CHAPTER SIX

6. Capacity Regulation

While fluid machines should run around their design capacity, in most applications the
capacity required by the system will not be the same as the design capacity of the
machines. In addition for various reasons the capacity required by the system may change
from time to time. Therefore, regulating the capacity of fluid machines is an essential
issue. The various techniques used for regulating the capacity of fluid machines are
discussed in this chapter.
Objectives: At end of this chapter students shall be able to:
 Identify capacity regulation mechanisms for dynamic pumps
 Determine the performance of pumps in series and parallel arrangement for
capacity regulations.
6.1 Dynamic Pumps
Capacity regulation methods for systems using centrifugal and axial flow pumps and fans
are similar. The main methods are regulation by throttling, speed adjustment, bypass
regulation and multiple pumps in parallel and series. Each of these regulation methods
are discussed in the following section.

6.1.1 Regulation by Throttling

Regulation by throttling is the simplest and cheapest capacity regulation method. The
capacity is varied by varying the flow area of a valve placed at the discharge or suction
line.
Figure 6.1 shows how capacity regulation is achieved through throttling. When the flow
area of the valve is reduced the resistance for flow increases and the system dynamic
head increases. The working point also changes accordingly. When the required capacity
is reached, the throttling process is stopped.

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 Working point
after throttling Effect of
throttling

H[m] Pump characteristic

curve
Working point
before throttling
System characteristic
curves

Q[m3/hr]

Figure 6.1 Capacity regulations by throttling

Discharge throttling: This is the simples, cheapest and most common method of capacity
regulation for systems using centrifugal pumps. A throttling valve is placed in discharge line and
by adjusting the opening of the valve the required capacity is achieved. In discharge throttling
there will not be pressure drop across the pump. Hence, it is very important to increase net
positive suction head available (NPSHA) which avoids cavitation problem.

Regulation valve in
discharge line

Figure 6.2 Discharge throttling

Suction throttling: It is similar to discharge throttling except the fact that the valve is placed in
the suction line. Suction throttling is not advisable for pumps, since pressure drop across capacity
regulation valves is significant and can reduce the NPSHA making the system susceptible for
cavitation.

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 Regulation valve in
suction throttling

Figure 6.3 Suction throttling (Not advisable for pump- systems)

Capacity regulation can be easily shown using the characteristic curves of the pump and the
system. By similar analysis it can be shown that no appreciable capacity regulation is achieved
by throttling in systems with positive displacement pumps.
6.1.2 Regulation by Speed

When the pump is driven by variable speed engine, pump capacity regulation is carried out by
speed adjustment. Figure 6.4 shows how capacity regulation is achieved by speed. The
characteristic curve at a different speed can be obtained by applying the affinity laws for discrete
points and joining them by a smooth curve. As the speed of pump is increased, the capacity is
also increased. But at constant speed, as the capacity is increased, the head of pump is decreased.
The shut of head is the maximum pump head where the flow rate of the pump is zero.

Pump characteristic
curve at speed n2 n2>n1

H[m]
Pump characteristic
curve at Speed n1

System characteristic
curve

Q[m3/hr] Q1 Q2

Figure 6.4 Capacity regulations by speed

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6.1.3 Bypass Regulation ( for pumps)
Running pumps at flow rates far below the design flow rate is not advisable. Besides inefficiency
it can also damage the pump since the flow medium serves as lubricant in pumps most of the
time and decrease in flow rate may result in inefficient lubrication and cooling in cases when
rotary elements come in contact with stationary parts. Bypass regulation is a good alternative in
such cases. Bypass regulation is in essence running the pump at a higher flow rate and returning
the rest to the source. Figure 6.5 shows a system regulated using bypass method.

Bypass line

Figure 6.5 Bypass regulation

6.1.4 Pumps in Parallel and in Series

When there is significant variation in system head and flow rate requirements, multiple pumps
can be used in parallel or in series to get the desired flow rate or head.
Pumps in parallel: Multiple pumps in parallel are used when it is desired to get higher flow
rate. Figure 6.6 shows pumps arranged in parallel.
For parallel arrangement the total flow rate of the system is the sum of individual pump flow
rate.However, the total head is equal to the individual

Pumps in parallel

Figure 6.6 pumps arranged in parallel.

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The operating point of each pump can be obtained by drawing the overall characteristic of the
pumps in the system and the system characteristic. It should be noted that when pumps or fans
work in parallel the head against which they are working will be the same and total flow rate will
be the sum of the flow rate of the pump at the working head. The overall characteristic curve of
the two pumps or fans working in parallel is obtained by adding the flow rates for the same head.
The procedure for drawing the overall characteristic curve is as follows:

 From the characteristics of the two pumps select heads common to both pumps
 Find the corresponding flow rate of each pump for those common heads
 The total flow rate of the two pumps working in parallel for each common head is
the sum of the flow rate of each pump at that head
 Draw the characteristic curves as shown in Figure 6.7.

Characteristic curve Characteristic curve Characteristic curve

of pump 1 of pump 2 of pump 1+2 in
parallel

H[m]

Q1 Q[m3/hr] Q2 Q1+ Q2

Figure 6.7 Capacity regulation using two pumps working in parallel

Pumps in series: Series arrangement is used when it is desired to get increased head. When
pumps are working in series their volume flow rate is the same and their respective head is
obtained from their characteristic curve if the common flow rate is obtained.

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 Pumps in series

Figure 6.8 Pumps in series (Suction throttling not advisable for pump- systems)

Their common flow rate is obtained by finding the intersection point of the overall characteristic
curve of the pumps working in series with the system characteristic curve. The procedure for
drawing the overall characteristic curve is as follows:
 From the characteristics of the two pumps select flow rates common to both
pumps
 Find the corresponding heads of each pump for those common flow rates
 The total head of the two pumps working in series for each common flow rate is
the sum of the head of each pump at that flow rate
 Draw the characteristic curves
Example 6.1: The performance characteristic of two pumps is given in Table 6.1. The
characteristic of the system at which they are used is given in Table 6.2. Determine the capacity
i) The flow rate if the two pumps work in series
ii) The flow rate if pump1 works alone
iii) The flow rate if pump 2 works alone
iv) The flow rate if the two pumps work in parallel
Table 6.1 Performance characteristics of Pump1 and Pump 2
Q(m3/hr) common 0 50 110 180 220 270 300
H1(m) Head of pump 1 50 49 46 40 34 25 16
H2 (m)Head of pump 2 52 51 49 45 41 32 22

Table 6.2 System characteristics

Q(m3/hr) common 0 50 110 180 220 270 300
Hsystem(m) 60 60.6 62.7 67.1 70.6 76.0 79.8

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Solution
i) The overall performance characteristics if the two pumps work in series is found by
adding the heads for common low rates. Table 6.3 summarizes the values.

Table 6.3: The overall performance characteristics for the two pumps in series
Q(m3/hr) common 0 50 110 180 220 270 300
H1(m) Head of pump 1 50 49 46 40 34 25 16
H2 (m)Head of pump 2 52 51 49 45 41 32 22
H1+H2 102 100 95 85 75 57 38

The characteristic curves become as shown in Figure 7.9. Reading the graph at the working
point, the flow rate is obtained to be 230 m3/hr.
Characteristic curve of
120 the two pumps
working in series
Working point of
100
the overall system

H [m] 80

60

40

20

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Q [m3/hr]
Figure 7.9 Characteristic curves of two pumps working in series

ii) Since the system characteristic curve doesn’t have intersection point with pumps
characteristics pump 1 doesn’t deliver any liquid if it works alone. The energy
requirement is larger than the energy that the pump can deliver.
iii) The same as (ii)

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 iv) If the pumps work together in parallel there will not be increase in head. The system
characteristics still will be above the pumps overall characteristics. Therefore no
liquid will be delivered in this case also.

Overall Efficiency of Pumps Working in Parallel

For two pumps
gH (Q1  Q2 )
 (6.1)
N b ,1  N b, 2

gHQ1 gHQ2
 
N b ,1  N b , 2 N b ,1  N b , 2

gHQ1 / N b ,1 gHQ2 / N b , 2
 
1  N b , 2 / N b,1 1  N b ,1 / N b, 2

With
r  N b , 2 / N b ,1

and since 1  gHQ1 / N b ,1 and 1  gHQ 2 / N b , 2

1 2
 
1 r 1  1/ r
1  r 2
 (6.2)
1 r
Overall Efficiency of Pumps Working in Series
Similar analysis leads us to the result
1  r 2

1 r
Therefore the formula is the same when the pumps work in parallel and series.
When the pumps have equal brake power
r=1
1  1.2 1   2
  (6.3)
11 2
Therefore if the pumps have equal brake power the overall efficiency will be the arithmetic mean
of the efficiency of the pumps.

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Example 6.2: The efficiencies of two pumps P1 and P2 working in parallel are 0.76 and 0.68
respectively. The brake power of P1 is 3.5 kW and P2 is 4.2 kW. Determine the overall efficiency
of the pumps when they work together in parallel or series.

Solution
1=0.76
2=0.68
0.76  (4.2 / 3.5)0.68
η  0.716  71.6%
1  (4.2 / 3.5)
Therefore the overall efficiency of the two pumps working together in parallel or series is
71.6%

6.2 FANS
The capacity of fans can be regulated by speed, multiple pumps in series and parallel, and
throttling with a damper. The principles used in fans regulations are the same as centrifugal
pumps.
Review Exercise for Chapter Six
1. Why is discharge throttling more appropriate than suction throttling in pumping systems
using centrifugal pumps?
2. Explain why in system using pumps with steep characteristic curves bypass regulation is
more advantageous than discharge throttling.
3. In what situation should parallel arrangement or series arrangement be considered as an
appropriate capacity regulation method?
4. The efficiencies of two pumps P1 and P2 working in parallel are 62% and 68.3%
respectively. The brake power of P1 is 20.5 kW and P2 is 18 kW. Determine the overall
efficiency of the pumps when they work together.
5. Two fans having the nearly equal brake power have efficiencies of 78% and 82%
determine the overall efficiency when the two fans work in parallel and in series.

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6. A centrifugal fan running at a speed of 1500 rpm is used to move air at 250C and 1 atm
(101.325 kPa) through a duct. The head capacity curve and efficiency curve of the fan
and the characteristic curve of the system are given in Figure E6.1. If the speed is
increased to 2000 rpm and made to work at the best efficiency point what will be the flow
rate, head and coupling power.
40 0.8

35 0.7

30 0.6

25 0.5

Effic iency
H[m]

20 0.4

15 0.3

10 0.2

5 0.1

0 0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Q [m3/hr]

Figure E6.1: Performance characteristic of a centrifugal fan

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