PUMPS, FANS, BLOWERS AND COMPRESSORS

INTRODUCTION
Pumps, fans, blowers and compressors comprise the largest group of energy-absorbing turbomachines with which the mechanical engineer might work. These components can be classified in a number of ways. Principal classifications include: Turbomachines (a) Centrifugal or radial flow (b) i!ed flow (c) "!ial flow Posi i!e Dis"#acemen Machines (a) #eciprocating (b) #otary $e Pum"s

This paper will summari$e the principal features of each classification concentrating on the centrifugal pump that is the dominant component for mo%ing and handling fluid.

T%E CENTRIFU&AL PUMP'

Centrifugal pumps consist of one or more impellers (&ig. ',(,)) *, attached to a rotating shaft (&ig. *,(), and surrounded by a casing (&ig. *,+). &luid enters through a suction pipe (&ig. *) into the eye of the impeller and is ,thrown- outward through the action of centrifugal force. " volute (&ig. +a), sometimes augmented by diffuser %anes (&ig. +c), collects the discharged fluid con%erting part of the %elocity head into pressure head. The impeller is fitted with guide %anes or blades that con%ert the energy of rotation into %elocity and pressure head and guide the flow. Pump impellers may be either single suction (&ig. *,.a, /) or double suction (&ig. .b, 0). They may be either closed with side walls (&ig. ', .a, .b) or open without walls (&ig. .c). Centrifugal pumps may be either single-stage (&ig.*, /,0) or multi-stage (&ig. (,)). Centrifugal pumps operate at relati%ely high speeds and are usually direct connected to the prime mo%er. They are compact, ha%e no internal rubbing parts, possess high reliability, and can mo%e fluids containing solids. They can handle high %olumes and relati%ely high pressures with impellers in series on a single shaft or with pumps connected in series. 1ne disad%antage of the centrifugal pump is that it is not self-priming2 the casing must be filled before pump action can begin. Packing glands, lantern rings, seal piping and wearing rings (&ig. *,/,0,(,)), control leakage. #enewable wearing rings permit close tolerances. The impeller contains balancing holes (&ig. *) which connect the space around the hub to the suction side of the impeller. These holes ha%e a total crosssectional area that is considerably greater than that of the annular space between the left wearing ring and
' *

3n general, comments related to pumps will also apply to fans, blowers and compressors. &igures are from #eference ', Naval Auxiliary Machinery. '

the hub. This arrangement tends to e4uali$e the suction pressure on either side of the hub thus eliminating a!ial thrust. " thrust bearing must absorb any remaining unbalanced thrust. 5ouble suction pumps tend to be self-balancing. "n important consideration in the design of centrifugal pumps is to ensure that the pressure throughout the flow field remains abo%e the %apor pressure of the li4uid. 3f this condition is not met, the li4uid will %apori$e and form bubbles that subse4uently collapse releasing enormous energy and causing pitting, erosion, noise and a reduction in efficiency.

CENTRIFU&AL PUMP T%EOR(

AN&ULAR MOMENTUM The conser%ation of angular momentum as applied to a system (closed system) is:

D( rxmV ) SYS TSHAFT = ( rxF ) SYS = Dt

Treating the centrifugal pump impeller as a control %olume (open system), we transform the right-hand side using the #eynolds transport theorem:

D( r xmV ) SYS ( r xmV ) CV = + ( r xV ) V dA Dt t CS

6e simplify as follows: '. *. +. "ssume steady state (steady-in-the-mean) hence the first term on the right side is $ero. "ssume one entrance (state ') and one e!it (state *). "ssume that the entrance and e!it %elocities and densities are constant across the ports.

6ith these assumptions and the obser%ation that only the tangential %elocity contributes to tor4ue, we write:

( r*V * r'V' ) TSHAFT = m

This e4uation is known as the 7uler turbomachine e4uation. 6ith

(')

U = r and W SHAFT = TSHAFT , we ha%e:

SHAFT = m (U *V* U 'V' ) W

or, on a unit mass basis:

SHAFT

= U *V * U 'V'

(*)

or, in terms of head:

hi =

' (U *V* U 'V' ) !

(+)

where hi is the ideal head rise and the sign of UV is positi%e when they are both in the same direction (right-hand rule). W SHAFT is positi%e when the tor4ue and are in the same direction (pumps)2 negati%e otherwise (turbines). )ECTOR RELATIONS%IPS The %ector relationship between the absolute (8), relati%e (6) and tangential (9) %elocities is: )*W+U This relationship is shown graphically in the accompanying figure together with significant pro:ections. U " r blade angle ; absolute %elocity angle 8 ; absolute tangential %elocity 8r ; absolute radial %elocity ; 6r 6e note the following: ? A 8@ 9 6tan? 6 8 8r;6r

V * = V* + Vr*
which simplifies to:

and

W * = Vr* + (U V ) * = Vr* + U * *UV + V*

UV =

V * +U * W * *

<ubstituting in e4uation (*):

SHAFT

(V** V'* ) + (U ** U '* ) (W** W'* ) = *

(.)

* The first term can be %iewed as the change in kinetic energy, whereas (U * U '* ) represents the

increase in pressure due to centrifugal force and (W** W'* ) represents the change due to the diffusion effect in the %ane passages. =ow, if the entering fluid has no tangential %elocity (V * = >) , we can write:

hi =

U *V * 2 !

but cot * =

U * V * and V * = U * Vr * cot * 2 hence: Vr *

hi =
* U* U *Vr* cot * ! !

(/)

furthermore, the flowrate, #, is:

# = *r* $*Vr * 2 where, $% is the blade height2 thus:

hi =
* U* U * cot * # ! *r* $* !

(0)

The ideal head e4uation is found to be linear. The figure below depicts this e4uation for $ac& ard curved %anes (% B )>o )2 'or ard curved %anes (* C )>o )2 and radial %anes (* ; )>o ): 6e note from the %elocity diagram that the e!iting %elocity head is less for backward than forward cur%ed %anes. Decause of the inefficiency of con%ersion of %elocity head to pressure head, backward cur%ed %anes are preferred. "n acceptable range for * is '/o B * B .>o + , the selection being made , in part, on the desired fall-off of head with capacity. The usual range for * is *>o B * B*/o . hi

* )> >
* = )> >

* )> >
hi =
* U* !

See( Church, p. )(-))2

unson, p. E)02 and <tepanoff, p. +/.