TheMathematicsofPumpingWater

AECOMDesignBuild
Civil,MechanicalEngineering
Pleaseobservetheconversionofunitsincalculationsthroughoutthisexemplar.

INTRODUCTION
Inanypumpingsystem,theroleofthepumpisto
provide sufficient pressure to overcome the
operatingpressureofthesystemtomovefluidat
a required flow rate. The operating pressure of
the system is a function of the flow through the
system and the arrangement of the system in
terms of the pipe length, fittings, pipe size, the
change in liquidelevation, pressure on the liquid
surface,etc.Toachievearequiredflowthrougha
pumping system, we need to calculate what the
operatingpressureofthesystemwillbetoselect
asuitablepump.

Water is pumped from the reservoir into a

receiving tank. This kind of arrangement is used
toliftwaterfromareservoir,orriver,intoawater
treatment works for treatment before the water
goes into the supply network. The water level in
thereservoirvariesbutthedischargelevelinthe
receiving tanks remains constant as the water is
discharged from a point above the water level.
The pump is required to pass forward a flow of
2500m3/hrtothereceivingtank.
The operating pressure of a pumped system is
calculated in the SI unit of meters (m). To
maintain dimensional consistency, any pressure
values used within the calculations are therefore
converted from kPa into m using the following
conversion
1kPa = 0.102m
(asmeasuredbyawaterfiledUtube
manometer)
For the above system, the operatingpressure or
thetotalsystemhead, HTotal ,isdefinedas:

HTotal = Hs + HD + (PRT - PRES) (1)

where,

Hs

= Statichead(m)

HD

= Dynamichead(m)

Pressureonthesurfaceofthewaterin
thereceivingtank(m)
PRES = Pressureonthesurfaceofthewaterin
thereservoir(m)
Although theatmospheric pressurechanges with
height, the change in pressure that occurs over
thepumpingheightisoftensosmallthatitcanbe
considered negligible. In this exemplar, the
change in pressure over the elevation from the
reservoir to the receiving tank is not that
significant and hence is negligible, i.e.,
PRT - PRES 0 .

PRT

Figure1:TypicalVerticalTurbineWaterPumps

MATHEMATICALMODELANDCALCULATIONS
Consider the pumping arrangement shown in
Figure2below:

Therefore,equation(1)becomes:

HTotal = Hs + HD (2)

Figure2:PumpingArrangement

The static head Hs is the physical change in

elevationbetweenthesurfaceofthereservoirand
thepointof discharge intothe receivingtank.As
thewaterlevelinthereservoircanvary,thestatic
headforthesystemwillvarybetweenamaximum
andaminimumvalue:

HSmin = discharge level- reservoirTWL

and

HSmax = dischargelevel- reservoirBWL

where
TWL = TopWaterLevel(reservoir)
BWL = BottomWaterLevel(reservoir)
If the discharge point is at a level of 110.5 m
abovethemeansealevel(alsoknownasAbove
Ordnance Datum (AOD) in technical language)
and the reservoir level varies between 105.2 m
AODand101.6mAOD,then:

HSmin = 110.5- 105.2= 5.3m

HSmax = 110.5- 101.6= 8.9m
Asaresultofthevariationinthestatichead,the
total system head, HTotal , will also have a
maximum and minimum value which we need to
calculatehere.
The dynamic head is generated as a result of
friction within the system. The dynamic head is
calculated using the basic Darcy Weisbach
equationgivenby:
HD =

Kv2
(3)
2g

reservoir to the receiving tank. Values can be

obtainedfromstandardtablesandatotal Kfittings
valuecanbecalculatedbyaddingallthe Kfittings
valuesforeachindividualfittingwithinthesystem.
The following table shows the calculation of
Kfittings forthesystemunderconsideration:
No.of
Items

Kfittings
Value

Item
Total

PipeEntrance
(bellmouth)

0.05

0.05

90o Bend
(shortradius)

10

0.75

7.5

0.3

0.6

0.3

0.6

NonReturn
Valve

1.00

1.00

BellmouthOutlet

0.2

0.2

FittingItems

45oBend
(shortradius)
ButterflyValve
(FullyOpen)

Total Kfittings

9.95

Value

Table1:Calculating Kfittings for thesystemunder

consideration

where

Hence, the total Kfittings for the system under

= losscoefficient

considerationis9.95.

= velocityinthepipe(m/sec)

= accelerationduetogravity(m/sec2)

Kpipe is associated with the straight lengths of

pipeusedwithinthesystemandisdefinedas:

We can calculate the velocity in pipe using the

followingformula:
v=

Q
(4)
A

K pipe =
where

f
L
D

where

= flowratethroughthepipe(m3/sec)

A = pipecrosssectionalarea(CSA)(m2)
If Q is 2500 m3/hr and the flow is pumped
througha0.8mdiameterpipethen:

A=

pD2
4

p 0.82
4

= 0.5m

The loss coefficient K is made up of two

elements:

K = Kfittings + Kpipe (5)

Kfittings isassociatedwiththefittingsusedinthe
pipeworks of the system to pump the waterfrom

= pipelength(m)
= pipediameter(m)

0.25

f =

25000
1

= 1.39m/sec
3600 0.5

= frictioncoefficient

The friction coefficient f can be found using a

modifiedversionoftheColebrookWhiteequation:

k
5.74
log 3.7 D+ Re0.9

Hence,usingequation(4),weget:
v =

fL
(6)
D

(7)

where

k
Re

= Roughnessfactor(m)
= Reynoldsnumber

Thepiperoughnessfactor k isastandardvalue
obtainedfromstandardtablesandisbasedupon
the material of the pipe, including any internal
coatings,andtheinternalconditionofthepipeline
i.e.good,normalorpoor.

Reynolds number is a dimensionless quantity

associatedwiththesmoothnessofflowofafluid
and relating to the energy absorbed within the
fluid as it moves. For anyflow in pipe, Reynolds
number can be calculated using the following
formula:
Re=

vD

(8)

where

= Kinematicviscosity(m2/s)

If the total pipe length is 250 m, the pipe has a

roughness factor of 0.3 mm and the kinematic
viscosityofwateris 1.31 10-6 m2/sec,thenfrom
equation(8),weget:

Re =

1.39 0.8
= 8.49 105
- 6
1.31 10

Usingthisvalueinequation(7),weget:

0.25

f =

0.0003
5.74
log
+
3.7 0.8 8.49 105
= 0.0165

0.9

Usingthisvalueinequation(6),weget:

0.0165 250
= 5.16
0.8
Finally, using equation (5), the total K value for
Kpipe =

useavariablespeedpumpbyadjustingthepump
speed we can control the flow to the receiving
tankto2500m3/hrovertheentireheadrange.
PUMPSELECTION
Byrepeatingthecalculationfor HD forarangeof
flows we can generate a pair of system curves
that define the relationship between head and
flow for the top and bottom water conditions.
Thesecurvesdefinetheenvelopeofthepumping
system.
A pump has been selected from manufacturers
details that can achieve the required flow at the
BWL at a speed of 675 rpm. The characteristic
hydraulic curve for the selected pump has been
overlaidontothesystemcurves(seeFigure3on
thenextpage)andtheeffectofrunningthepump
at this speed but at the TWL can be seen. The
IntersectionoftheTWLandBWLSystemCurves
with the Speed Curves define the Pumps
maximumandminimumoperatingspeeds.Inthis
instance, the pump would run to the right hand
end of its hydraulic curve possibly causing
cavitations.
Thepumpspeedneedstobereducedinorderto
achieve the required flow at the TWL and the
required speed can be calculated using the
affinitylaws:
First affinity law Flow is proportional to the
shaftspeed,i.e.,

Q1 N1
=
(9)
Q2 N2

thesystemis:

K = 5.16+ 9.95= 15.11

We can now calculate the dynamic head using
equation(3)asfollows:
2

15.11 (1.39)
HD =
= 1.49m
2 9.81
The dynamic head is the same for both the
maximumandminimumstaticheadconditionsas
the dynamic head is independent of the system
elevation.
Hence, the maximum and minimum total head
valuesforthesystemataflowof2500m3/hrcan
nowbecalculatedusingequation(2):

HTotalmax = 8.9+ 1.49= 10.39m

HTotalmin = 5.3+ 1.49= 6.79m
Hence we can conclude that in order to pump
2500m3/hratthebottomlevelinthereservoir,the
pumpwillneedtoovercomeasystempressureof
10.39m.Atthetoplevel,thepumpwillonlyneed
to overcome a system pressure of 6.79 m. If a
centrifugal pump were selected to achieve either
the maximum or minimum head condition, this
would likely result in either too much or too little
flow at the other head condition. Instead, if we

where

= Flowthroughthepipe(m3/sec)

= Shaftspeed(rpm)
SecondaffinitylawHeadisproportionaltothe
squareoftheshaftspeed,i.e.,
2

H1 (N1)
(10)
=
H2 (N2)2
where

= Head(m)

Using an iterative process ofadjusting the pump

speedandcalculatingtheresultantflowandhead
using the above laws, we can determine the
required speed of the pump for the TWL
condition.Inthiscase,thepumpneedstorunat
around590rpm.
The power requirement for the pump can be
calculatedby:
P=

Q H g r
(11)
PumpEfficiency

where

= Power(W)

= Density(Kg/m3)
3

= 1000kg/m forwater
Forthispump,atthemaximumheadof10.39m
and a flow of 2500 m3/hr (0.694m3/s) the pump
efficiencyis84%.Therefore,usingequation(11),
thepowerrequirementis:
P =

0.694 10.39 9.81 1000

,or
0.84

P = 84210W= 84.21kW
Hence,wecansaythattoovercometherequired
headof10.39m,weneedavariablespeedpump
with84.21W.
CONCLUSION
The accurate calculation of the maximum and
minimumtotalheadiscriticalfortheselectionofa
suitable pump. Selection of an unsuitable pump
can result in too much or too little water being
pumped.Toolittlewatermight,forexample,result
in customers not receiving clean drinking water
whentheyturnonthetap.Toomuchwatermight
result in water being wasted or even lead to
flooding.
Theoperatingpressureofapumpingsystemcan
vary due to various factors, e.g. changes in
reservoir level, so all the relevant operating
conditions need to be assessed to ensure the

selectedpump is capable ofachieving the entire

operating range. Using variable speed pumps is
one way of coping with the variations in system
operatingpressure.
EXTENSIONACTIVITIES
1. Calculate HTotalmax

and HTotalmin for the

systemiftheflowisreducedto2000m3/hr.
2. Whathappenstothepumppowerifthepump
efficiencyreduces?
3. Calculatethepowerrequirementofthepump
forthefollowingefficiencies:

95%

75%

50%

WHERETOFINDMORE
1. Basic Engineering Mathematics, John Bird,
2007,publishedbyElsevierLtd.
2. Engineering Mathematics, Fifth Edition, John
Bird,2007,publishedbyElsevierLtd.
3. Pressure and Head Losses in Pipes and
Ducts,D.S.Miller,1984

Figure3:GraphofPumpingSystemPressureCurvesandPumpOperatingSpeedCurves

MathewMilnesProjectEngineer,AECOMDesignBuild
Mathew has worked in theWater Industry designing clean and dirty water treatment plants
forthelast10years.AsaCharteredMechanicalEngineerheusesmathematicsonadaily
basis to calculate the size and performance of process equipment to provide people with
clean drinking water and to ensure their wastewater is treated and disposed of in an
environmentallyacceptableway.

INFORMATIONFORTEACHERS
Theteachersshouldhavesomeknowledgeof
terminologyusedinpumpingwaterandthephysicalmeaningbehindthem
handlingformulaewiththemethodofbacksubstitution
plottinggraphsusingexcelsheets
manipulatingcalculationsandconvertingunitsforuniformity
Equation 1 can be derivedfrom an extension tothe Euler equation. Please refer to the lastpage for
moreinformationandobservetheuseofpartialderivativesandlimittheory.
TOPICSCOVEREDFROMMATHEMATICSFORENGINEERING
Topic1:MathematicalModelsinEngineering
Topic4:Functions
LEARNINGOUTCOMES
LO01:Understandtheideaofmathematicalmodelling
LO04:Understandthemathematicalstructureofarangeoffunctionsandbefamiliarwiththeirgraphs
LO09:Constructrigorousmathematicalargumentsandproofsinengineeringcontext
LO10:Comprehendtranslationsofcommonrealisticengineeringcontextsintomathematics
ASSESSMENTCRITERIA
AC1.1:Stateassumptionsmadeinestablishingaspecificmathematicalmodel
AC1.2:Describeandusethemodellingcycle
AC4.1:Identifyanddescribefunctionsandtheirgraphs
AC4.2:Analysefunctionsrepresentedbypolynomialequations
AC9.1:Useprecisestatements,logicaldeductionandinference
AC9.2:Manipulatemathematicalexpressions
AC9.3:Constructextendedargumentstohandlesubstantialproblems
AC10.1:Readcriticallyandcomprehendlongermathematicalargumentsorexamplesofapplications
LINKSTOOTHERUNITSOFTHEADVANCEDDIPLOMAINENGINEERING
Unit1:InvestigatingEngineeringBusinessandtheEnvironment
Unit3:SelectionandApplicationofEngineeringMaterials
Unit4:InstrumentationandControlEngineering
Unit5:MaintainingEngineeringPlant,EquipmentandSystems
Unit6:InvestigatingModernManufacturingTechniquesusedinEngineering
Unit7:InnovativeDesignandEnterprise

Unit8:MathematicalTechniquesandApplicationsforEngineers

Unit9:PrinciplesandApplicationofEngineeringScience
ANSWERSTOEXTENSIONACTIVITIES

1. HTotalmax =9.85m, HTotalmin =6.25m(HD=0.95m)

2. Thepowerrequirementgoesupastheefficiencyreduces.
3. 90%=74.5kW,75%=94.3kW,50%=141.5kW

ANNEXE:EXTENSIONOFEULEREQUATION
Inthissection,weinvestigateincompressibleflowalongastreamlineundertheactionofpressuregradients
andgravitationalbodyforcesbutnotfriction.Hencedensityisconstantandtherearenoshearforces.
Duringthederivationitwillalsobenecessarytoassumethattheflowissteady.
Considerasmallcylindricalelementoffluidalignedalongastreamline.IthasacrosssectionalareadA,
pressureisassumeduniformacrossitsendsdA,andthelocalvelocityisdefinedq.

ApplyingNewton'slawsofmotiontotheflowthroughthecylindricalelementalongthestreamline,theforce
(inthedirectionofmotionalongthestreamline)=massxacceleration.
The mass of the element and the forces acting on it will be considered later, but first we look at the
accelerationofthefluidelement.Ignoringthepossibilitythattheflowmightbesteady,qcanchangewith
timet,andalsowithpositionsalongthestreamline.Inotherwords,qisafunctionoftands,orq=f(t,
s).Hence,iftheelementmovesadistancesintimet,thenthetotalchangeinvelocityqisgivenby:

dq =

q
q
ds +
dt
s
t

andinthelimitast tendstozero,the"substantive"derivativeisgivenas:
dq
dq q
ds q
q q
= Limdt 0 = Limdt0 +
= q +
dt
dt s
dt t
s t

In other words, fluid can accelerate because it is moving (at velocity q) through a region with changing
velocity,orbecausetheflowischangingwithtime.However,forasteadyflowthelocalvelocityatapoint
doesnotvarywithtime,sothelasttermundersuchcircumstanceswillbezero.
LookingnowattheforcesactingontheelementandapplyingNewton'slaws:
pdA- (p+

p
dq
ds)dA- r dAdsgcosq = r dsdAq
s
ds

dividingthroughbyA.sanddefiningz=scos,wehavethat:
p
q
dz
+r q +r g =0
s
s
ds

dividingthroughbyA.sanddefiningz=scos,wehavethat:
p
q
dz
+r q +r g =0
s
s
ds

andinthelimitasstendstozero,
dp
dq
dz
+r q +r g =0
ds
ds
ds

or

1 dp
dq
dz
+q +g =0
r ds
ds
ds

ThisisaformofEuler'sequation,andrelatesp,q,andzalongastreamline.
Assuming r isconstant,andrememberingthat:
q

dq 1 d(q2)
=
ds 2 ds

ifthetermaboveissubstitutedintoEuler'sequation,itthenbecomespossibletointegrateitgiving:
p 1 2
+ q +g z=constantalongastreamline
r 2
1
p+ r q2 +r g z=constantastreamline
2
p
q2
+
+z = constantalongastreamline
r g 2g

The three equations above are valid for incompressible, frictionless steady flow, and what they
stateisthattotalenergyisconservedalongastreamline.
Thefirst of theseforms of the Bernoulli equation is a measure ofenergy per unit mass, the second of
energyperunitvolume,andthethirdof"head",equivalenttoenergyperunitweight.
In the second equation, the term p is the static pressure, { r q2} is the dynamic pressure, r gz is the
elevationalterm,andtheSUMofallthreeisknownasthestagnation(ortotal)pressure,p0
Inthethirdequation,p/ r gisknownasthepressurehead,q2/2gasthedynamichead,andthesumofthe
threetermsastheTotalHeadH.
TheBernoulliequationisusedwidelyinfluidmechanicsandhydraulics.Assumingthattheflowisactually
frictionlessandincompressible,whatitshowsisthatifthevelocityfallsinaflow,thenthepressuremust
riseandviceversa.
Foragas,theelevationaltermscanbeassumednegligible.
Thesum{p+ r gz}isoftenwrittenasp* thepiezometricpressure.Wecanthensay:
p* + r q2 =constantalongastreamline
Tomeasurethestaticpressureinafluidflow,itisnormaltomakeasmallholeintheboundarywallofthe
flowandtoconnecttheholetoapressuremeasuringdeviceamanometerbeingthetraditionalinstrument
used.
Tomeasurethetotalpressure,itisnormaltoemployadeviceknownasaPitottube.Thisisathintube
thatcanbepointeddirectlyintotheflowsuchthatitisalignedexactlywiththelocalstreamlines.Theother
endofthetubeisconnectedtoamanometer(orotherpressuremeasuringdevice).Thestreamlinethat
meetstheendofthetubewithintheflowisbroughttorestbecausethereisnoactualflowthroughthe
tube/manometersystemandthereforeallthedynamicpressureisconvertedtostaticpressure.Thesum
ofthesetwoformsofstaticpressureisknownasthestagnationpressureortotalpressure.
Tomeasurethedynamicpressure,themostcommondevice(andthesimplestandcheapest)usedisa
Pitotstatictube.Thisisacombinationofthetwotechniquesdescribedabovewithinoneinstrument.It
consistsoftwothinconcentrictubesbentintoanLshapetheinnertubehasanopenendwhichispointed
into the flow (as described above when measuring total pressure), while the outer tube is sealed and
streamlinedatitsendbuthasanumberofsmallholesarounditscircumferencesomewaybackfromthe
end.Thetwotubesareconnectedacrossadifferentialpressuremeasuringdevice(again,commonlyaU
tubemanometer),andthedifferenceinpressureisthedynamicpressure.