ME 3022

Performance Characteristics of Centrifugal Pumps

INSTRUCTED BY: M..A.C.K. Gunarathne

NAME COURSE INDEX NO GROUP FEILD DATE OF SUB

Gunasekera N.P.A. B.Sc. Engineering 090160U 03 Mechanical 05 .04.2012

Objective: To determine the performance characteristics of a centrifugal pump.

Introduction:
Pumps represent important category of fluid machinery, which generates flow at high pressure to transfer liquid from one location to another. Many practical applications of pumps could be found in different sectors including industry, commercial, domestic and power generation facilities. Generally pumps may be classified into two basic groups by considering the principle of energy transfer to the liquid, positive displacement pumps and rotor-dynamic pumps. Positive displacement pumps operate due to change ( or displacement ) of the volume occupied by the fluid within the machine. Although the hydrodynamic effects may exist, the operation depends only on mechanical and hydrostatic principles. These pumps can be divided into two types, reciprocating and rotary, depending on the nature of the movement of the flow producing members such as gear, piston, vane, diaphragm and lobe. Centrifugal pumps are fall in to the category of rotor-dynamic pumps, which have a rotating part called impeller, which is able to rotate continuously. Thus the transfer of energy between the rotor and fluid is continuous. The flow is governed by hydrodynamic actions. The centrifugal direction of fluid flow through the impeller. Radial flow type could generate high pressure while axial flow type could generate high flow rate.

Calculation

V2= Outlet velocity P1 / Hd Pump V1 = Inlet velocity P 2 / Hs

V1 = V2

Hd Discharge head Hs -Suction head

Cos(

Graphs
1. Head ( Hp ) Vs Flow rate ( Q )

250 200 Head (Hd) 150 100 50 0 0 0.0002 0.0004 Flow rate Q (m3s-1) 0.0006

2. Input electric power ( P ) Vs Flow rate ( Q )

300 250 Electric power (W) 200 150 100 50 0 0 0.0001 0.0002 0.0003 0.0004 0.0005 0.0006 Q (m3s-1)

3. Overall pump efficiency ( n ) Vs Flow rate ( Q )

1.6 1.4 1.2 1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 0 0.0001 0.0002 0.0003 0.0004 0.0005 0.0006 Flow rate(Q)

Efficiency (n)

Discussion
Cavitation Cavitation means that cavities or bubbles are forming in the liquid that we're pumping. When water enters to a pump, its velocity increases causing a reduction in pressure within the pumping unit. If this pressure falls too low, some of the water will vaporize, forming bubbles entrained in the liquid. These bubbles collapse violently as they move to areas of higher pressure creating the noise and vibration from the pump. These cavities form at the low pressure or suction side of the pump, causing several things to happen all at once, The cavities or bubbles will collapse when they pass into the higher regions of pressure, causing noise, vibration, and damage to many of the components. We experience a loss in capacity. The pump can no longer build the same head (pressure) The pump's efficiency drops.

NPSH- (net positive suction head) The pressure required to operate a pump without causing cavitation is called net positive suction head (NPSH). Therefore the pressure head available at the pump inlet should exceed the NPSH required.

Source of errors in calculations Errors encounters when measuring flow rate. Frictional losses in the pipe and energy losses in bends. Wake formation due to laminar flow. We assume that the barrel has a constant perimeter.