BHP2 = BHP1 x [RPM2/RPM1]3

BHP2 = 10 x [1.11]3 = 13.7 HP

Affinity Laws Contd

Impeller diameter
Law strictly applies only to horizontal

centrifugal pumps, but good approximation

for vertical turbine pumps

Q2 D2

Q1 D1

TDH 2 D 2

TDH 1 D1

bhp 2 D 2

bhp 1 D1

Ep may change a little

Diameter is changed by trimming the

impeller (law holds up to about 10-20%

trim)

Pumps in Series
Booster pump
Multi-stage turbine pump
Q1 = Q2
TDHtot = TDH1 + TDH2

(add heads at the same discharge)

bhptot = bhp1 + bhp2

Ep

Q (TDH tot )
3960

bhptot

Pumps in Series Contd

Pumps in Parallel

Pumps in Parallel Contd

Qtot = Q1 + Q2

(add discharges at the same head)

bhptot = bhp1 + bhp2

Ep

( Qtot ) H
3960

bhptot

Pumps in Parallel Contd

Pump Selection
System Head
Definition:
Total head imposed on a pump by the

irrigation system also called TDH (Total

Dynamic Head), total pumping head,
etc.

Components
Static Head (Elevation Head): elevation

difference between water level on the

inlet side and the water delivery point

Components Contd
Pressure Head: difference in water pressures

between the source and the delivery point

Friction Head: total friction loss between the
source and the delivery point
Velocity Head: V2/(2g) (usually considered
negligible)

System Head =

feet)

Static + Pressure + Friction (units of

Components of Total System Head

(or Total Dynamic Head, Total Pumping Head)

System Head Curve

H increases with increasing Q

because of:

drawdown (wells)
friction
pressure at nozzles

System head can also vary with

time:

water table fluctuations

changes in the irrigation system
pipe aging

System Head Curve

Pump Operating Point

As indicated by its TDH-Q curve,

a pump can operate at many

possible points
A pump will operate at a Q and
TDH determined by the point
where the pump curve and the
system head curve cross
The same pump is likely to
operate at two different TDH-Q
combinations when placed in
two different irrigation systems

Pump Operating Point in a System

Different Pumps in the Same System

Matching a Pump to the

System

General

buyer specifies desired Q and TDH

(usually not the entire system head

curve)
supplier specifies operating
characteristics (including pump curves)
obviously want a high Ep
can fine tune a match by adjusting

speed and/or trimming the impeller

Matching a Pump to the System

Contd

Horizontal Centrifugal Pumps

provide correct Q and TDH at a high E p

usually buy off-the-shelf unit

Vertical Turbine Pumps

choose a bowl and impeller to provide the

desired Q at a high Ep
determine the number of bowls required to

provide the desired TDH (pumps in series)

A vertical turbine pump is needed to deliver 400 gpm from a well

that will have a static pumping lift of 237 feet, plus an operating
pressure of 55 psi at the pump head. Is the WLR 10JKH pump
below a good choice? If so, how many stages are required?
TDH= 237+(55psi*2.31 ft/psi)=364 ft
@ Q=400 gpm:
TDH=52 ft/stage for 7.7 & Ep=79.5%
TDH=41 ft/stage for 7.13 & Ep=77.5%
TDH=30 ft/stage for 6.56 & Ep=72%
364 ft/52 ft/stage=7 stages
The best choice is the 7.7 diameter
impeller at 52 ft/stage, because it not
only requires the fewest stages (low
initial cost), but has the best efficiency
(low operating cost) near 80%.

A vertical turbine pump is needed to deliver 400 gpm from a well

that will have a static pumping lift of 237 feet, plus an operating
pressure of 60 psi at the pump head. Is the WLR 10JKH pump
below a good choice? If so, how many stages are required?
TDH= 237+(55psi*2.31 ft/psi)=364 ft
@ Q=400 gpm:
TDH=52 ft/stage for 7.7 & Ep=79.5%
TDH=41 ft/stage for 7.13 & Ep=77.5%
TDH=30 ft/stage for 6.56 & Ep=72%
364 ft/52 ft/stage=7 stages
The best choice is the 7.7 diameter
impeller at 52 ft/stage, because it not
only requires the fewest stages (low
initial cost), but has the best efficiency
(low operating cost) near 80%.

Net Positive Suction Head

Suction lift and cavitation
Handout
Pump does not "suck" or "pull" water
Impeller causes partial vacuum
Atmospheric pressure forces water

up to the impeller
Theoretical vs. practical lift
Describe cavitation

Schematic For NPSHA Versus Atmospheric Pressure

NPSHa
NPSHa = AP - SL - FL - VP
AP = atmospheric pressure
SL = suction lift
(vertical distance)
FL = friction loss on suction side
VP = vapor pressure
all have units of feet

Atmospheric Pressure at Various Altitudes

Altitude (feet)

Absolute Pressure(psi)

Absolute Pressure(ft)

0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10,000

14.7
14.4
14.2
13.9
13.7
13.4
13.2
12.9
12.7
12.2
11.8
11.3
10.9
10.5
10.1

34.0
33.3
32.8
32.2
31.6
31.0
30.5
29.8
29.4
28.2
27.3
26.2
25.2
24.3
23.4

Vapor Pressure at Various Temperatures

Temperature 0F

Vapor Pressure (Feet)

50
60
70
80
90
100
110
130
150
170
190
210

0.4
0.6
0.8
1.2
1.6
2.2
3.0
5.2
8.7
14.2
22.3
34.0

NPSHr

NPSHr is a pump characteristic

(increases as Q increases)
If NPSHa > NPSHr:
Design is OK
If NPSHa < NPSHr:
Cavitation will be a
problem
(good idea to
have a factor of safety)

Power Units
Electric motors
direct coupled
High Efficiency drive (Edrive=100%), but Fixed Speed

belt drive
Variable Speed, but Lower Efficiency drive (Edrive= 90%)

rated by output HP

power or energy out (shaft)

Em
power or energy in (electricity)

Em's 90% are common

Em doesn't vary much with load

(unless it's significantly under-loaded)

Internal Combustion Engines

Fuels

Natural gas
Diesel fuel
Propane
Gasoline

Right-angle Gear Drives

Convert power in horizontal engine shaft

to power in vertical pump line shaft

Edrive 95% (5% loss through the gear
drive)

Internal Combustion Engines Contd

power or energy out (shaft)
Ee
power or energy in fuel used

Ee varies with engine speed and with

the load on the engine

Ee's rarely exceed 30%

Pumping Costs
Fixed Costs vs. Operating Costs
Fixed: pump, motor/engine, well, other
equipment
(total cost is the same
regardless of use)
Operating: energy, maintenance, repairs,
labor
(total cost increases with
increasing use)

Overall Pumping Plant

Performance
Overall pumping plant efficiency, (Eo):

output power or energy (supplied to water)

Eo
input power or energy (electricity or fuel)
Electric Motor Driven
Eo = Ep x Em x Edrive
Internal Combustion Engine Driven
Eo = Ep x Ee x Edrive
Efficiencies are expressed in decimal for this calculation,
(%/100)

Typical Values of Overall Efficiency for Representative

Pumping Plants Expressed as Percent
Power
Source

Maximum
Theoretical

Recommended as Avg Values from

Acceptable
Field Tests

Electric

72-77

65

45 55

Diesel

20 25

18

13 15

Natural
Gas

18 24

15 18

9 13

Butane,
Propane

18 24

15 18

9 13

Gasoline

18 23

14 16

9 12

Annual Pumping Energy Cost

Electric Powered Pumping Plant
V = volume of water pumped per year, acre-

feet
TDH = total system head, feet
Eo = overall pumping plant efficiency = %
Ce= electricity price, $/kilowatt-hour

1.373 HP-hr
V ac-ft
TDH ft
0.746 kwh $Ce
x
x
x
x
$/yr
ac-ft ft
( Eo / 100%)
HP-hr
kwh

Annual Pumping Energy Cost

Natural Gas Engine Driven Pumping Plant
V= volume of water pumped per year, acre-

feet
TDH = total system head, feet
Eo = overall pumping plant efficiency, %
Cg = natural gas price = $/1000 cubic feet of

gas
1.373 HP-hr
V ac-ft
TDH ft
ft 3
2545 BTU
$Cg
x
x
x
x
x
$/yr
3
ac-ft ft
(Eo/ 100%)
1000 BTU
HP-hr
1000 ft

Annual Pumping Energy Cost

Simplified Equations
Total Seasonal Energy Costs
Nat. Gas:
TDH x Cg

Energy Cost, $/yr =

Unit Energy Costs

V x TDH x Cg

Energy Cost, $/ac-in =

2.862 x Eo
34.691 x Eo
Propane:
TDH x Cp

Energy Cost, $/yr = 3.698 x V x TDH x Cp

Eo

Diesel:
TDH x Cd

Energy Cost, $/ac-in =

3.278 x Eo

Energy Cost, $/yr = 2.496 x V x TDH x Cd

Energy Cost, $/ac-in =

Eo
4.856 x Eo
Electric:
Energy Cost, $/yr = 102.4 x V x TDH x Ce
8.448 x TDH x Ce
Eo
Eo

Energy Cost, $/ac-in =

Cg = cost of natural gas, $/Mcf

Cp = cost of propane, $/gal

V = volume of water pumped, acre-feet

Performance Criteria
Target" for a system that is well

designed and operated (can be

exceeded)
Calculated based on reasonable values
for Ep, Em, Ee, Edrive, energy content of
fuel, etc.

energy output water horsepower - hours

PC

energy input
energy unit

Performance Criteria Contd

energy unit" :
kilowatt-hour (electricity)
gallon (diesel, propane, gasoline)
1000 cubic feet (mcf)

(natural gas)

performance rating = PR = (actual

performance) / (performance criteria)

Performance Criteria
Q = 800 gpm
TDH = 218 feet
diesel fuel consumption = 4 gallons per

hour
performance rating? -- Equation 7.12
gallons of fuel per acre-inch of water
pumped? -- Equation 7.14
(800 gpm)(216 ft)
44 whp
3960

Performance Criteria Contd

performance = (44 whp) / (4 gal/hr)

= 11 whp-hr/gal
performance criteria = PC = 12.5
whp-hr/gal
performance rating = PR = 11 / 12.5
= 0.88
TDH
218
E =
=
= 2.26 gal / ac - in
(8.75)(PC)(PR)
(8.75)(12.5)(0.88)

Head Capacity Curve for Centrifugal Pump With Various Pump Speeds