ENGR 120 – Using Pump Curves to Select Pumps

Let’s “close the loop.”

How does the pump testing that you have

done connect to “real-world” engineering?
Pumps come in a variety Motor
of configurations.
configurations

Here are a few examples

of centrifugal pumps
pumps.

Pump Drive shaft connected

to tractor PTO

Pump
 Water out
This is a submersible pump consisting of
4 “stages” connected in series. Each stage
is a centrifugal pump in itself. The entire
pump is submerged under water.

Pump
p stages
g

In this submersible pump water flows from

one stage to the next. The pressure (or head)
increases as water moves through the pump,
but the discharge remains constant.
This is analogous to batteries connected
i series.
in i Th
The totall voltage
l iis the
h sum off
the voltage from each battery, but the current
remains constant.

Water in
 Procedure for Selecting a Pump

(1) Calculate the system head curve

(2) Select the design discharge for the pump

(3) Check pump manufacturer’s catalogs and select a pump that

will operate at maximum efficiency near the design discharge.
 System Head Curve
(1) Static lift – vertical distance between the static water surface
and the ground surface

(2) Static discharge – vertical distance between the ground surface

and the ultimate point of use

(3) Well drawdown – decrease in water level in the well in response

to pumping

(4) Friction loss in the system – head loss due to friction as water
flows through the pipe, valves, bends, etc.

((5)) Operating
p g head – ppressure (or
( head)) required
q at the point
p of use.
For example, irrigation sprinklers require a certain amount of
pressure to operate correctly; a well system for a home typically
pumps water into a pressure tank which then supplies water to the
house.
house
 These are all dynamic – they increase with
increasing discharge from the pump.

System Head Curve Operating Head

otal Head,, H (ft)

Friction Loss

Well Drawdown
To

Static Discharge

Static Lift

Discharge, Q (gpm)
Operating head is determined by whatever is required at
the ultimate point of use (sprinkler, pressure tank, etc.)

Friction loss, hf, can be calculated from the Darcy-Weisbach equation

where

Well drawdown, s, can be calculated from the Jacob equation

where
Select a submersible pump that will deliver 900 gpm to a water tank.
Static lift = 20 ft
St ti discharge
Static di h = 30 ft
Dynamic head is discussed on the SE
next slide.

motor Static
Discharge

Static lift

Drawdown

pump
Let’s assume we are able to calculate the friction loss, hf, from the
Darcy-Weisbach equation. Note that hf varies with velocity of the water.
This means it also varies with pump discharge, Q.

where

We can also calculate drawdown,

drawdown s,s from the Jacob equation.
equation Note that
this also varies with pump discharge, Q.

where
We calculate and plot the total system head curve as
the sum of static lift, static discharge, well drawdown,
friction loss and operating pressure
pressure. The system head
curve will be a function of pump discharge.

Let’s assume we have done these calculations and

plotted the system head curve as shown of the following
graph.
 System
Head Curve

Now we superimpose this curve on the pump

curves obtained from the pump manufacturer.

Static Lift + Static Discharge

The pump curves from the manufacturer were determined in

essentially the same way you determined your pump curves.
 System
Head Curve

Static Lift + Static Discharge

If we operate this pump at 1600 RPM, it will deliver 900 GPM

Operating Point against a total system head of 120 ft.
Efficiency is 71% (slightly less than peak efficiency of 72%.)
 System
Head Curve

Static Lift + Static Discharge

What will happen if we operate the pump at 1200 RPM ?

The total system head drops to 75 ft, and the pump will New Operating Point
deliver only 550 GPM. The efficiency drops to 69%.