Pump ED 101

Centrifugal Pump Efficiency What, How, Why & When ?

Joe Evans, Ph.D http://www.pumped101.com

Introduction

Inthistutorial,wewillinvestigateseveralaspectsofcentrifugalpumpefficiency.FirstI
willdefineefficiencyandgivesomeexamples.Nextwewillexaminesomeofthe
designcriteriathatultimatelydictatetheefficiencyexhibitedbyaparticularpump.We
willalsotrytomakethatsomewhatnebulasquantity,knownasspecificspeed,more
meaningful.Iwillalsoshowitseffectontheshapeofapumpsperformanceand
powercurves.Finally,wewilldiscusstheimportanceof(or,sometimes,unimportance)
ofefficiencyasitrelatestoaparticularapplicationorprocess.Wewillalsoillustrate
therelationshipofefficiency,head,andflowastheyapplytobothsteepandflat
performancecurvesandtheirrolesinconstantandvariablespeedapplications.Wewill
endwithabrieflookatthecombinedefficiencyofapumpanditsdriver.

WhatisPumpEfficiency?

Whenwespeakoftheefficiencyofaanymachinewearesimplyreferringtohowwell
itcanconvertoneformofenergyintoanother.Ifoneunitofenergyissuppliedtoa
machineanditsoutput,inthesameunits,isonehalfunititsefficiencyis50%.As
simpleasthismayseem,itcanstillgetabitcomplexbecausetheunitsusedbyour
Englishsystemofmeasurementcanbequitedifferentforeachformofenergy.
Fortunately,theuseofconstantswillbringequivalencytothese,otherwise,diverse
quantities.

Acommonexampleofsuchamachineistheheatenginewhichusesenergyinthe
formofheattoproducemechanicalenergy.Thisfamilyincludesmanymembersbut,
theinternalcombustionengineisonewithwhichweareallfamiliar.Althoughthis
machineisanintegralpartofoureverydaylives,itseffectivenessinconvertingenergy
isfarlessthanwemightexpect.Theefficiencyofthetypicalautomobileengineis
around20%.Toputitanotherway,80%oftheheatenergyinagallonofgasolinedoes
nousefulwork.Althoughgasmileagehasincreased,somewhat,overtheyearsthat
increasehasasmuchtodowithincreasedmechanicalefficiencyasincreasesinengine
efficiencyitself.Dieselenginesdobetterjob,butstillmaxoutaround40%.This
increaseisdue,primarily,toitshighercompressionratioandthefactthatthefuel,
underhighpressure,isinjecteddirectlyintothecylinderatthetopofthecompression
stroke.Gasolineengines,ontheotherhand,arelimitedtolowercompressionratios
becausefuelentersthecylinderpriortothecompressionstroke.

Inthepumpindustry,muchourworkinvolvestwoextremelysimple,yetefficient
machinesthecentrifugalpumpandtheACinductionmotor.Thecentrifugalpump
convertsmechanicalenergyintohydraulic(flow,velocity,andpressure)energyandthe
ACmotorconvertselectricalenergyintomechanicalenergy.Manymediumandlarger
centrifugalsofferefficienciesof7590%andeventhesmalleronesusuallyfallintothe
5070%range.LargeACmotors,ontheotherhand,canapproachanefficiencyof97%
andanymotor,fivehpandabove,canbedesignedtobreakthe90%barrier.

Theoverallefficiencyofacentrifugalpumpissimplytheratioofthewater(output)
powertotheshaft(input)powerandisillustratedbytheequationbelow.
=PW/PSwhereisefficiency,Pwisthewaterpower,andPsistheshaftpower.

IntheUS,PsisthepowerprovidedtothepumpshaftinbrakehorsepowerandPwis
Pw=(QxH)/3960 whereQisflowinGPMandHisheadinfeet.

Theconstant,3960,convertstheproductofflowandhead(footpoundsorthemore
politicallycorrecttermpoundfeet)intoBHP.Theseequationspredictthatapump,that
produces100GPMat30ofheadandispoweredbyamotorthatproduces1BHPwill
haveanoverallefficiencyis75.7%atthatpoint.Thesecondequationwillalsoallowus
tocomputetheBHPrequiredatanypointonapumpsperformancecurveifweknow
theefficiency.Wewillseesomeexamplesofthisinthelastsectionofthistutorial.

HowisPumpEfficiencyAttained?

Ifyouthinkaboutit,thecentrifugalpumphasalotincommontheinductionmotor
whenitcomestothedesignphase.Thatcommonalityisthatbothhaveonlytwomajor
componentsthatcanbemodifiedbythedesigner.Inthecaseofthemotoritistherotor
andthestatorandforthepumpitistheimpellerandthevolute(ordiffuser).Ofcourse
thefrictionproducedbybearingsandothermechanicalcomponents(seals,stuffingbox,
etc)alsoaffectpumpefficiency,buttheimpellerandvolutehavethegreatestinfluence.
Letsstartourinvestigationofcentrifugalpumpefficiencywiththeimpeller.

Thelawsofaffinitytellusquiteabitabouttheinnerworkingsofanimpeller.We
knowthat,foranygivenimpeller,theheaditproducesvariesasthesquareofachange
inspeed.Doublethespeedandtheheadincreasesbyafactoroffour.Ifyoukeep
speedconstant,thesameruleholdstrueforachangeinitsdiameter.Theflowthrough
animpellerfollowsasimilarrulebut,inthiscase,itschangeisdirectlyproportionalto
thespeedordiameterchangedoublethespeedordiameterandflowisdoubled.
Actually,whenwetalkaboutachangeinrotationalspeedorimpellerdiameter,weare
reallyreferringtoitsperipheralspeedorthespeed,infeetpersecond,ofapointonits
outermostcircumference.Itisthisspeedthatdeterminestheabsolutemaximumhead
andflowattainablebyanyimpeller(seetheUPandDownPuzzlerforanexplanation
ofthefallingbodyequationandhowitrelatestocentrifugalpumphead).

Theheadproducedbyanimpellerisalmostentirelydependentuponitsperipheral
velocitybut,flowisinfluencedbyseveralotherfactors.Obviously,thewidthand
depth(crosssectionalarea)oftheflowpassages(vanes)andthediameterofthe
impellereyeareimportantconsiderationsastheydeterminetheeasewithwhichsome
volumeofwatercanpassthroughtheimpeller.Otherfactorssuchasvaneshapealso
influenceanimpellersperformance.But,ifyouwantedtodesignanimpellerfrom
scratchwheretheheckdoyoustart?Doyoujusttakeawildguessaboutdimensions
andshapes,makesomesamples,andthentestthem?Well,intheearlydaysthatis
exactlywhatwedid.Today,however,wecandrawonyearsofexperienceand,atleast,
findasuitablestartingpointforourdesign.And,thatstartingpointissomethingcalled
SpecificSpeed.

SpecificSpeedisoftenconfusingtomanyofusbecausewhenweseethewordspeed,
weimmediatelythinkimpellerspeed.Actually,itisjustanumber(often
dimensionlessliketheReynoldsnumberwhichisusedtopredictturbulentflow)that
referstoaparticularimpellerdesignorgeometrywithoutrespecttoitssize(capacity).
Itusestheknowledgewehavegainedovertheyearstocategorizetheperformanceof
variousimpellerdesignsbaseduponourapplicationrequirements.Thechartbelow
showstherelationshipofthenumericalvalueofspecificspeedtoaparticularimpeller
design.

Thelowervalues(500to1000)ontheleftdescribethechanginggeometryoftheradial
vaneimpellerwhilethehighervalues(1000015000)ontherightequatetotrueaxial
flowimpellers.Thoseinthemiddle(15007000)aretypicaloftheFrancisvaneand
mixedflow(whichshowbothradialandaxialcharacteristics)impellers.Thecross
sectionalpicturesonthechartshowthat,asspecificspeedincreases,theimpellerinlet
oreyediameterincreasesandeventuallyapproachesorequalsthatofthevaneoutlet.
Theflowpassagesalsoincreaseinsizeatacorrespondingrate.

Ithinkyouwillagreethatwhilethisisanicecomparison,whatuseisittothepump
designer?Well,therehappenstobeanequationthatrelatesspecificspeedandits
correspondinggeometrytothoserealapplicationvaluesofhead,flow,androtational
speed.Thatequationis
Ns=nxQ/H0.75
whereNsisthespecificspeed,nisthepumprotationalspeedinRPM,Qisflowin
GPM,andHisheadinfeet.Wecanusethisequationtodeterminewhichimpeller
designcanbestmatchtherequirementsofaparticularapplication.

Suppose,forexample,weneedanimpellerthatwillproduce1000GPMat200feetof
head.IfweenterthesevaluesinQandHandalsoenteramotorspeedof3600rpmwe
obtainaspecificspeedof2140.Theimpellerwouldhaveageometrysimilartothe
Francisvaneimpellerseenonthechartatthe2000point.An1800rpmmotorwould
lowerthespecificspeedto1070andwouldhaveageometrysimilartotheradialvane
impellershownbeneaththe1000point.At1200rpmspecificspeedis714andthe
impellerwouldlooklikeahybridofthetwoimpellersseentotheleftofthechart.

Thechartbelowshowsillustrateshowspecificspeedcanprovideuswithseveral
predictionsastotheperformanceofaparticularimpellerdesign.Asaruleofthumb,

impellerefficiencyreachesitsmaximumataspecificspeedbetween2000and3000
althoughfavorableefficiencycanoccuratalmostanyspeed.Alsotheareaaroundthe
BestEfficiencyPoint(BEP),ordesignpoint,tendstobeflatterandbroaderasspecific
speeddecreases.(Impellerefficiencyalsoincreaseswithpumprotationalspeed,
especiallyhighspeeds,butthatincreaseisnotaspronouncedatspeedsof3600rpmand
below.)Specificspeedalsoeffectstheshapeoftheheadcapacitycurve.Lowspecific
speeds(5002000)producerelativelyflatcurveswhilehighspeeds(5000+)produce
extremelysteepcurves.Intermediatespeedsproducecurvesthatfallinbetweenthese
extremes.Theseresultsareduetothevaneshape(flatversusbackwardscurved)at
variousspecificspeeds.(Wewilldiscusscurveshapeinmoredetailinthenextsection.)
Finally,specificspeedprovidesuswithonemorepredictionthecharacteristicsofthe
powercurve.Atspecificspeedsbelow3500,powerdropsasflowisreducedandisat
itsminimumatshutoffhead.Thepowercurveremainsrelativelyflat,acrosstheentire
headcapacitycurve,between4000and4500andrisestowardsshutoffatspecific
speedsabove5000.Atspeedsabove9000thepowerandheadcapacitycurvesalmost
paralleloneanother.Stateddifferently,powerisgreatestatshutoffandisatits
minimumatfullflow.

Onceaparticularimpellergeometryischosen,thepumpdesignercangothrougha
comprehensivemathematicalanalysisthatwillallowhimtoderivealloftheimpeller
dimensionsandanglesnecessarytomeetthedesignpoint.Tosaytheleast,thisisan
arduoustask.Ifyouwouldliketoreviewacomprehensiveexampleofhowthisis
done,seepages2.232.31ofthesecondeditionofPumpHandbook(McGrawHill).

Theshapeandspacingoftheimpellervanesobviouslyhavealargeeffectupon
efficiency.Althoughtheidealpumpwouldhaveaninfinitenumberofvanes,thereal
worldlimitsusto57fortypicalpumpsandevenfewerforpumpsthathandlelarger
solids.Also,flowwouldbeexactlyparalleltothevanesurfacesbutthatdoesnt
happeneither.Butoddlyenough,ifthedesignerfollowssomewelldocumentedrules,
impellervaneefficiencylossesremainrelativelyflat(about2.5%)acrossaspecificspeed
rangeof500to7000.Diskfriction,whichiscausedbycontactbetweenthepumpage
andtheimpellershroudsandhubsurfaces,canreduceimpellerefficiencyanother4to
15%atspecificspeedsbelow2000butdecreasesto2%orlessat3000andabove.So,
dependinguponitsdesign,theimpellercanreduceoverallpumpefficiencybyaslittle
as4.5%orasmuchas17.5%.

Throat
Thevolutealsoplaysaroleinpumpefficiency.Atspecific
Tongue Area
speedsbelow2000,itslossesrangefrom1to2.5%butlossescan
approach10%atspeedsover5000.Typically,volutedesign
beginswiththethroat,asitscrosssectionalareawilldetermine
theflowvelocityoutofthevolute.Flowthroughthethroatand
otherportionsofthecasingfollowsthelawofconstantangular
momentumsothedesignerwilltrytoavoidabruptchangesits
nearlycirculargeometrywhilegraduallyincreasingitsvolume.
Anothercriticalareaofthevoluteistheclearancebetweentheoutercircumferenceof
theimpellerandthatofthevolutetongueorcutwater.Asthisdistancebecomeslarger,
anincreasingvolumeofpumpageescapesentryintothevolutethroatandis
recirculatedintothevolutecase.Thesmallestdistancepossible,thatdoesnotgiverise
topressurepulsations,willproducethebestefficiency.Asaruleofthumb,5to10%of
theimpellerradiustendstobeasafevalue.Inthenextsectionwewilldiscussthisin
moredetailwhenwecomparetheefficienciesthatresultfromtrimminganimpeller
versuschangingitsrotationalspeed.

Itisdebatableastowhetherthevolumetricefficiencyofacentrifugalpumpisa
functionofthevoluteortheimpeller(itisprobablyboth)butIwillincludeitseffect
here.Volumetricefficiencyrepresentsthepowerlostdueleakageflowthroughthe
wearrings,vanefrontclearances(semiopenimpeller),andbalancingholesintherear
shroudofanimpeller.Asaruleofthumb,leakageincreaseswithadecreaseinspecific
speed,flow,oracombinationofthetwo.Forexampleataspecificspeedof500anda
flowof100GPM,leakagecanaccountforasmuchas7%ofthetotalpowerconsumed.
At2000GPMitisreducedtoabout2%.Athigherspecificspeedsandflowsitcanbeas
lowas1%.

Thefinalpieceofthepumpefficiencypuzzleisthatofmechanicallosses,although
someoftheselossesarenotalwaysincludedinpublishedefficiencycurves.Inthecase
ofaframemountedpump,theselossesarecausedbytheshaftbearingsandthe
mechanicalsealorpacking.Forclosecoupledpumps,bearinglossesarefiguredinto
themotorefficiency.Againtheruleofthumbfollowsthatofvolumetricefficiency,and
lossesincreaseasflowand/orspecificspeeddecrease.Ifweusethesamevaluesof
specificspeedandflow,asinthevolumetricexampleabove,wecouldexpectlossesof
5%and1%foraframemountedpump.Athigherspecificspeedsandflows,
mechanicallossesdropwellbelow1%.

WhyandWhenisEfficiencyImportant?

OK,nowweareallonthesamepageastothedefinitionofpumpefficiencyandwe
havesomeideaofthepumpdesignersabilitytocontrolefficiencyduringthedesign
phase.But,isitthemostimportantcomponentinpumpdesign?Shouldwealways
shootforthebestpossibleefficiencywhenwedesignapump?

Theimportanceofpumpefficiencyisentirelyrelatedtotheuseofenergy.Asthecost
ofelectricityandotherenergysourcescontinuetorise,itjustmakesgoodsensethatwe
useitasefficientlyaspossible.Wheneverpossible,weshouldselectthemostefficient
pumpavailableasitwillusuallyjustifyits,potentiallyhigher,firstcostduringitsuseful
life.NoticethatIdidsaywheneverpossible.

Whenisitnotsoimportant?

Severalfactorscaninfluenceourdecisionabouttheimportanceofpumpefficiency.
Sometimesitispurelyeconomicthemarketmaynotbewillingtopaythepricefor
higherefficiency.Therearealsotimeswhenahigherefficiencypumpmaynotperform
aswellasoneoflowerefficiency.And,thereareinstanceswherewejustcannotattain
areasonableefficiencybasedontheheadandflowrequired.Letstakealookatseveral
examples.

Agoodexampleoftheroleofeconomicsistheresidentialpump.Theefficiencyofmost
fractionalHPdomesticboosterandcirculationpumpsfallsintothe50%range(Their
motorsarenotmuchbetter,butwewilladdressthatalittlelater).Thesepumpscanbe
designedtooperateathigherefficienciesbut,thecostwouldscaremosthomeowners
away.And,iftheyareusedonlyoccasionally,theenergysavingsmaynotjustifythe
additionalcost.

Unfortunatelythis,lowfirstcost,mindsetoftenspillsoverintosectorsthatcouldeasily
justifybetterefficiency(certainsectorsoftheHVACmarketcometomind).For
example,atypical,lowcostpumpwillnotincorporatesuctionwearringsand,as
wearprogresses,moreandmoresuctionrecirculationoccursandefficiencydecreases.
Theonlywaytofixthisistoreplacetheimpellerandpossiblythevolute.Incorporation
ofsimple,flatwearringsintothevoluteandtheimpelleraddsonlyafewpercentage
pointstothepumpcostbutallowslowercostefficiencymaintenanceasitisneeded.

Small,twoportimpellersewagepumpsmustsacrificeacertainamountofefficiency
inordertopasssolidswithoutclogging.Athreeorfourvaneimpellerwouldprovide
farbetterefficiencybutthesizeofthesoliditpassedwouldbegreatlyreduced
comparedtoatwovaneimpeller.Inthiscase,efficiencybecomessecondarytothe
requirementsoftheapplication.Therecessedimpellersewagepumpalsoofferssome
realadvantagesincertaininstallations,butisregardedbymanyasapoorchoice
becauseofitsverylowefficiency(3550%).Itusesatwostepprocess(theimpeller
createsavortexandthevortexcreatesflow)thatwastesquiteabitofenergybut,itwill
passstringymaterialandlargerdiametersolidsthantwovanepumpsofequivalent
size.Inasmall,commercialormunicipalapplication(say510HP)whichismore
costlywasting1520%moreenergyinthecaseofthevortexpumportheweekly
expenseofpullingastandardpumpforcleaning?

Finally,thereareapplicationdesignpointswherereasonableefficiencycannotbe
attainedbutapumpisstillrequired.Supposesomemilliondollarprocesslinecannot
useapositivedisplacementpumpbut,instead,requiresacentrifugalpumpthatcan
deliver20GPMat3000ofhead.Wouldwereallycareifasinglestagepumphadtobe
drivenat23,000rpmandthatitsefficiencywaslessthan25%?Probablynot,andthere
arefarmoreofthesetypesofapplicationsthanyoumightsuspect.

Whenisitimportant?

Themajorityofmunicipalandcommercial,clearwater,applicationsarenotrestricted
bythelimitationsoutlinedaboveandthesepumpsshouldbeselectedwithefficiencyin
mind.Ifapumpisgoingtooperateataconstantflowandhead,itshouldbeselectedto
operateasclosetoitsBEPaspossible.Anexampleofthistypeofapplicationwouldbe
apumpthatfeedsamunicipalwatertank.Sinceelevationandpipelinefrictionremain
constant,thepumpcanbesizedtomeetitsrequirementatthebestpossibleefficiency.

But,notallpumpingapplicationshaveaconstantflowandtheshapeofthe
performancecurvecanoftenbeasimportantasBEPitself.Anexampleofthistypeof
applicationistheconstantspeedboosterpump.Intheseapplications,apressure
reducingvalve(PRV)throttlesthepumpwhendemanddecreasesinordertomaintain
someconstantpressure.Pressureonthepumpsideofthevalvefollowsthe
performancecurvepressurewhileapreset,constantpressureismaintainedonthe
dischargesideofthevalve.Whatpumpdesignbestfitsthisapplication?

Thechartbelowshowstheperformancecurveforapumpthatcouldbeusedinthe
boosterapplicationdescribedabove.Theapplicationcallsforapumpthatcanprovide
aconstantpressureboostof130overaflowrangeof100to300GPM.Thenumber
aboveeachoftheflowpointsontheperformancecurveistheBHPrequiredatthat

Constant Speed Pump 1

230
9.0
9.9
205 11.1

12.4
180
Head in feet

13.7
155
14.3
130
15.2
105

80
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Gallons Per Minute

pointandtheredlineisthedesiredsystempressure.TheBHPrequiredtooperatethis
pumprangesfrom14.3hpatfullflowtojustunder10hpat100GPMandfollowsthe
powercurvepredictionsofspecificspeedwesawearlier.

Belowisachartthatshowstheperformancecurveforanalternatechoice(Pump2).
TheefficienciesforbothPumps1&2differbynomorethanoneortwopercentage
pointsovertheirusablerangeofflow.InthecaseofPump2,theBHPrequiredatfull
flowis14.5hpalittlehigherthanthatofPump1.But,takealookatthepower
requiredatlowerflows.TheflattercurveproducedbyPump2requireslesspower
asflowdecreasesandcansaveasignificantamountofpowerattheintermediateflows.
EventhoughitisslightlylessefficientatBEP,itisafarbetterchoiceforthisparticular
application.

Constant Speed Pump 2

230

205

180
Head in feet

6.4 7.4 8.7

155 10.5
12.4
14.5
130 17.4

105

80
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Gallons Per Minute

Thereasontheflattercurveconsumeslesspowerthanthesteepercurvecanbe
illustratedbythefollowingequation.

BHP=(QxH)/(3960xefficiency)whereQisflowandHishead

BHPisdirectlyproportionaltobothflowandheadandinverselyproportionalto
efficiency.Althoughtheflowsandefficienciesarethesameorsimilarforbothpumps
inourexample,thehigherheads(atflowsunder300GPM)producedbyPump1
requiremorepowerthantheheadsproducedbyPump2.Youcanusethisequationto
computeBHPatanypointonaperformancecurve.See,Itoldyouthatthereismoreto
pumpselectionthanjustefficiency!

Asyoureviewvariouspumpcurvesfortheirfitinaconstantspeedboosterapplication,
youwillnoticeanotherefficiencytrait.Theefficiencies
oneithersideofBEParemorestableforsomepumps
thanothers.Forexample,aparticularpumpwithaBEP
of77%at400GPMisabletomaintain70%efficiency
overarangeof250to550GPM.Anotherpump,witha
similarBEP,maydropbelow70%muchmorequickly.
ThechangeinefficiencyaroundBEPhasalottodowith
LOW
theimpellersvaneangleatitsentrance.AtBEP,flowis
nearlyparallelwiththevanebut,asflowincreasesor BEP HIGH
decreasesitsentranceangleintothevanealsochanges.
Smallchangesintheentranceangledesigncanaffect
bothBEPandtheefficiencyvaluesoneitherside.The
figureontherightshowshowtheentryanglechangesundervariousflowconditions.

Now,supposethatthesesametwopumpswerecandidatesforinstallationinavariable
speedboostersystem(SeeVariableFrequency101ifyouarenotfamiliarwithVFD
operation).Wouldourfinalselectionbedifferent?Thechartbelowshowstheresults
whenPump2isoperatedunderVariableFrequencycontrol.Theheadrisefromfull
flowtoshutoffisabout15%andwouldallowjusta4Hzreductioninspeedifweareto
maintainaconstantpressureof130.Unfortunately,thisreductionisnotnearlyenough
toachieveareasonablepowersavingsoverthatoftheconstantspeedbooster.At

VFD Control Pump 2

250

200

6 7 9 11 12
Head in feet

150 14
17
5 6 7 8 10
4 4 5 11
100 6 7 13
60hz 8
10
55hz
50 50hz
System

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Gallons Per Minute

flowsof200and100GPMpowersavingswouldbejust2and1HPrespectively.Also,
thislimitedfrequencyrangewouldnotallowprecisecontrolofthepumpoveritsrather
broadflowrangeandasignificantamountoffrequencyhuntingcouldoccur.

But,Pump1hasaheadrisetoshutoffthatismuchgreaterandwhenoperatedunder
VFDcontrol(shownbelow)itcanperformquitewell.From100GPMtofullflowitwill
operateoverarangeof47to60hzandthepowersavingsateachreducedflowpointis
significantlygreaterthanthatofPump2runningatconstantorevenvariablespeed.
Variablespeedoperationoffersanadditionalbenefit.Theunbalancedhydraulicforces
thatexistatlowerflowsintheconstantspeedboosteraregreatlyreduced.Sothesteep
curveloosestotheflatcurvewheninstalledinconstantspeedboostersbutwinsina
variablespeedapplication.Keepthisinmindwhenevaluatingpumpsforbooster
applications.

VFD Control Pump 1

250

9
10
200
11
7 12
8
9
14
Head in feet

150 5 10
6
6 11 14
4 4 7
5 8 11 15
100 5
6 8 12
60hz 6
55hz 9
50hz 6
50 45hz
System

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Gallons Per Minute

Thereis,however,avariablespeedapplicationwhereflatcurvesexcel.Closedloop
circulationisaverycommonapplicationintheHVACmarket.Intheseapplicationsthe
pumpseesnoheadduetoelevationandallithastoovercomeisthefrictionintheloop.
Asflowisreduced,headduetofrictiontendstofallquicklyandpumpspeedcanbe
greatlyreduced.

Thechartonthefollowingpageshowstheenergysavingsthatcanbeattainedby
utilizingflatcurvesinclosedloopapplications.Thesystemcurve(inred)showsthat
thefrictioninthelooprangesfromabout55at1400GPMtoabout15at700GPM.
Thisequatestoaspeedrangeof60to31hertzandresultsinapowersavingsof
 Closed Loop VFD Controlled

80

70 70

60
22.4 hp 87% 60 hz
55
50
Head in Ft

41.7
40
60hz
55hz
30 29.7
50hz
8.6 hp 86% 44 hz 45hz
20 19 40hz
35hz
10 11 30hz
3.1 hp 86% 31 hz System
5
2
0
0.0 200.0 400.0 600.0 800.0 1000.0 1200.0 1400.0 1600.0 1800.0
Gallons Per M inute

approximately86%attheminimumflowof700GPM.Allpointsinbetweenshowa
similarsavings.

Anothercentrifugalpumpefficiencytraitisillustratedbythisclosedloopexample.
Noticethattheefficiencyat700GPMisonly1%lessthanthatofthetrueBEPat1400
GPM.Whenthespeedofacentrifugalpumpisreduceditsefficiency,atanycapacity
pointonthe60hertzperformancecurve,followsthatcapacityatthelowerspeed.In
otherwords,efficiencymovestotheleftwithcapacityasspeedisreduced.Thisalso
occursinconstantpressurevariableflowapplicationsbutitismoreapparentin
applicationswherebothheadandflowarevariable.

Toacertainextent,wewillseethesameresultwhenanimpelleristrimmed
efficiencywillmovetotheleftwithcapacity.But,atsomepoint,thedistancebetween
theimpellerperipheryandthecutwatercausesunacceptablerecirculationand
efficiencybeginstodrop.Althoughsmallimpellertrimscanbeeffective,achangein
rotationalspeedisthemostefficientmeansofchangingapumpscapacityandhead.
And,itforthisreasonthatvariablespeedpumpingsystemswillcontinuetoevolve.

CombinedEfficiency

Finally,letstakealookatsomethingIcallcombinedefficiencyasitisprobablymore
importantthanpumpefficiencyalone.Idefinethisefficiencyasthecombinationofthe
hydraulicefficiencyofthepumpandthemechanical,heat,orelectricalefficiencyofthe
devicethatisdrivingit.Inthecaseofanelectricmotordrivenpump,itiscalledthe
wiretowaterefficiencyandreferstohowwellthetwomachinesworktogetherto
producehydraulicenergyfromelectricalenergy.Thereasoncombinedefficiencyisso
importanthastodowiththemathematicalrelationshipbetweenthetwoindividual
efficiencies.

SupposewehaveapumpwithaBEPof80%thatisdrivenbyamotorwithan
efficiencyof90%.Ifyouweretoasktheaveragepersontocalculatethecombined
efficiencyofthetwomachinestheywouldtypicallyaddthetwoefficienciestogether,
dividebytwo,andgiveyouananswerof85%.Ifthisweretrue,combinedefficiency
wouldbeanonissuebutunfortunately,itisnottheaveragebuttheproductofthetwo
efficiencies.Individually,90%and80%lookprettydarngoodbutwhenyoumultiply
onebytheother,theresultingefficiencydropsto72%!Still,overthelifeofan
installation,arelativelysmallincreaseinthecombinedefficiencycanmakeabig
differenceinenergycosts.

TheComprehensiveEnergyPolicyAct(EPACT),thatbecamelawin1997,setsome
minimumefficienciesforgeneralpurposemotorsfrom1200HPandspeedsof1200
3600RPM.Higherhorsepower,lowerspeed,anddefinitepurposemotorswerenot
requiredtomeettheseminimumefficiencies.Interestinglyenough,oneofthese
definitepurposemotorsistheclosecoupledpump(CCP)motor.Thesemotorsare
someofthemostcommonpumpdriversinuseandwhytheywereexcluded,Idonot
know.Theirunregulated,efficienciesrangefrom80%at3HPtoabout89%at30HP.
Mostmanufacturersdo,however,offerhigherefficiencymodelsthatrangefrom86to
94%overthesameHPrangeandtheirusecanmakeabigdifferenceinpumpenergy
consumptionovertime.

Youcouldprobablymakeaprettygoodcasethatpumpefficiencyisnottooimportant
ifthepumpistobedrivenbyagasolineengine.Althoughan80%efficientpump
shouldsavequiteabitofenergyoveronethatis65%efficient,thegasengine
(approximately20%)bringstheirtotalsdownto16%and13%respectively.Itmaybe
hardtojustifyahigherinitialpumpcostforsuchasmallenergysavings,unlessthe
pumpisusedfrequentlyandforlongperiodsoftime.

JoeEvansNovember2005