Section B -- Pump Application Data

1. DATUM OR GRADE - The elevation of the surface from which the pump is supported.
2. STATIC LIUID LE!EL - The vertical distance from grade to the liquid level when no liquid is being
drawn from the well or source.
". DRA#DO#$ - The distance between the static liquid level and the liquid level when pumping at
required capacity.
%. PUMPI$G LIUID LE!EL - The vertical distance from grade to liquid level when pumping at rated cap-
acity. Pumping liquid level equals static water level plus drawdown.
&. SETTI$G - The distance from grade to the top of the pump bowl assembly.
'. TPL (TOTAL PUMP LE$GT)* - The distance from grade to lowest point of pump.
+. RATED PUMP )EAD - Lift below discharge plus head above discharge plus friction losses in discharge
line. This is the head for which the customer is responsible and does not include any losses within the
pump.
,. COLUM$ A$D DISC)ARGE )EAD -RICTIO$ LOSS - Head loss in the pump due to friction in the
column assembly and discharge head. Friction loss is measured in feet and is dependent upon column
size shaft size setting and discharge head size. !alues given in appropriate charts in "ata #ection.
.. BO#L )EAD - Total head which the pump bowl assembly will deliver at the rated capacity. This is
curve performance.
1/. BO#L E--ICIE$C0- The efficiency of the bowl unit only. This value is read directly from the
performance curve.
11. BO#L )ORSEPO#ER- The horsepower - required by the bowls only to deliver a specified capacity
against bowl head.
12. TOTAL PUMP )EAD - $ated pump head plus column and discharge head loss. %ote& This is new or
final bowl head.
1". S)A-T -RICTIO$ LOSS - The horsepower required to turn the lineshaft in the bearings. These
values are given in appropriate table in "ata #ection.
1%. PUMP BRA1E )ORSEPO#ER - #um of 'bowl horsepower plus shaft loss (and the driver thrust
bearing loss under certain conditions).
1&. TOTAL PUMP E--ICIE$C0 (#ATER TO #ATER* -The efficiency of the complete pump less.the
driver with all pump losses ta*en into account.
1'. O!ERALL E--ICIE$C0 (#IRE TO #ATER*-The efficiency of the pump and motor complete. +verall
efficiency , total pump efficiency - motor efficiency.
1+. SUBMERGE$CE-"istance from liquid level to suction bell.
Vertical Turbine Pumps Section 2
Section B -- !e2tical Tu23ine Pump4 Tu23ine $omenclatu2e
!e2tical Tu23ine Pump4 Calculatin5 A6ial T72u4t
.nder normal circumstances !ertical Turbine Pumps have a thrust load acting parallel to the pump shaft. This
load is due to unbalanced pressure dead weight and liquid direction change. +ptimum selection of the motor
bearing and correct determination of required bowl lateral for deep setting pumps require accurate *nowledge
of both the magnitude and direction (usually down) of the resultant of these forces. /n addition but with a less
significant role thrust influences shaft H.P. rating and shaft critical speeds.
IMPELLER T)RUST
/mpeller Thrust in the downward direction is due to the unbalanced discharge pressure across the eye
area of the impeller. #ee diagram 0.
1ounteracting this load is an upward force primarily due to the change in direction of the liquid passing
through the impeller. The resultant of these two forces constitutes impeller thrust. 1alculating this thrust
using a thrust constant (2) will often produce only an appro3imate thrust value because a single constant
cannot e3press the upthrust component which varies with capacity.
To accurately determine impeller thrust thrust-capacity curves based on actual tests are required. #uch
curves now e3ist for the 404 Line. To determine thrust the thrust factor 424 is read from the thrust-capacity
curve at the required capacity and given $P5. 424 is then multiplied by the Total Pump Head (Final Lab
Head) times #pecific 6ravity of the pumped liquid. /f impeller thrust is e3cessively high the impeller can
usually be hydraulically balanced. This reduces the value of 424. 7alancing is achieved by reducing the
discharge pressure above the impeller eye by use of balancing holes and rings. #ee diagram 7.
$OTE8
0lthough hydraulic balancing reduces impeller thrust it also decreases efficiency by 8 to 9 points by
providing an addi-tional path for liquid recirculation.
$OTE8
0lthough hydraulic balancing reduces impeller thrust it also decreas-es efficiency by one to five points by
providing an additional path for liquid recirculation. +f even greater concern is that should the hydraulic
balancing holes become clogged (unclean fluids fluids with solid content intermittent services etc.) the
impeller thrust will increase and possibly cause the driver to fail. Hydraulically balanced impellers cannot
be used in applications requiring rubber bowl bear-ings because the flutes on the inside diameter of the
bearings pro-vide an additional path to the top side of the impeller thus creating an additional down thrust.
Hydraulically balanced impellers should be used as a 4last resort4 for those situations where the pump
thrust e3ceeds the motor thrust bearing capabilities.
Section B -- !e2tical Tu23ine Pump4 Tu23ine $omenclat
DEAD #EIG)T
/n addition to the impeller force dead weight (shaft plus impeller weight less the weight of the liquid displaced)
acts downward. +n pumps with settings less than 9: feet dead weight may be neglect-ed on all but the most
critical applications as it represents only a small part of the total force. +n deeper setting pumps dead weight
becomes significant and must be ta*en into account.
$OTE8
;e normally only ta*e shaft weight into consideration as dead weight the reason being that impeller weight
less its liquid displace-ment weight is usually a small part of the total.
S)A-T SLEE!ES
Finally there can be an upward force across a head shaft sleeve or mechanical seal sleeve. /n the case of
can pumps with suction pressure there can be an additional upward force across the impeller shaft area.
0gain for most applications these forces are small and can be neglected< however when there is a danger
of upthrusts or when there is high discharge pressure (above =:: psi) or high suction pressure (above >::
psi) these forces should be considered.
MOTOR BEARI$G SI9I$G
6enerally spea*ing a motor for a normal thrust application has as standard a bearing adequate for shutoff
thrust. ;hen practical motor bearings rated for shutoff conditions are preferred. For high thrust applications
(when shutoff thrust e3ceeds the standard motor bearing rating) the motor bearing may be sized for the
ma3imum anticipated operating range of the pump.
#hould the pump operate to the left of this range for a short period of time anti-fraction bearings such as
angular contact or spherical roller can handle the overload. /t should be remembered however that bearing
life is appro3imately inversely proportional to the cube of the load. #hould the load double motor bearing life
will be cut to 8 of its original value. 0lthough down thrust overloading is possible the pump must never be
allowed to operate in a continuous up thrust condition even for a short interval without a special motor
bearing equipped to handle it. #uch upthrust will tail the motor bearing.
CALCULATI$G MOTOR BEARI$G LOAD
0s previously stated for short setting non-hydraulic balanced pumps below 9: feet with discharge pressures
below =:: psi and can pumps with #uction pressures below 8:: psi only impeller thrust need be
considered.
.nder these conditions&
5otor 7earing Load (lbs.)
Timp, 2HL 3 #6
;here&
/mpeller Thrust (lbs.)
2,Thrust factors (lbs.?ft.)
HL , Lab Head (ft.)
#6 , #pecific 6ravity
For more demanding applications the forces which should be considered are impeller thrust plus dead
weight minus any sleeve or shaft area force.
In e:uation ;o2m8
5otor 7earing Load , Timp @ ;t
(8)
- sleeve force (A) -shaft area force(B) ,Tt
(8) ;t., #haft "ead ;t. 3 #etting /n Ft.
(A) #leeve Force,#leeve area 3 "ischarge pressure (B) #haft 0rea Force , #haft area 3 #uction pressure
+il Lube shaft does not displace liquid above the pumping water level and therefore has a greater net
weight.
T)RUST BEARI$G LOSS
Thrust bearing loss is the loss of horsepower delivered to the pump at the thrust bearings due to thrust. /n
equation form&
where&
LT7 , Thrust bearing loss (HP)
7HP , 7ra*e horsepower
Tt , 5otor 7earing Load (Lbs.)
, Timp@ ;t
(8)
- sleeve force(A) - shaft area force(B)
Key Factors to Consider Before Applying a Vertical Turbine Pump
!ertical Turbine Pumps (figure 8) can be an attractive choice for many water and wastewater applications because of their
many advantages. The vertical construction ta*es up little floor space< priming problems can be avoided due to the
impellers being submerged in the liquid< the first stage impeller can be lowered (by increasing the pit depth if necessary)
to provide the desired %P#H margin< the multistage construction offers higher efficiencies on high head lower flow
applications< and the modular construction allows the pumps to be customized for many applications.
Potential C2itical I44ue4
1are must however be ta*en when applying a vertical turbine pump (!TP) in short-set applications due to a number of
critical issues that can occur with this unique pump construction. !ertical Turbine pumps were originally developed for
deep-water wells but the design was found to have certain benefits in industrial and municipal applications. 7ut the
conditions that allow successful operation of !TP's in deep-water well applications are not always present in shorter set
water and wastewater services.
8. !ertical turbine pumps do not balance the a3ial hydraulic pressure forces on the impeller which are substantial and with
a downward direction. /nstead they rely on the thrust bearing in the motor to carry this high load. This motor thrust bearing
must also carry the rotor weight which can be quite large for deep well settings. 0lthough high a3ial thrust is normally a
bad thing in most pumps in a !TP it is actually a good thing.
1lic* here to enlarge image
This high a3ial thrust actually compensates for alignment and resonant frequency issues that often e3ist in the standard
vertical pump construction especially when applied on short set applications. The threaded line shaft couplings that are
used in the standard !TP construction cannot hold accurate shaft alignment because the diameter of the line shaft ends
which butt together are too small compared to the section shaft lengths.
/n order to hold a reasonable concentricity (say .::9 inches) of the line shaft at the end of a typical 8: feet span each
shaft end surface would have to be machined square to within a tolerance of C .::::A9 inches. This is not possible with
current machining technology. !ertical turbine pumps instead rely on the high a3ial thrust from the unbalanced pressure
force on the impellers plus the rotor weight to *eep the shaft sections straight enough for successful operation.
A. Further being so long and narrow !TP components can be subDect to high vibration. The typical line shaft bearing
spacing is 8: feet which means that most line shafts are operating above their first critical speed. Further vertical turbine
pumps have more then one 4first critical speed4 depending on the shaft end condition. First there is the first 4normal4
(free-free end supports) critical speed but instead of the ne3t (normally second) critical speed being four times the first
critical speed it is actually 8.9= times the first critical speed (for free-fi3ed end supports) and A.9E times the first critical
speed for fi3ed-fi3ed end supports. Further if you add reasonable safety margins around these various critical speeds it
becomes difficult to avoid operating very far away from a shaft critical speed especially with a variable speed drive. Here
again it is the high a3ial thrust that helps typical vertical pumps in deep-well applications to achieve reasonable life spans.
B. #o what happens when a !TP is applied in a short set application and operated at high flow rates ? low discharge
pressuresF ;ell without the resulting high a3ial thrust line shaft vibration and bearing loads can be greatly increased
reducing the life of the internal sleeve bearings.
>. Further some or all of the internal sleeve bearings are lubricated ? wetted by the liquid pumped so they must be able to
handle any corrosives and?or abrasives in the pumpage. Further the bearings must be able to handle any air in the
pumped liquid. The amount of entrained air can be substantially increased if there is any cavitation in the pump.
7ased on tests conducted by the writer for a Te3as 0G5 Pump .ser's #ymposium paper the amount of dissolved air
released (to become entrained air - the damaging *ind) is greatly increased as the %P#H 5argin (%P#H0 ? %P#H$) is
reduced (see figure 8).
;hile cavitation can be present in a centrifugal pump up to a %P#H 5argin $atios as high as > or more the entrained air
liberated by cavitation begins to dramatically increase as the %P#H 5argin $atio approaches around 8.> near the best
efficiency point (bep) flow rate and A.: around the low flow suction recirculation condition. This means that as the %P#H
0vailable from the sump (system) approaches the pump %P#H $equired that the internal sleeve bearings especially
those in the bowl assembly will see more air (dry operation). %ow if these bowl bearings are bronze (typical) and limited
in lead content (which gives bronze bearings their lubricity) due to regulations in the drin*ing water industry this can
result in very short bearing life.
9. 0 vertical turbine pump can also e3perience e3cessive structural vibration of the discharge head and associated driver
in the field even though the driver has been shop tested with low vibration and the rotating components were properly
balanced. This could be the result of a 4reed4 (natural) frequency of the motor head and foundation assembly. This is
occasionally caused by the stiffness of the field foundation being different then anticipated. 0 4reed resonance4 effect will
result if the natural frequency of the assembly is at or near (within 89H of) the running frequency of the pump. !ariable
speed operation drastically increases this li*elihood.
UPGRADES -OR S)ORT SETTI$GS8
#o does this mean that vertical turbine pumps should not be used for short settings or variable speed operationF %ot
necessarily if consideration is given to the following pump up grades&
8. $eplace the standard threaded line shaft couplings with a clamp type (or equivalent) coupling that insures line
shaft straightness.
A. Provide bowl line shaft bearings with better lubricity such as those made of !espel 1$-=8::.
B. $educe the bearing spacing from 8: feet to 9 feet to insure that the shaft first critical frequency is at least 89H
above the ma3imum operating speed.
>. 1hange from threaded to flanged column pipe connections for improved housing straightness.
9. Perform a Finite Ilement 0nalysis of the motor head and foundation assembly.
=. .se a #uction 7ell instead of a #uction 1ase to minimize the required submergence and %P#H $equirement of
the pump.
J. /nsure that the %P#H 5argin is at least 48.>4 if the liquid end (bowl assembly) has 4High #uction Inergy4 (see
+ctober A::J Pump Tips 1olumn).
Back to Basics: How to mpro!e Vertical Turbine Pump "eliability t#roug#
$ptimum Bearing %election
!ertical turbine pumps (!TPs) offer many unique advantages for many applications. For instance the vertical construction
ta*es up little floor space< priming problems can be avoided due to submersion of the impellers in liquid< the first stage
impeller can be lowered (by increasing the pit depth if necessary) to provide the desired %P#H margin< multistage
construction and midrange specific speeds offer high efficiencies< and modular construction allows the pumps to be
customized for many applications.
!TPs are available in deep well wet pit (short setting or close-coupled) canned and submersible motor configurations.
0ccordingly my #eptember A::E column on the advantages and cautions of using !TPs on water and wastewater
applications concentrated primarily on cavitation vibration and a3ial thrust as well as how to avoid the associated field
problems.
0n additional *ey issue that should be considered when applying a !TP on liquids that contain solids abrasives and?or air
is the selection of the bearing material and?or construction given the fact that the bearings are immersed in and lubricated
by the fluid pumped during most typical applications. 0s such they are also generally the first component to deteriorate in
a !TP.
Con<entional !e2tical Tu23ine Pump Bea2in54
!TP bearings are found in the bowl assembly (in each bowl suction case?bell and possibly the discharge case) and in the
column assembly (unless the pump has a short setting or is driven by a submersible motor located below the bowl
assembly). 7owl bearings are normally made of a low-lead bronze material set against a >8= stainless steel bowl shaft
without any replaceable sleeves (see Fig. 8).
Further the column assembly connects the bowl assembly to the aboveground discharge head. Typical column bearings
are either constructed of a cutless rubber (see Fig. A) operating against a stainless steel shaft sleeve (lubricated by the
fluid pumped) or bronze enclosed in a tube (lubricated by either an oil drip or water flush introduced at the discharge
head and e3iting into the well or sump at the top of the bowl assembly< see Fig. B).
Open Line47a;t
+pen column line shaft bearing construction is recommended for ease of maintenance and?or whenever a special bearing
material is required< it is not recommended for longer settings greater than about 8:: feet. $enewable shaft sleeves or
hard facing on the shaft are available for longer life and typical bearing spacing is 8: feet for well applications. However
for shorter settings the shaft size and spacing should be selected so that the shafting will operate below its first critical
speed (see Fig. >). For e3ample at 8E:: $P5 the ma3imum bearing spacing for a 8 88?8= inch (8.=K inch) shaft would
be five feet.
Enclo4e= Column
/n this configuration an enclosing tube provides the lineshaft with protection from the pumped liquid and ensures clean
lubrication to the bearings prior to startup which is especially important for deeper settings (over about 8:: feet). The
lineshaft bearings are typically spaced at five-foot intervals to support the lineshaft. 0n internal spiral groove allows the
lubricant to flow between the shaft and the inner face of the bearing while the outside of the bearing is threaded to
connect the enclosing tube sections.
This construction minimizes maintenance of the column bearings in abrasive services. The oil (or water) lubrication for the
enclosed construction is introduced at the surface. 0 tan* attached to the discharge head provides oil through a solenoid
valve to the tension bearing in the stuffing bo3. /t then flows by gravity into the enclosing tube and through the bypass port
in the bowl assembly discharge case. 0lternate lubricants such as clean water or grease can also be used with enclosed
lineshaft construction. Lubricating oils are available that are acceptable for discharge into the pumped liquid even when it
is intended for drin*ing water.
Bo>l A44em3l? Bea2in54
Line shaft bearings can be protected from abrasive wear by either constructing them of cutless rubber (which can tolerate
fairly high levels of suspended solids) or by the use of an enclosed tube around the lineshaft< bowl bearings however
must operate in the pumped liquid. This means that in most cases the choice of bearing material (see Table 8) is
normally the only option that will allow the pump to handle higher levels of solids or air?vapor. 0ir can enter a !TP when
the well or sump levels are low (vorte3ing) can be entrained in the pumpage due to mi3ing or can be released from
entrainment due cavitation in the first and?or second stage of the pump (as discussed in the #eptember A::E column).
+nce in the bowl assembly the air and vapors (being lighter then water) can be centrifuged into the bearings. #ome !TP
manufacturers do however offer rifle-drilled bowl assembly shafts with an e3ternal water flush that can greatly improve
the bowl bearing life when handling solids?abrasives and?or air?vapor as shown in Figure 8.
Bea2in5 Mate2ial Option4
Table 8 lists the classes of column and bowl assembly bearing materials generally available for !TPs with each
manufacturer typically offering their own specific alloys. The bronze alloys typically offered have very low (if any) lead due
to environmental concerns which reduces their dry-running ability. 1arbon graphite bearings probably offer one of the
most efficient dry-running capabilities but have very low solids?abrasive tolerance< they are also available with a variety of
fillers. Teflon bearings also have e3cellent dry-running capability and poor abrasive tolerance plus they are available with
a variety of fillers. However Teflon bearings cannot be retained with a press fit due to the potential of cold flow.
!espel bearings are also much li*e Teflon bearings but with improved dimensional stability and they are also available
with a variety of fillers including Teflon and carbon. $ubber bearings are primarily used for open lineshaft column
applications and are very proficient at handling solids as long as they are not too sharp. However they have poor lubricity
and should be wetted prior to startup which could pose a problem with deep settings (over about 8:: feet) especially if
the pump does not have a foot (chec*) valve and it ta*es too long for the pumped liquid to reach the upper bearings.
$ubber bearings are seldom used for bowl bearings due to the larger required running clearance. Finally hardened
surface metal bearings are also available such as chromium o3ide and tungsten carbide for abrasive?solid applications
but they are e3pensive and also have poor lubricity for handling air and?or vapors.
About the Author: Allan R. Budris, P.E., is an independent consulting engineer who specializes in training, failure analysis,
troubleshooting, reliability, efficiency audits, and litigation support on pumps and pumping systems. With offices in
Washington, .!., he can be contacted "ia email at budrisconsulting#comcast.net.
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