PUMP POWER CALCULATION

SUMMARY
Power is consumed by a pump, fan or compressor in order to move and
increase the pressure of a fluid. The power requirement of the pump depends
on a number of factors including the pump and motor efficiency, the
differential pressure and the fluid density, viscosity and flow rate. This article
provides relationships to determine the required pump power.

DEFINITIONS
Ph

: Hydraulic power of the pump (kW).

Ps

: Shaft power of the pump (kW).

Pm

: Required power to the Motor (kW).

: Volumetric flow of fluid through the pump (m3/h).

: Density of the fluid being pumped (kg/m3).

: Gravity (9.81 m/s2).

: Head produced by the pump (m).

dP

: Differential pressure across the pump (kPa)

: Pump efficiency (%).

: Motor efficiency (%).

HYDRAULIC POWER
The hydraulic power which is also known as absorbed power, represents the
energy imparted on the fluid being pumped to increase its velocity and
pressure. The hydraulic power may be calculated using one of the formulae
below, depending on the available data.
Units

Formula

P - kW
Q - m3/h
- kg/m3
g - m/s2
h-m

Ph=3.6106Qgh

P - kW
Q - m3/hr
dP - kPa

Ph=3,600QdP

P - kW
Q - L/min
dP - kPa

Ph=60,000QdP

P - kW
Q - L/s

Ph=1,000QdP

dP - kPa

SHAFT POWER
The shaft power is the power supplied by the motor to the pump shaft. Shaft
power is the sum of the hydraulic power (discussed above) and power loss
due to inefficiencies in power transmission from the shaft to the fluid. Shaft
power is typically calculated as the hydraulic power of the pump divided by
the pump efficiency as follows:

Ps=pPh

MOTOR POWER
The motor power is the power consumed by the pump motor to turn the pump
shaft. The motor power is the sum of the shaft power and power loss due to
inefficiencies in converting electric energy into kinetic energy. Motor power
may be calculated as the shaft power divided by the motor efficiency.

Pm=mPs

OTHER FACTORS WHICH INCREASE REQUIRED

POWER
There are several other pump and drive features which will increase the
power requirement to achieve a particular fluid transfer, these include:
Gearboxes
Belt drives
Variable speed drives (VSDs)
Each of these components will have their own efficiency ratings, which must
be factored into the power delivered by the motor.

TYPICAL PUMP AND DRIVE COMPONENT

EFFICIENCY RANGES
The table below provides some typical efficiency values which may be used
for power requirement estimation for a selection of pump types. These values
are for correctly sized pumps, if a pump is oversized or poorly designed its
efficiency may be much lower than the values quoted below, this is
particularly common in small pumps.

Pump Type/Component

Typcial Efficiency

Centrifugal Pump

60-85%

Sliding Vane Pump

60-90%

Gearbox

70-98%

Belt Drive

70-96%

Variable Speed Drive

at Full Speed

80-98%

Variable Speed Drive

at 75% Full Speed

70-96%

Variable Speed Drive

at 50% Full Speed

44-91%

Variable Speed Drive

at 25% Full Speed

9-61%