Guideline for Allowable Operating

Region
During the continuous operation of a rotodynamic pump, a kinetic machine in which
energy is imparted to pumped fluid by the means of a rotating impeller, propeller, or
motor, it is optimal to remain at the pump’s best efficiency point (BEP) rate of flow.
However, maintaining BEP, defined as the flow at which the pump operates at the
highest efficiency for a given impeller diameter and represented as a point on a pump
curve plotting rate of flow and head, for a significant period is ideal but often not
carried out. The key to rotodynamic pump function lies within operating regions that do
not detriment the performance and service life of the pump. ANSI/HI 9.6.3-2017 –
Rotodynamic (Centrifugal and Vertical) Pumps – Guideline for Allowable Operating
Region discusses the effects of operating a rotodynamic pump continuously or for a
long durations at rates of flow greater than or less than the pump’s BEP rate of flow. It
is applicable to centrifugal and vertical pumps. Any pump flow greater or less than the
BEP (or “operating to the right of the BEP” or “operating to the left of the BEP”,
respectively) may be prone to adverse effects, including cavitation, vibration, impeller
damage, suction and discharge recirculation, and reduced bearing and seal life. These
unwanted damages can be minimized by keeping the flow rate in the preferred operating
region (POR). According to ANSI/HI 9.6.3-2017, POR is “a range of rates of flow to
either side of predicted BEP within which the hydraulic efficiency and the operational
reliability of the pump are not substantially degraded.” Operating a pump within the
POR generally results in higher reliability, lower energy consumption, and far less of an
impact on design service life. Encompassing a wider range of rates of flow outside the
POR is the allowable operating region (AOR), the limits of which are determined not by
energy consumption, but by an assortment of other factors. These include, as addressed
in ANSI/HI 9.6.3-2017, hydraulic loads, temperature rise, vibration, noise, and liquid
velocity, just to name a few. Please note that AOR is outside of a pump’s POR, and, as
such, the service life operated within this region may be lower than that of the same
pump operating within the POR. The limits of AOR should be defined with the help of
the pump manufacturer. Beyond this information, the ANSI/HI 9.6.3-2017 touches upon
an array of issues associated with operating a rotodynamic pump continuously outside
of its BEP. ANSI/HI 9.6.3-2017 was written and developed by the Hydraulic Institute
(HI), an ANSI accredited standards developing organization. HI strives to advance the
pump manufacturing industry by becoming the world’s resource for pumping solutions
by addressing pump systems, developing standards, expanding knowledge and
resources, educating the marketplace, and advocating for the industry. ANSI/HI 9.6.3-
2017 – Rotodynamic (Centrifugal and Vertical) Pumps – Guideline for Allowable
Operating Region is available on the ANSI Webstore.

Read more at the ANSI Blog: ANSI/HI 9.6.3-2017 – Rotodynamic (Centrifugal and
Vertical) Pumps – Guideline for Allowable Operating Region
https://blog.ansi.org/?p=6918