Lesson 2:

Pumps

Objective
In this section we will answer the following questions:
What factors are considered in selecting a pump?
How can an operator reduce the capacity of a pump?
How are pump capacity, head, and power requirements calculated?
How is the friction loss of pipe determined?
What is meant by static suction lift? Dynamic suction lift?
Why is suction lift limited to approximately 25 ft?


Reading Assignment
Read the online lecture as well as Chapters 14 and 22 in the text Water Distribution Operator Training Handbook, Third Edition.


Lecture
Introduction
Pump Description
The pump consists of a rotating element (impeller) sealed in a casing (volute). The rotating element is connected to a drive unit (motor/engine) which
supplies the energy to spin the rotating element. As the impeller spins inside the volute casing, an area of low pressure allows the atmosphere pressure
on the liquid in the supply tank to force the liquid up to the impeller. Since the pump will not operate if there is no low pressure zone created at the
center of the impeller, it is important that the casing be sealed to prevent air from entering the casing. To insure the casing is air-tight, the pump will
include some type of seal (mechanical or conventional packing) assembly at the point where the shaft enters the casing. This seal will also include
some type of lubrication (water, grease, or oil) to prevent excessive wear.
When the liquid enters the casing, the spinning action of the impeller transfers energy to the liquid. This energy is transferred to the liquid in the form of
increased speed or velocity. The liquid is thrown outward by the impeller into the volute casing where the design of the casing allows the velocity of
the liquid to be reduced, which, in turn, converts the velocity energy (velocity head) to pressure energy (pressure head).
The following presents an outline on the selection of a sewage pump and the effects of impeller trimming of a sewage pump.

Pump Selection
Although the selection of a sewage pump is fairly complicated to ensure that the most economical unit is obtained for the station being designed, a brief
outline is provided for information purposes. The size of the pump is determined by the rate of raw sewage flow into the station which together with
the number of pumps to be provided in the station and the characteristics of the friction and static heads to which the pumps will be subjected provides
generally the information that is necessary to select a pump from a supplier's catalogue. Although a number of pumps may be capable of pumping a
quantity of sewage necessary at the dynamic head for a particular sewage pumping station, one pump may be more efficient in the range than another,
and therefore should be selected. This assumes that all other aspects of the pumps are equal such as dependability of impeller and bearings, adn
service from the manufacturer.
A sewage pump must be able to pass a 2 1/2 inch diameter solid which requires the use of 4 inch piping on the pump. Utilizing a minimum velocity in
the forcemain of 2 fps the minimum size sewage pump should then be 75 gpm (Q = VA). Smaller stations have been installed using other types of
pumping systems such as ejectors, etc., but for the most part the smallest sewage pump being installed in municipal systems today is a 75 gpm unit. It
should be noted that at stations where two pumps are provided the second pump is intended to operate as 100 percent stand-by for the regular duty
pump.


Pump Impeller Trimming
The impeller of a pump may be trimmed down to reduce the capacity of the pump. In order to establish the new pump characteristics, the following
relationships may be employed.
Capacity proportional to speed or impeller diameter
Head proportional to (speed)
2
or (impeller diameter)
2

Power proportional to (speed)
3
or (impeller diameter)
3
Example:
The impeller of a 12 inch diameter pump rated at 4,000 gpm and a head of 140 feet, requiring 163 bhp was trimmed to 11 1/2 inches.
Calculate the new capacity, the new head and the power requirements.


Example Calculations
Given that the peak rate of flow to the sewage pumping station is 374 gpm, what size of forcemain should be used? What is the estimated total
dynamic head at the station (static head plus friction head)? What would a pressure gauge read on the discharge pipe from the station, both when the
pump is off and when operating? Assume that only one pump is to be selected to pump the entire flow with the second pump to act as a stand-by. A
sketch of the problem follows.
The problem should be solved in the following manner: first the size of the forcemain is obtained; second the total dynamic head for the pump is
calculated and finally the sewage pump is selected. The pressure gauge calculations are left to the end of the problem.


Size of Forcemain
use Q = VA
but Q = 374 gpm or 1 cfs
and V = 2 fps (minimum)
therefore:
1 = 2A
or A = 0.5 ft
2
forcemain diameter is 9.576"
use an 8" forcemain which has a velocity of
2.9 fps from Q = VA



Total Dynamic Head
Assume the worst condition for pump i.e., when the wet well is almost empty (pump has to "push" the sewage the greatest distance to the point of
discharge).
elevation of forcemain discharge 150'
elevation of centerline of pump 100'
static head is 50'
from nomograph, an 8" pipe has a friction loss of 7 ft. for every 1000 ft. of pipe. Assume "C" value of 100. Since the forcemain is 2000 ft. long, total
friction loss is 2 x 7 or 14 ft. Station losses, friction due to valves, bends, etc., for a station of this size will approximate 5 ft. Total friction loss is 14
+ 5 or 19 ft.
Velocity head is determined by V
2
/2g.
V is velocity in the forcemain. g is the force due to gravity, which for our purposes is always 32.4
We have determined in (a) that V is 2.9 fps, therefore, V
2
/2g is 2.9 x 2.9 / 2 x 32.2 which is less than 1 and can be ignored.
The total dynamic head on the pump then is:
static head 50'
friction head 19'
69'

When the pump is not operating and the check valve is closed, it can be assumed that sewage is not flowing in the forcemain. The problem is now
similar to that of the previous container which had 10 ft. of water in it - except that now the container is a pipe with the top 50 ft. above the bottom.
The length does not affect static pressure. Static pressure is obtained using the equation P = wh.
or when divided by 144 the gauge would read
Now when the pump is operating the pressure will increase due to the friction in the forcemain that the pump must overcome in order to move the
sewage through the pipe. We calculated this additional pressure to be approximately 20 ft. which is the friction loss in the forcemain and station.
Another way of describing this is to say that the gauge will register the same if the outlet for the forcemain was raised an additional 20 ft. during static
conditions. The pressure gauge would read 70 ft. or:
The operating pressure of the station then is 30.3 psi.


Friction and Resistance
It is necessary to determine the amount of friction or resistance to the flow of sewage in the forcemain in order to select the pump required at the
station.
In addition to the friction in the forcemain a number of other terms should be understood and these are outlined briefly in the following:
Suction Lift: exists when the source of supply is below the central line of the pump.
Suction Head: exists when the source of supply is above the central line of the pump.
Static Suction Lift: is the vertical distance from the central line of the pump down to the free level of the liquid source.
Static Discharge Head: is the vertical elevation from the central line of the pump to the point of free discharge.
Velocity Head: is the head needed to accelerate the liquid. Knowing the velocity of the liquid from the continuity equation, Q = AV,
the velocity head can be calculated by the formula V
2
/64.4. Although the velocity head is a factor in calculating the dynamic heads, the
value is usually small and in most cases can be disregarded.
Dynamic Suction Lift: includes static suction lift plus friction head plus velocity head.
Dynamic Suction Head: includes static discharge head minus friction head minus velocity head.
Total Dynamic Discharge Head: includes static discharge head plus friction head plus velocity head.
Total Dynamic Head: includes the dynamic discharge head plus dynamic suction lift or minus dynamic suction head. The total dynamic
head is the basis for selection of a pump.

Suction Limitations
Regardless of the extent of the vacuum, water can only be "lifted" a set distance or height due to its vaporization pressure. As the pressure above the
water is reduced the water will tend to rise as a result of the atmospheric pressure which is tending to push the water into the pump suction piping.
The theoretical maximum suction lift for water is 33.9 feet. From a practical standpoint in consideration of the friction loss of the piping, the altitude of
the station, etc., normally the maximum lift for any pump is approximately 25 feet. However, it must be remembered that cavitation of the impeller
increases as the suction lift increases and, therefore, the pump, where possible, should be located so that the suction is submerged at all times.


Assignment

Answer the following questions and send as an email attachment to the instructor, Harriett Long at hlong@me.vccs.edu.


1. Explain why a pump impeller may need to be trimmed.
2. A sewage pump must be able to pass a _____ in. diameter solid which requires the use of _____ in. piping on the pump.


Quiz
Answer the questions in Quiz 2 . When you have completed the quiz, print it out and either mail or fax to the instructor, Harriett Long. You may also
take the quiz online and directly submit it into the database for a grade.