Kinetic Systems, Inc.

Seven Penn Center, 1635 Market Street, Suite 1500

Philadelphia, PA 19103 USA
Telephone 215.656.2500 Facsimile 215.656.4444
www.kineticsgroup.com

PUMP HEAD CALCULATIONS

1 INTRODUCTION
The “total differential head” of a pump is a quantitative measure of the resistances that a pump needs to
overcome in order to deliver a specified flowrate at a specified delivery pressure. The pump head is typically
referred to by a linear dimension, like feet or meters, but is directly correlated to a pressure parameter by the
fluid’s specific gravity. The correlation is: feet of head = (psi x 2.31 / specific gravity).

Upon calculation of the pump head, a pump model number, and impeller size (if applicable) can be specified.
In addition, pump efficiency, theoretical horsepower, motor horsepower, pump rpm, dimensions, footprint,
and an estimated cost can be determined. Therefore, calculation of the pump head allows several
parameters to be determined that help many disciplines in their deliverables efforts.

2 CLASSICAL THEORY – FRICTION LOSSES

This section will not be developed to a significant level. Please refer to the Crane Technical Paper No. 410
and to Fluid Flow textbooks for more classical theory regarding friction loss equations.

3 APPLIED THEORY – FRICTION LOSSES AND ELEVATION DIFFERENCES

The main goal of this document is to allow the engineer to utilize practical applications of classical theory to
determine the head requirements for a certain pump.

The pump head, when converted to a pressure parameter, is the difference between the suction (inlet)
pressure and the discharge (outlet) pressure of the pump. For most applications, the pump discharge
pressure, as well as the pump suction pressure, cannot be determined without determining friction losses
and accounting for hydraulic differences in elevation. Therefore, practical calculation techniques must be
utilized to expeditiously determine the pump head.

Contributions to the friction loss in a hydraulic system include:

• Losses through pipe, fittings, and valves

• Losses through in-line instruments and equipment

• Losses at exit of pipe (e.g. – sprayball desired supply pressure)

Hydraulic differences include:

• Difference between suction liquid level and pump suction level

• Difference between discharge liquid level (at end of pipe) and pump discharge level

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In addition, certain safety factors may be considered due to the “unknown” of the present and future design
when the pump head calculation is done. These safety factors can include:

• Utilizing a “design” flowrate above the normal flowrate, both for pump capacity and for friction
loss calculations. This allows a built-in capacity increase for future design scenarios for the
pump.

• Adding a safety factor of discharge-side friction loss; this may be accounted for as “pump
wear”, to allow for the pump to still perform effectively as it ages.

• Length of pipe, and the equivalent length of the pipe fittings and valves, are difficult to
pinpoint at the time that the calculation is required. Applying a conservative roundoff to the
pipe length, as well as making an allowance of the fitting/valve equivalent length as a
percentage of the linear footage, is incorporated into the friction loss calculation.

4 TERMINAL PRESSURES
The terminal pressures utilized within the pump head calculation are defined as the pressures of the starting
and ending points in a pumped circuit.

Suction-side terminal pressures can be:

• The pressure in the vapor space above the liquid level in the tank feeding the suction side of
the pump (typically atmospheric for most cases)

• A designated starting point in a pumped system that loops back onto itself

Discharge-side terminal pressures can be:

• The pressure in the vapor space at the entry point into the tank fed from the discharge side of
the pump (typically atmospheric for most cases; downstream of the tank sprayball)

• A designated ending point in a pumped system that loops back onto itself

5 STATIC HEAD
The static head (a linear measurement) is a measure of the difference in height between the liquid level at
the terminal points and the connection into the pump.

For the suction side of the pump, the difference is conservatively measured using the minimum tank level
during normal operation in a continuous system (like a purified water storage tank), or a zero value, for batch
operations where the tank is completely pumped out.

For the discharge side of the pump, the difference is conservatively measured using the maximum elevation
of the pipe run (typically up on a header rack), or the elevation of the actual discharge out of the pipe (like the
elevation of the sprayball or the tank nozzle. Though the pump has to have enough differential head to
reach a high point in the header, there is a regain of pressure when the fluid flows down to the terminal point,
so choosing the highest elevation is not always required. A preliminary analysis of a typical pump curve for
the application will provide some insight as to whether the highest elevation is required for the differential
head calculation.

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Within the pump head calculation the static head values are converted to pressure parameters in order to
provide consistent units to do the arithmetic prior to the determination of the total differential head.

6 FRICTION LOSS COMPONENTS

6.01 PIPE

Friction loss through a pipe (tube) has been comprehensively documented in industry journals, and the
required calculations have also been incorporated into in-house programs which determine the friction loss
through various pipe types and sizes for various liquids and gases. For pump calculations, we will be
concerned with liquids only.
Utilizing the journals, like the Crane Technical Bulletin, or the line sizing programs available on the Intranet,
allows the engineer to calculate the pressure drop per linear footage of pipe, expressed in PSI/100 ft of pipe,
for certain fluids passing through certain types/sizes of pipe.
In conjunction with this parameter, it is required to determine the actual footage of pipe for the hydraulic
system in question. If all of the piping detailed drawings (orthographics and isometrics) were completed, a
rigorous calculation of pipe length could be done. However, at the time of the calculation, the only piping
drawings that may be available are the equipment arrangements.
To estimate the linear footage of the piping system in question, the engineer may want to consult with the
piping designer to approximate the location of the pipe run, and to make an initial determination of any
vertical components of the pipe run (to get to and from header racks) that may not be evident in the
equipment arrangement.
Adding up the estimates of all of the horizontal and vertical piping runs provides the engineer with the linear
footage of the piping system in question. To account for uncertainty in pipe length, it may be prudent to add
20% to the estimated pipe length for incorporation into the pressure drop calculation.

6.02 FITTINGS AND VALVES

Fittings and valves in a piping system provide additional friction loss components. Many industry
publications, like the Crane Technical Bulletin, provide friction loss parameters for all pipe fittings and valve
types in terms of “equivalent length” of pipe. The summation of the pipe length, along with the equivalent
length of all of the fittings and valves, provide the engineer with the total equivalent length of the piping
system in question.
Again, it may be difficult to pinpoint all of the fittings and valves in a piping system when the pump head
calculation is required. The P&ID’s are the best source of information at this time. Though fittings like tees
are evident from the P&ID, branch tees have different equivalent lengths than “through” tees; also, the
number of elbows in the piping system are not apparent from the P&ID and need to be estimated. The valve
type and quantity should be accurate if the P&ID’s are reasonably complete.
The quantity of each type of fitting and valve can be estimated, and their equivalent lengths summed up to
add to the piping length, or a factor can be added to the originally estimated piping length to account for the
fittings, valves, and uncertainty of piping length.
If the calculated pressure drop per 100 ft is relatively low (less than 1.5 psi/100 ft), the impact of a 50% to
100% safety factor for equivalent length above the estimated piping length has a nominal impact in the pump
head calculation. Therefore, it is recommended that, if an estimated equivalent length can be used (or if

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fitting information is lacking), multiply the tabulation of linear footage by 1.5 or 2.0 to get the equivalent length
of the piping system.
If the calculated pressure drop per 100 ft is higher (about 2.5 to 4 psi/100 ft), as in a sanitary system
requiring higher velocities, the impact of a 50% safety factor for equivalent length above the estimated piping
length may be significant, and may result in an over-design. Therefore, for these systems, it would be
beneficial to provide a more rigorous determination of linear footage and equivalent lengths.
For sanitary piping systems like high-purity water systems, proprietary software, such as Hydronet, can be
used to provide a more rigorous calculation method for incorporating equivalent lengths. However, it is still
required to input all of the pipe lengths, valves, and fittings to allow the calculation to be done.
Therefore, whether software is used or not, the engineer should critically estimate all of the pipe, valves, and
fittings in a sanitary piping system, and come up with a more rigorous determination of equivalent length of
the piping system. After this has been done, it would still be prudent to add a 20% safety factor to the total.

6.03 IN-LINE INSTRUMENTS

Most of the in-line instruments that contribute to pressure drop are meters; in our industry, most of these
meters are flowmeters. Some of these flowmeters actually require a pressure drop through them to calculate
the flowrate, so an allowance for pressure drop through the meter should be made. Vendor catalogs can be
a source of pressure drop information; in lieu of a vendor catalog, allow 3 to 5 psi of pressure drop for each
in-line meter.
Other in-line meters, such as conductivity meters, may also contribute to the pressure drop. Again, vendor
information is available and should be used.

6.04 CONTROL VALVES

A differentiation should be made between control valves and automatic on-off valves. The automatic on-off
valves should be treated as manual valves, and an equivalent length should be applied to them. A control
valve is a modulating valve, designed to regulate the flow based on some control setpoint.
A control valve requires a pressure drop to provide it with a range of flows to allow the control parameter to
be maintained within a certain tolerance. At the time of the pump head calculation, the control valve has not
been sized; an allowance of 10 psi of pressure drop for the control valve is usually selected for purposes of
the pump head calculation.

6.05 EQUIPMENT

Equipment located within the piping system also provides pressure drop to the system. These equipment
items include: heat exchangers, vessel jackets, and in-line filters.

6.06 HEAT EXCHANGERS

Heat exchangers come in various types, and the determination of the type of exchanger may not be available
when the pump head calculation is done. In addition, the actual calculation of pressure drop through the
exchanger is done by the vendor; this information is also not available when the pump head calculation is
done.
Traditionally, allowance for pressure drop in shell-and-tube heat exchangers were 10 psi tube side, and 5 psi
shell-side. Modern heat exchangers seem to consume less pressure drop, so an allowance of 5 psi tube
side and 3 psi shell side is adequate for the pump head calculation.

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Other heat exchangers, such as plate-and-frame, are used in piping systems. An allowance of 5 psi
pressure drop for each fluid of the plate-and-frame exchanger is adequate.

6.07 VESSEL JACKETS

A vessel jacket is designed to provide turbulent flow to maximize heat transfer between the jacket and the
tank contents. Whether through a tortuous path, past baffles, or through narrow channels, the required liquid
flow through a vessel jacket results in a significant pressure drop to optimize the heat transfer.
For most jacket configurations, like dimple or half-pipe, the pressure drop allowance for pump head
calculation is 10 psig.
For special jacket configurations, like those on a bulk pharmaceutical reactor utilizing a diffusion nozzle on
the vessel jacket, the overall jacket pressure drop (counting the diffusion nozzle) may be more like 20 to 30
psig.

6.08 IN-LINE FILTERS

In-line filters come in a variety of applications, filtration ratings (pore size) and configurations, and an
allowance for pressure drop through the filter must be made. Note that the filter pressure drop will be
different between a clean and dirty condition. For pump head calculation purposes, a pressure drop
allowance of 5 psi is recommended.

6.09 SPRAY BALLS

For most applications that require a liquid to be sprayed into the receiving tank, static (non-rotating)
sprayballs are utilized. These sprayballs have numerous holes, and these holes represent a fixed orifice.
For liquids, a fixed orifice has a direct relationship between flowrate and pressure drop. Therefore, a desired
flowrate for a given desired pressure drop will determine the number of holes of a given diameter to be drilled
into a sprayball.
For pump head calculations, a sprayball pressure drop of 25 to 30 psi is chosen for static sprayballs.
Other sprayball types, such as dynamic (rotating) have typically required higher pressure drops (50-60 psi)
for proper operation. If a static sprayball is not chosen for the application, consult vendor catalogs to provide
an adequate allowance for pressure drop.

6.10 PUMP WEAR

Another component of conservative design is an allowance for pump wear. As a pump and its mechanical
components age, the pumping capabilities may decrease due to the wearing/erosion of some of the metallic
surfaces. Providing additional differential head in the initial design will allow a pump to still perform
effectively as it ages. An allowance of 5 psi is recommended.

7 NET POSITIVE SUCTION HEAD (NPSH)

The net positive suction head (NPSH) of a pump is a parameter used to identify a minimum suction
requirement to avoid cavitation in a pump. Pump cavitation (or vapor-entrainment) renders a pump
ineffective, since most pumps cannot pass vapors through the pump and into the discharge piping.

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NPSH is typically expressed in linear units (feet of liquid of absolute pressure). It equates to the pump
suction pressure minus the vapor pressure of the fluid being pumped, with a conversion from pressure to feet
of liquid.

As shown above, the NPSH is impacted by the vapor pressure of the fluid being pumped. For liquids at or
near their boiling point (related to pump suction pressure), the available NPSH is much lower than cooler
liquids, or liquids not near their boiling point. This is a critical component of pump design, and may result in
special pump design for centrifugal pumps, a switch to a different pump, like a rotary lobe pump which
requires less NPSH, or may actually result in a modification of the process design (terminal pressure, tank
elevation, etc.) to accommodate the NPSH restriction.

To be conservative, the available NPSH determined from the calculation should be decreased by 20%, and
the resulting number given to the pump vendor as a NPSH requirement for his pump design (i.e. – NPSHr =
NPSHa x 0.8).

Utilize a nominal NPSHr of 20 feet for any NPSHr calculations resulting in more than 20 feet.

8 CALCULATION OF TOTAL DIFFERENTIAL HEAD (TDH)

The total differential head is merely the difference between pump discharge and pump suction pressures,
with a conversion to a linear parameter feet of head = (psi x 2.31 / specific gravity). This calculation is
performed by the “Pump Calculation Matrix” spreadsheet on the Process site on the Intranet. All parameters
described above are inputted into the matrix for use in the calculation.

Note that there may be multiple or alternate circuits utilizing the pump, which may necessitate multiple TDH
calculations for a given pump. If pump flowrate requirements are the same, the case which requires the
largest TDH will be utilized as the design case.

END OF DOCUMENT

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