E21 Characteristics if a Centrifugal Pump

JContext
A centrifugal pump converts the input power to kinetic energy in the liquid by accelerating the liquid by an
impeller
Centrifugal pumps are used to move liquids through a piping system
The efficiency of a centrifugal pump is important as a pump running at a low efficiency increases costs

APurpose of Experiment
To determine the change in pressure against flow rate
To find out the overall efficiency of a centrifugal pump from the output power and the input power

JDiagram
This is a diagram of the apparatus
Water is pumped through the centrifugal pump from the tank and around the system
The flow rate is varied using the two rotameters
At each flow rate the delivery pressure on the pressure gauge and the power consumption of the pump is
recorded
The pressure gauge measures the gauge pressure this is the absolute pressure minus the standard pressure

AResults
1)
The flow rate was first set to 2l/min using the rotameter on the right. It was then increased by 2l/min up to
10l/min. Above this the flow rate was increased by 10l/min.
The graph shows that as the flow rate increases the delivery pressure decreases.

2)
To measure the power consumption of the pump the same pattern of flow rate were used.
As the flow rate increases the efficiency of the pump increases up a flow rate of 1.67*10
-3
m
3
/s where the
efficiency starts to decrease.

J3)
Velocity of a liquid can be calculated by using continuity equation which is Q=UA.

The output power equation is derived from Bernoullis equation. Rho 1 equals rho 2 as water is the only liquid used.
V
2
is less than V
1
which means V
2
2
is a lot less that V
1
2
. H is the difference between z
2
and z
1
.Also the difference in
P
1
and P
2
is the gauge pressure reading. Therefore the Bernoullis equation can be simplified to ........ It is then
multiplied through by the liquid flow rate.

One of the sources of error was that the power reading was constantly changing which means that the correct
power consumption as not always recorded. Also at flow rates above 10l/min the water was leaking out of the valve
casing a break in the system

AConclusion

The maximum efficiency of the pump is 27.2% at a flow rate of 1.67*10
-3
m
3
/s. This efficiency is fairly low which
means it cant be used in a continuous process as the efficacy will decrease further.

As the flow rate increases the delivery pressure decreases. This is because the velocity increases so there is more
friction causing a decrease in pressure.

When a choosing a centrifugal pump, the flow rate has to considered. From the flow rate required a pump with the
maximum efficiency should be selected. This can be found out by examining the pumps performance curve.

J)Net positive suction head is the useful head available to push the liquid through the suction side pipework, and is
very important in the design of pumping systems.

j)The suitability of a centrifugal pump for a particular application can be determined by the desired suction head and
discharge head required.