ABSTRACT

Pumps are used to converts the input power to kinetic energy in the liquid by accelerating
the liquids. The pumps can be connected in series and parallel. This experiment was conducted to
investigate the different types of pump configuration operations. Series pumps and parallel pumps
configuration was performed and analyzed the characteristics of their operations. The performance
curve for series pump and parallel pump also identified and analyzed. The pressure out was
manipulated with certain constant pressure to measure the volume flow rate, suction pressure,
pump delivery pressure, net head, water horsepower. Different pump configurations produce
different results. Result shows that there are discrepancies in our experimental performance curve
in accordance to the theoretical performance curve. For the entire pump configuration, when the
volume flow rate increased the net head decreased. The net head produce is series pump
configuration is higher than the net head produces in parallel pump configurations.
INTRODUCTION
This experiment is to determine the pump performance curve for series and parallel pump
configurations. Basically, the pump is a device used to move fluids (liquids or gases) by
mechanical action which it comes in many size and types. The purpose of this practical is to gain
some familiarity how pump systems behave when they connected in series, and parallel. Series
operation is a flow where one pump discharges directly into the suction of the second pump, with
both pumps delivering the same flow rate, but sharing in the development of the combined
pressure. The parallel operation is flow where each of two or more pumps takes its suction from a
common header and discharges into another common header, thus sharing the flow while operating
at the same head.

SERIES PUMP OPERATION

Centrifugal pumps are connected in series if the discharge of one pump is connected to
the suction side of a second pump. Two similar pumps, in series, operate in the same manner as a
two-stage centrifugal pump. Each of the pumps is putting energy into the pumping fluid, so the
resultant head is the sum of the individual heads.
The things to consider when connect pumps in series is either pumps must have the same
width impeller or the difference in capacities could cause a cavitation problem if the first pump
cannot supply enough liquid to the second pump. Next, both pumps must run at the same speed.
Both pumps must be filled with liquid during start-up and operation and start the second pump
after the first pump is running.
When two (or more) pumps are arranged in serial, their resulting pump performance
curve is obtained by adding their heads at same flow rate as indicated in the Figure 2.1 below.

PARALLEL PUMP OPERATION

Pumps are operated in parallel when two or more pumps are connected to a common
discharge line, and share the same suction conditions. Both pumps must produce the same head
this usually means they must be running at the same speed, with the same diameter impeller.
Two pumps in parallel will deliver less than twice the flow rate of a single pump in the
system because of the increased friction in the piping. The shape of the system curve determines
the actual increase in capacity. If there is additional friction in the system from throttling (see
dotted line in the following diagram), two pumps in parallel may deliver only slightly more than
a single pump operating by its self.
When single pump is running, it will operate at a higher flow rate (A) than if it were
working in parallel with another pump (B) because it will be operating further out on the curve
requiring increased power. The rule is that if a pump is selected to run in parallel, be sure it has a
driver rated for single operation.

OBJECTIVE
The objective of the experiment:

To design complete measurement technique for fluid flow and determine pump
performance with series, and parallel pump configurations.
To investigate the relationship between pressure head, flow rate, power consumed and
efficiency for a pump.
To compare the performance curves of different pumps.

Experimental Apparatus
It comprises the following:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

Multi-pump Test rig.

Personal Computer with DasyLab
Water tank
Data Acquisition System
National Instrument Equipment (NI)
Sensors

EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE
The experiment is designed to determine the pump performance with series and parallel pump
configurations. Hence, the experiment is to investigate the relationship between pressure head,
flow rate, power consumed and efficiency for a pump. There are two pumps labelled as pump
1(p1) and pump 2(p2) as the figure below.

Series Pump
1. The pump apparatus are checked to make sure all are in well condition and secured properly
to their parts.
2. The strain gauge is fitted to the pump 1(p1) fittings and the other end is fitted to National
Instrument(NI9219)
3. Flow meter is fitted to National Instrument(NI9201).
4. After the Dasylab has been setup, the reservoir tank is filled with water before pump is run.
5. The pump valves which are pump 1 and pump 2(all valves except V3) are opened
corresponding with the series pump path and the other is closed.
6. Both pump 1 and pump 2 are turned on when the reservoir tank is filled with water.
7. The voltage generated by flow sensor transmitted to NI and is converted to frequency by
using dasylab. The volume flow rate is then calculated using formula on Dasylab.
8. The pressures of pump and at outlet at single pump are obtained through digital meter of
Dasylab.
9. Pressure head, flow rate, power consumed and efficiency for the pump were obtained by
using module formula interpreter of Dasylab.
10. Step 8 is repeated 4 times to obtain 4 set of data.

Parallel Pump
1. The pump apparatus are checked to make sure all are in well condition and secured properly
to their parts.
2. The strain gauge is fitted to the pump 1(p1) fittings and the other end is fitted to National
Instrument(NI9219)
3. Flow meter is fitted to National Instrument(NI9201).
4. After the Dasylab has been setup, the reservoir tank is filled with water before pump is run.
5. The pump valves which are pump 1 and pump 2(all valves)are opened corresponding with
the series pump path and the other is closed.
6. Both pump 1 and pump 2 are turned on when the reservoir tank is filled with water.
7. The voltage generated by flow sensor transmitted to NI and is converted to frequency by
using dasylab. The volume flow rate is then calculated using formula on Dasylab.
8. The pressures of pump and at outlet at single pump are obtained through digital meter of
Dasylab.
9. Pressure head, flow rate, power consumed and efficiency for the pump were obtained by
using module formula interpreter of Dasylab.
10. Step 8 is repeated 4 times to obtain 4 set of data.

PRECAUTIONS
1. The parallax error should be avoided while taking readings
2. When fluid is flowing, there may be a fluctuation in the reading, note the mean position
carefully.
3. After the experiment is over, do not forget to keep the delivery valve open and switchOFF the mains.
4. Do not exceed 1.5 kg/cm2 on pressure gauge reading and never fully close the delivery
valve.

RESULTS AND GRAPHS

a) Series Pump

Flow
Rate,Q
(m3s-1)
0.000383
0.000379
0.000320
0.000256
0.000194

Delivery
Presure, (Pa)

Suction
Pressure, (Pa)

PD1

PD2

PS1

PS2

268530
282100
289270
345480
366090

410390
449100
538700
542330
675190

-35000
-35000
-35000
-35000
-35000

0
0
0
0
0

Net
Head, H
(m)
72.77
78.10
87.97
94.07
109.71

Power, Efficiency,
P (W) (%)
273.41
290.38
276.16
236.24
208.79

41.43
44.00
41.84
35.79
31.63

Table 1: The flow rate, delivery pressure, suction pressure, outflow

pressure, net head and water horse power for series pump

b) Parallel Pump
Delivery
Presure, (Pa)

Flow
Rate,Q
(m3s-1)
0.000389
0.000356
0.000277
0.000247
0.000179

Suction
Pressure, (Pa)

PD1

PD2

PS1

PS2

353390
396730
415370
438900
443560

503510
523390
553910
569980
573660

-35000
-35000
-35000
-35000
-35000

0
0
0
0
0

Net
Head, H
(m)
45.46
48.68
51.12
53.20
53.63

Power, Efficiency,
P (W) (%)
173.48
170.00
138.91
128.91
94.17

26.28
25.76
21.05
19.53
14.27

Table 2: The flow rate, delivery pressure, suction pressure, outflow

pressure, net head and water horse power for parallel pump

Sample Calculations
At room temperature,
Density of water,
Gravitational Force,
Dynamic Viscosity
Input power of the pump

Troom=25C
p= 1000 kg/m3
g= 9.81 ms-2
= 0.891x 10-3kg/ms
=660W

Assumptions : -Water is an incompressible flow

- The inlet and outlet diameters are identical
-There are no changes in elevation
Series Pump
Net head, H = headpump1 + headpump2
PDelivery PSuction
Net Head, H=
g
=(268530+35000+410390)/(1000x9.81)
= 72.77m ANS.
Water horsepower, PWH= pgQH
= (1000) (9.81) (0.000383) (72.77)
= 273.41W
Efficiency, =

ANS.

100% = 41.43%

ANS.

Parallel Pump
Net head, H = (headpump1 + headpump2)/2
PDelivery PSuction
Net Head, H=
2 g
=(353390+35000+503510)/(1000x 9.81)
= 45.46m
ANS.
Water horsepower, PWH= pgQH
= (1000) (9.81) (0.000389) (45.46)
= 173.48W
ANS.
Efficiency, =

100% = 26.28%

ANS.

Construct a graph of Pump Pressure Head (vertical axis) against Pump Flow Rate (horizontal)

Pump Pressure Head (m) versus Pump Flow Rate

(m3s-1)
Pump head pressure, m

120
100
80
60
40
20
0
0

0.00005

0.0001

0.00015

0.0002

0.00025

0.0003

0.00035

0.0004

0.00045

Pump flow rate, m3s-1

Series

Parallel

Based on the graph of head versus volume flow rate above, it is clearly shows that pump head is
increasing significantly with the decreasing of volume flow rate among the two different types of
pumps, that are series pump and parallel pump. For those pumps, the volume flow rate and the
pressures rise at the suction, delivery and outflow area are related. Hence, the differential pressures
will result in different pump head and volume flow rate. A system pump head graph show the head
loss of a piping system increases (usually quadratically) with flow rate. In actual, the net head
produced is high when the volume flow rate is low and differential pressure is high. There an
operating point can find at the intersection of the two curves.
Pumps are combined in series to obtain an increase in head or in parallel for an increase in flow
rate. Series pump will add the head as compared to parallel pump. The theory is proved with the
graph show when the head of the series pump is higher than parallel pump.

Construct a graph of Efficiency (vertical axis) against Flow Rate (horizontal axis).

Efficiency (%) versus Pump Flow Rate (m3s-1)

50
45
40
Efficiency, %

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0

0.00005

0.0001

0.00015

0.0002

0.00025

0.0003

0.00035

0.0004

0.00045

Pump flow rate, m3s-1

Series

Parallel

From the graph, we know that the series get the higher efficiency compared to parallel pump.
Theoretically, the efficiency of pump increased with the increase of flow rate and head. This theory
can be proven with the graph above. However the efficiency of a pump is highest at a certain
combination of head and flow rate. Therefore. a pump that can supply the required head and flow
rate is not necessarily a good choice for a piping system unless the efficiency of the pump at those
conditions is sufficiently high.

Categorize the pumps into (i) high flow/low pressure or (ii) Low flow/high pressure types.
Pump1 operates at high pressures and low flow rates while pump 2 is worked at high flow
rate and low flow. This is because that pump 1 is stronger than pump 2 as pump 1 produce
higher head compare to the pump 2 at both of the series and parallel pump configuration
experiment. Since the pressure is directly proportional to the head where we can see from
the formula P=gh, the pressure of pump 1 also higher than pump 2. So we can conclude
that Pump 1 operation at low flow with high pressure while Pump 2 goes oppositely.

Plot comparison of performance curves of the pumps with various configurations.

A Graph of Comparison of Performance

Curves of the Pumps
350
300

Power (W)

250
200
Series

150

Parallel

100
50
0
0

0.0001

0.0002
Flow Rate

0.0003

0.0004

0.0005

(m3s-1)

The characteristic of the pump can be viewed through three parts that are the head,
efficiency and power. Theoretically, the power of the pump increase with the flow rate.
But the head also play a role in affecting the power of the pump. The power of affect the
efficiency of the pump. The higher the power, the higher the performance of the pump due
to more efficient work over input. From the graph, we can see the series pump
configuration performs with higher power compared to parallel pump configuration. Yet
there are still some error in the reading due to some sorts of mis-conduction method and
apparatus defects.

DISCUSSIONS

1. State the advantages and disadvantages of parallel and series pump arrangements.
Running pumps in series arrangement only increases the head (pressure) throughout the
water flow and it did not affecting the water flow at all. If the pump that we are using did
not have enough pressure to run the water flow smoothly and operate the system efficiently,
so it means that the pump did not have enough flow rate. Flow rate is very important when
we are dealing with pump connections. For the series pump, the net head is high and is
used to pump fluid from a low level to a higher level, and the water horsepower obtained
is also high. The rate of the volume is very high.
For parallel pump, the volume flow rate obtained is relatively high compare to the series
pump. The advantage of parallel pump is that it is suitable to pump high fluid flow at low
level place. We can achieve higher volume flow rate just from combination of cheap lower
power pumps in parallel configuration rather than having one expensive high power pump
to achieve higher volume flow rate. Besides, pumps can still operating when one of pump
is shut off. The disadvantage of parallel pump configuration is when doing parallel pump
system; there is additional valves and piping that series configuration. This will add
additional head losses of the system and impaired the overall performance of the parallel
pump configuration.
2. Draw the velocity diagram for radial flow pump.

3. From your data, what will happen to the flow rate and total head when two pumps are
connected in parallel and series? Explain.

For parallel connection, if the total head is increased, then the flow rate will be decreased.
The same situations goes with the series connection, if the total head is increased, the flow
rate will also be decreased. Either in parallel or series pump connections, both of them are
inversely proportional with each other.
4. How can you obtain operating flow rate for the pumps when they are connected in parallel
and series? Discuss.
The operating flow rate for the pumps when they are connected in parallel and series can
be obtained by drawing the system curve which come from the theoretical formula of
finding theoretical or ideal head and the experiment curve which is a graph of head against
flow rate. The operating point is lies on the intersection of the two points. With the
interpolation, the intersection point which the horizontal axis indicates the maximum flow
rate (called the free delivery) that the pump can supply. Pumps are connected in series if
the discharge of one pump is connected to the suction side of a second pump. Two similar
pumps, in series, operate in the same manner as a two-stage pump. Both pumps must run
at the same speed. Pumps are operated in parallel when two or more pumps are connected
to a common discharge line, and share the same suction conditions. Two pumps in parallel
will deliver less than twice the flow rate of a single pump in the system because of the
increased friction in the piping.
5. Compare the experimental performance curve with theoretical curve, and discuss the
difference (if any).
From the experiments, the experiment performance curve that obtained is quite similar to
the theoretical curve that, the volume flow rate is inversely proportional to the net head
which mean the volume flow rate is increasing with the decreasing of pumps head among
the three different types of pumps, that are series pump, and parallel pump. For the series
pump curve, the highest head can be obtained, while for the parallel pump, the highest flow
rate can be obtained. Note that, there is a slightly inaccurate data collection and experiment
setup, whereas both pumps do not operate at the same capacity. During the experiment,
due to the error of apparatus, equipment and error recording the data will result in
inaccurate and inconsistent of the results.

CONCLUSION
In the end of the experiment, we come to meet the objective and managed to design
complete measurement technique for fluid flow and determine pump performance with series, and
parallel pump configurations. The data have been collected using the Dasylab and further interpret
using graph drawn.
Ideally the head will increase with the flow rate. But In actual, the head goes down with
the flow rate. The head and flow rate is directly proportional to the power consumed and the
efficiency for three of the condition. Overall, series pump configuration performs better compared
to the others in term of head, power consumed and the efficiency. If want to say separately, the
series pump help to increase the head. The parallel pump configuration function to increase the
flow rate. Two pumps in parallel will deliver less the flow rate in the system because of the
increased friction in the piping.
The pump performance curve for series and parallel configurations was analyzed. The
graph verified the theory that we learn in Fluid Mechanics subject. It is also undeniable that there
is a slightly discrepancies in our experimental curves compare to the theoretical performance
curves. This is mainly due to the human error and also the pump does not operate at the same
capacity.
REFERENCES
1. http://www.retscreen.net/fichier.php/908/Chapter%20Pumps%20and%20Pumping%20Sy
stems.pdf
2. Fluid Mechanics, second edition, YunusA.engal and John M. Cimbala, 2010
3. http://www.gunt.de/static/s3555_1.php
4. http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pumps-parallel-serial-d_636.html
5. 1. White, F.M., Fluid Mechanics, 2nd Ed., McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1986.