Sump Design Guidelines for Large Volume Pumping Stations

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SUMP DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR LARGE VOLUME PUMPING STATIONS

In assessing large volume pumping stations, four hydraulic occurrences, when present to extreme degree, can affect pump performance in the approach flows to pumps in a sump. They are: Vortices Pre-swirl of flow and its transients entering the pump Non-uniform velocity at the impeller eye Entrained air or gas bubbles Their influence on pump performance depends on the pumps design features, such as specific speed and size. In general, large, high specific speed pumps are more sensitive to adverse flow occurrences. The typical outcomes of poor hydraulic conditions can include: Departure from the design conditions and deterioration of the hydraulic performance Increased power consumption and overloading Excessive vibration and noise Increases in repair and maintenance expense Shorter equipment life Non-reliability in critical applications Unpredictability of performance Uneven wear Short life of bearings and seals However, a properly designed sump would achieve optimum hydraulic performance for all operating conditions. The tools used for the optimum design include Hydraulic Institute Standards (HIS) and other literature, physical and numerical modeling, and the knowledge of the designer with actual applications. The performance of a sump is determined by the characteristics of the approach flow.

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Sump Design Guidelines for Large Volume Pumping Stations

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START AT THE BEGINNING The direction and distribution of flow at the entrance to a sump must be based on the following considerations: 1. The orientation of the structure relative to the supply 2. Whether the structure is recessed, flush with, or protrudes beyond the boundaries of the supply 3. Strength of currents in the supply perpendicular to the direction of approach to the pumps 4. The number of pumps required and their anticipated operating combinations For ideal flow conditions, there are no cross-flows in the vicinity of the intake structure that create asymmetric flow patterns approaching any of the pumps, and the supply boundary is symmetrical with respect to the centerline of the structure. Cross-flow velocities are significant if they exceed 50 percent of the bay entrance velocity. For pumps with design flows greater than 5,000 gallons per minute, dividing walls between pumps are required. PHYSICAL MODEL TESTS The following is the criteria for physical model testing and is based on the HIS recommendations: 1. Vortices entering less severe than free surface vortices of type 3 and sub-surface vortices of type 2. Acceptable dye core vortices occur for less than 10 percent of the time 3. Swirl angles must be less than 5 degrees 4. Time-averaged velocities at points the bell shall be within 10 percent of the cross-sectional area average velocity For example, a physical hydraulic model study is performed for pump sumps with the following features: Sump geometry such as bay width, bell clearances, side wall angles, bottom slopes, distance from obstructions, the bell diameter or piping changes, and so on that deviates from HIS design standards Non-uniform or non-symmetric approach flow to the sump (for example, intake from a significant crossflow, use of dual flow or drum screens, or a short radius pipe bend near the pump suction). Pump flows greater than 40,000 gallons per minute per pump or the total station flow with all pumps running would be greater than 100,000 gallons per minute MODEL SIMILITUDE AND SCALE SELECTION Models involving a free surface and hence controlled by gravity and inertial forces are based on Froude similarity. The Froude number is the ratio of inertial to gravitational forces, and is defined for pump sump as:

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Sump Design Guidelines for Large Volume Pumping Stations

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For similarity of flow patterns, the Froude number shall be equal in model and prototype:

A reasonably large geometric scale is selected to minimize viscous and surface tension scale effects, and to reproduce the flow pattern in the vicinity of the intake. Also, the model shall be large enough to allow visual observations of flow patterns, accurate measurements of swirl and velocity distribution, and sufficient dimensional control. The model geometric scale is selected so that the model bell entrance Reynolds number and Weber number are above 6 x 104 and 240, respectively, for the test conditions based on Froude similitude. For practicality in observing flow patterns and obtaining accurate measurements, the model scale shall yield a bay width of at least 12 inches, a minimum liquid depth of at least 6 inches, and a pump throat or suction diameter of at least 3 inches in the model. SUMP DIMENSIONS The basic design requirements for satisfactory hydraulic performance of rectangular sumps include: 1. Adequate submergence to limit velocities in the pump bays 2. Reduced potential for formulation of surface or sub-surface vortices 3. Adequate pump bay width, in conjunction with the depth, to limit the maximum pump approach velocities to 1.5 feet per second, but narrow and long enough to channel flow uniformly toward the pumps.

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Sump Design Guidelines for Large Volume Pumping Stations

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(See the American National Standards for Pump Intake Design, ANSI/Hydraulic Institute Standards 9.81998) MINIMUM SUBMERGENCE The net positive suction head available (NPSHA) is a function of the station design and is the net head available at the eye of the impeller. By changing the depth of the pump in the station, submergence and therefore the NPSHA can be varied to suit the design criteria. Likewise, the net positive suction head required (NPSHR) is a function of the pump design and determined by the manufacturer by model testing. In general, larger pumps operating at slower speeds have reduced NPSHR. The NPSHA should always be higher than NPSHR for the pump with manufacturer recommended safety factor. The minimum submergence, S, required to prevent strong air core vortices is based on the Froude number, defined earlier as:

The minimum submergence, S, shall be calculated from (Hecker, G.E., 1987),

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Sump Design Guidelines for Large Volume Pumping Stations

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It is appropriate to specify sump dimensions in multiples of pump bell diameters D. Basing dimensions on D ensures geometric similarity of hydraulic boundaries and dynamic similarity of flow patterns. The basic recommended layout by HIS for rectangular sumps, dimensioned in units of pump bell diameter D is shown in figure 1.

(US Army Corps of Engineers) FORMED SUCTION INTAKES The type 10, developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (ETL No. 110-2-327), is designed to control the direction of approach flow and the skew of velocity distribution at the entrance to the pump. There is the head loss in the formed suction intake (FSI), which will affect the system curve calculations and the NPSHA to the pump impeller. See figure 2 for details. Although this information is for guidance only, as the specific applications and goals of a pumping station will require a designer to work with the management and operation personnel onsite, consulting literature like the Hydraulic Institute Standards and prepping the design through physical and numerical modeling will allow a designer to make the best use of his or her resources and save facilities time and money. MODERN PUMPING TODAY, September 2012

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Sump Design Guidelines for Large Volume Pumping Stations

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