Pump

Chemical Engineering & Society
Pumps
Pumps are the second most common type of

equipment used in chemical and mineral processing
industries. Any reasonable sized plant will have
hundreds of pumps. Pump selection is one of the
responsibilities of the chemical engineer.
Pumps are generally divided into two classes :
1) Centrifugal Pumps
2) Positive Displacement (PD) Pumps
While both of these classes of pump perform the

same task of imparting pressure to a liquid, the way in
which they work is significantly different.
In very general terms, centrifugal pumps are used for

most liquid pumping operations and PD pumps are
used for high pressure situations, for cases where
accurate flow metering is required or for pumping high
viscosity (thick) liquids.
We will look at both classes, starting with centrifugal

pumps.
77
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
Diagrams of the fundamental components of a
centrifugal pump are shown below.
78
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
Liquid is fed into the centre of the impeller and is

thrown round and out from the centre. In more
scientific terms this expressed as the liquid eing given
radial velocity (ie out from the centre) and tangential
velocity (ie around the circumference). The energy
that is imparted to the liquid is is the form of kinetic
energy. When the liquid enters the volute, this kinetic
energy is partially transformed into pressure energy.
The efficiency of the pump (ie the fraction of the
energy supplied to the pump that is actually imparted
to the liquid) is determined by the efficiency with which
the kinetic energy is initially transferred to the liquid
and the efficiency with which this kinetic energy is
transformed into pressure energy.
Obviously, the efficiency of imparting kinetic energy to

the fluid will be affected by the design of the impeller.
There are many different impeller designs in use and
some of them are shown on the following page.
79
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
80
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
Shaft Seals in Centrifugal Pumps
The shaft that drives the impeller must be sealed to

prevent liquid escaping from the casing and to prevent
air getting into the casing. There are several types of
shaft seals that are used in centrifugal pumps but the
two most common types are the “packed-gland seal”
and the “mechanical seal”. The packed-gland seal,
shown below, is the simplest, cheapest and least
effective but it is quite commonly used.
81
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
The impeller shaft is fitted into a shaft –sleeve (not

shown in diagram) which is a tight-fitting metal sleeve
that wraps around the shaft, and rotates with the
shaft. This unit then fits inside the stuffing-box and
the space between the shaft-sleeve and the stuffing-
box is filled with compression packing. Compression
packing is a fibrous material that forms the actual seal
itself. The packing is held in place at the pump end by
bushing and at the other end by the lantern ring which
rotates with the shaft. The packing is compressed by
the gland follower, so as to form a tight seal. The seal
can be lubricated and cooled by a small bleed stream
into the bushing.
Packed-gland seals are effective when first installed

but tend to wear quite rapidly. The need to be
frequently inspected and frequently tightened so as to
re-compress the packing. The packing usually will
need to be replaced quite often.
So, although inexpensive initially, they do tend to be a

fairly high maintenance item.
82
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
A diagram of a mechanical seal is shown below.
83
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
Mechanical seals form a more positive seal than

packed-gland seals. They consist of a rotating ring
that is attached to the shaft and a stationary seal that
is attached to the pump casing. The rotating seal is
usually made of highly polished, perfectly flat stainless
steel while the stationary seal is made of graphite,
also machined to a perfectly flat surface. The two
sealing faces are held in close contact by the pressure
from a spring. The actual seal is the point where the
two faces are in contact. This type of seal can also be
lubricated and cooled by a small bleed-stream from
the pumped fluid.
Mechanical seals form a much more positive seal than

packed-gland seals and are, generally, much more
effective. Because they need precision machining,
they are more expensive to install but they tend to
need less maintenance. The main limitation of
mechanical seals is that they are not good flor slurries
because any solid particles trapped between the
sealing faces will very rapidly destroy both faces and
render the seal ineffective.
84
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
Before proceeding further there are a few terms that

need to be defined.
Pump suction : The feed stream to the pump is called
the pump suction.
Pump discharge : The outlet stream from the pump is
called the pump discharge
Head : The extra pressure imparted to the liquid by
the pump is called the head. The head is normally
measured in units of “metres of the fluid being
pumped”. A head of “x” metres of the fluid being
pumped is the pressure required to support of column
of that fluid, “x” metres high. It is also the pressure
that would exist at the bottom of a tank full of that
liquid, “x” metres deep. To convert this pressure to
more common pressure units, use the fact that a
pressure of 1.0 atmospheres is equal to 101.3 kPa
and is also equal to 10.33 metres of water. This
means that a head of, say, 6.0 metres of water
corresponds to (101.3 x 6.0 / 10.33) = 58.8 kPa. If
the liquid being pumped is more dense than water
then the pressure at “x” metres deep in that liquid will
be greater than in “x” metres of water. So, you need
to multiply the pressure by the specific gravity of the
liquid being pumped.
85
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
Capacity : This is the volume flow rate through the

pump. It is normally measured in units of litres per
second or cubic metres per minute or cubic feet per
minute or per second.
Efficiency : This is the fraction of the energy supplied

to the pump that is actually imparted to the liquid. The
power imparted to the liquid is given by the equation :
P = Q(SG)h
where Q = pump capacity

SG = specific gravity of the liquid being pumped
= (density of liquid) / (density of water)
h = head supplied by pump
Clearly, this will give an answer is unusable units, so it

is necessary to convert to more useful units. Have :
m3 (kg/m3 )
P = Q(SG)h m
3
s (kg/m )
101300 Pa m4
= Q(SG)h •
10.33 m s
86
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
Pa m3
= 9806 Q(SG)h
s
N m3
= 9806 Q(SG)h
m2 s
Nm
= 9806 Q(SG)h
s
J
= 9806 Q(SG)h ( = W)
s
= 9.806 Q(SG)h kW
when capacity is in m3/s and head is in metres.
Cavitation : Cavitation occurs in a pump when the

absolute pressure inside the pump falls to a value
below the vapour pressure of the liquid being pumped.
When this happens, the liquid boils inside the pump
and forms bubbles of vapour. When the pressure
increases in the volute these bubbles collapse. The
creation and collapse of these bubbles will cause loss
of pump performance and can lead to very rapid
corrosion and erosion of the pump casing and
impeller. Cavitation is to be avoided at all costs.
87
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH) : This is the

amount by which the absolute pressure at the pump
suction exceeds the vapour pressure of the liquid
being pumped, at the pump suction. The NPSH
present at a pump suction is calculated from :
NPSH = Height of liquid in tank above pump suction

+ Atmospheric pressure
- Pressure losses in suction piping
- Vapour pressure of liquid
All of these terms are to expressed in units of metres

of liquid being pumped and the NPSH is also quoted
in these units.
Speed : This is the rate of rotation of the impeller,

normally given in units of revs per minute (rpm).
Pump Characteristic : This is a graph of the head

provided by a pump, at a given speed, vs the pump
capacity. This defines the performance of any given
pump.
88
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
When selecting a centrifugal pump, one needs to

consider the pump characteristic. An example is
shown below.
89
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
The pump characteristic applies to a specific pump

and contains a considerable amount of information.
We will study this particular pump by considering an
example.
The objective is find out whether the pump with above

characteristic is suitable to install in the following
piping loop.
Required Flow
Rate = 200 l/s
Pressure loss in
discharge pipe
= 250 kPa
25.0 m
Water at
60 deg. C Pressure loss in
suction pipe
3.0 m
= 50 kPa
90
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
The questions that need to be answered in order to

decide if a pump is suitable for any given application
are :
1) Can this pump supply the required head at the

required flow rate?
2) If it can, at what speed must it operate?
3) Will the pump cavitate?
4) What size motor must be fitted to the pump?
First, determine the required head and capacity.
The capacity required is specified in the diagram as

200 litres per second.
The discharge head required is sufficient to overcome

the pressure losses in the discharge piping and to
overcome the static head. As there will be some
pressure in the suction pipe (may be negative
pressure), the pump needs to add enough pressure to
bring the total to the required discharge pressure.
Also, as atmospheric pressure will act equally on the
suction and discharge lines, it does not enter into this
part of the calculation.
91
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
1) Find the pressure at the suction side of the pump.
Height of water in tank above suction = 3.0 m
Therefore, pressure at tank end of suction pipe

= 3.0 m of water
Pressure loss in suction piping = 50 kPa

50
= × 10.33 = 5.10 m of water
101.3
Therefore, pressure at pump suction

= 3.0 – 5.10 = - 2.10 m of water
2) Find required discharge pressure.
Static head to be overcome = 25.0 m of water
Piping pressure losses to be overcome = 250 kPa

250
= × 10.33 = 25.5 m of water
101.3
Total pressure required at discharge of pump

= 25.0 + 25.5 = 50.5 m of water
92
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
Thus, head to be added by pump = 50.5 + 2.1

= 52.6 m of water
To determine whether pump can meet these

conditions, draw a vertical line through 200 l/s and a
horizontal line through 52.6 m of water, as below.
93
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
The area on the pump characteristic that is covered

by the lines is known as the pump “operating
envelope”. The point where the two lines cross is
known as the “operating point”. If the operating point
falls within the operating envelope, then the pump can
deliver the required flow rate at the required head. In
this case, the operating point does fall within the
operating envelope, so the answer to the first question
(Can this pump supply the required head at the
required flow rate?) is yes.
The operating point can be seen to lie between the

1100 rpm and the 1000 rpm lines, somewhat closer to
the 1000 rpm line. So, the answer to the second
question (If it can, at what speed must it operate?) is
about 1040 rpm.
To determine whether the pump will cavitate, we need

to calculate the available NPSH and then compare
this with the required NPSH. The required NPSH to
avoid cavitation is found from the characteristic by
looking at the almost vertical dashed lines. The
operating point can be seen to lie between two lines
marked 6 m and 8m NPSH. Interpolating, gives the
required NPSH to be about 6.5 m of water.
94
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
The available NPSH can be found from the equation

given previously :
NPSH = Height of liquid in tank above pump suction

For this calculation, need to convert the pressure

losses in the suction piping into metres of water. This
was done previously and the answer was
Pressure loss in suction piping = 5.10 m of water
Also, need the vapour pressure of water at 60 °C.
From Perry’s, find Vapour pressure = 149.4 mm Hg
To covert this to metres of water, use the fact that 1.0

atmosphere pressure = 760 mm Hg
149.4
Thus, v.p. water = × 10.33 = 2.0 m of water
760
95
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
Can now calculate :
NPSH available
= Height of liquid in tank above pump suction
= 3.0 + 10.33 - 5.10 - 2.0 = 6.23 m of water
From this can now see that the NPSH required is

greater than the NPSH available. This means that
cavitation will occur in the pump, under these
conditions. Therefore, this pump is not suitable for
this application.
This problem could be solved by raising the tank 2 or

3 metres off the ground. This would increase the
NPSH available so that cavitation would not occur.
This is an expensive solution, however.
In general, the NPSH available should be at least 2 m

greater than the NPSH required in order to ensure
that cavitation will not occur.
96
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
Even though we have decided that this pump is not

suitable, we will calculate the power requirements, as
an example of how to do this.
The power imparted to the water can be found from

the equation given earlier :
Power = 9.806 Q(SG)h kW
where Q = 200 l/s = 0.200 m3/s

SG = 1.00
h = 52.6 m of water
Therefore :
Power = 9.806 × 0.200 × 1.00 × 52.6

= 103.2 kW
The efficiency of the pump, at the operating point, can

be found by considering the almost vertical full lines
on the characteristic. In this case, the efficiency at the
operating point can be seen to be about 66%.
97
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
Therefore, motor power required
Power Imparted to Liquid

=
Pump Efficiency
103.2
= = 156 kW
0.66
In order to be safe, it would be best to fit a motor of

about 175 kW to this pump.
This is a lot of power but it must be noted that 200 l/s

is a lot of water.
98
Pumps
Centrifugal Pumps
Summary
1) Centrifugal pumps are commonly used for most

general purpose applications because they are
inexpensive and reliable.
2) Centrifugal pumps can pump against a closed

valve for quite some time, without suffering
serious damage.
3) Centrifugal pumps are not suitable for high

pressure applications.
4) Centrifugal pumps cannot pump thick or viscous

liquids.
5) Centrifugal pumps are not suitable for flow

metering applications as the capacity is not
directly proportional to the speed.
99

Pump

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Chemical Engineering & Society

Pumps are the second most common type of

Pumps are generally divided into two classes :

While both of these classes of pump perform the

In very general terms, centrifugal pumps are used for

We will look at both classes, starting with centrifugal

Liquid is fed into the centre of the impeller and is

Obviously, the efficiency of imparting kinetic energy to

The shaft that drives the impeller must be sealed to

The impeller shaft is fitted into a shaft –sleeve (not

Packed-gland seals are effective when first installed

So, although inexpensive initially, they do tend to be a

A diagram of a mechanical seal is shown below.

Mechanical seals form a more positive seal than

Mechanical seals form a much more positive seal than

Before proceeding further there are a few terms that

Capacity : This is the volume flow rate through the

Efficiency : This is the fraction of the energy supplied

where Q = pump capacity

Clearly, this will give an answer is unusable units, so it

when capacity is in m3/s and head is in metres.

Cavitation : Cavitation occurs in a pump when the

Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH) : This is the

NPSH = Height of liquid in tank above pump suction

All of these terms are to expressed in units of metres

Speed : This is the rate of rotation of the impeller,

Pump Characteristic : This is a graph of the head

When selecting a centrifugal pump, one needs to

The pump characteristic applies to a specific pump

The objective is find out whether the pump with above

The questions that need to be answered in order to

1) Can this pump supply the required head at the

First, determine the required head and capacity.

The capacity required is specified in the diagram as

The discharge head required is sufficient to overcome

1) Find the pressure at the suction side of the pump.

Height of water in tank above suction = 3.0 m

Therefore, pressure at tank end of suction pipe

Pressure loss in suction piping = 50 kPa

Therefore, pressure at pump suction

2) Find required discharge pressure.

Static head to be overcome = 25.0 m of water

Piping pressure losses to be overcome = 250 kPa

Total pressure required at discharge of pump

Thus, head to be added by pump = 50.5 + 2.1

To determine whether pump can meet these

The area on the pump characteristic that is covered

The operating point can be seen to lie between the

To determine whether the pump will cavitate, we need

The available NPSH can be found from the equation

NPSH = Height of liquid in tank above pump suction

For this calculation, need to convert the pressure

Pressure loss in suction piping = 5.10 m of water

Also, need the vapour pressure of water at 60 °C.

From Perry’s, find Vapour pressure = 149.4 mm Hg

To covert this to metres of water, use the fact that 1.0

Can now calculate :

= 3.0 + 10.33 - 5.10 - 2.0 = 6.23 m of water

From this can now see that the NPSH required is

This problem could be solved by raising the tank 2 or

In general, the NPSH available should be at least 2 m

Even though we have decided that this pump is not

The power imparted to the water can be found from

Power = 9.806 Q(SG)h kW