21/02/2020 Blog - How to Calculate TDH & NPSH

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September 11, 2017 Categories

CALCULATE TOTAL DYNAMIC HEAD

(TDH) AND NET POSITIVE SUCTION Boiler Parts Boilers Case Study
HEAD (NPSH) Commercial Company Condensing
Fabrication Instrumentatio
Electric Boilers
The two most critical values that must be
Controls ITT Goulds Price Promotion Pump
calculated for a pump system are Total
Dynamic Head (TDH) and Net Positive Pumps Rental Steam Boilers Tra
Suction Head (NPSH). A simple guide to Videos
these calculations follows.
All symbols noted in the calculations are
referenced in the sketch shown below:
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P2 = Pressure on liquid surface in
discharge tank in psia (see P2 above) P1
= Pressure on liquid surface in suction Annual MaintenanceAQMD ASME BAA
bay area Boiler Regula
tank in psia (see P1 above) Z2 = Height
in feet of liquid surface in discharge tank,
above surface in suction tank Hfs = Friction loss in feet in suction line, as above Hfd = Friction loss in feet in Boilers boiler training ClearFire cle
discharge line including exit loss from pipe into tank brooks condensing boiler conditio
monitoring Engineered Replacement Parts
The gallons per minute (GPM) required and total head (TDH), as determined above, can be used directly on
Engineering Fabrication health monitoring
the pump performance curves to make the proper pump selection. Remember that the total head developed by
a pump and its NPSH required is the same for all specific gravities. After selecting a pump for the proper GPM
Water HVAC Hydronic Bo
and TDH, check that the available NPSH (NPSHA) is greater than the required NPSH (NPSHR) of the pump. Hydronics ITT Goulds Logs L
NOx Machined Parts NPSH Obsolete Pump
TOTAL DYNAMIC HEAD Total Dynamic Head (TDH)= (P2 – P1) x 2.31 Specific Gravity + Z2 + Hfs + Hfd pump expe
piping Preventative Maintenance

pump repair Pumps pump tra

Failure
To determine the horsepower required, the following formula can be used:
pump vibration Replacement Parts Ru
HORSEPOWER REQUIRED Horsepower required = TDH x GPM x Specific Gravity Efficiency x 3960
SCAQMD Service tco TDH total
ownership trade show Vibration An
Click Here for Temperature-Vapor Pressure for Water Table industry

Net Positive Suction Head – Amount of energy in the liquid at the pump datum. It must be defined to have a
meaning, as either available or required NPSH.
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Required NPSH – A characteristic of the pump design. It is determined by test or computation and is the
energy needed to fill a pump on the suction side and overcome the friction and low losses from the suction
connection to that point in the pump at which more energy is added. Required NPSH varies with pump design,
pump size and operating conditions and is supplied by the pump manufacturer.
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Hands-On P
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Available NPSH– A characteristic of the system and is defined as the energy which is in a liquid at the suction
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connection of the pump (regardless of the type of pump) over and above that energy in the liquid due to its 2020 2020 8:00am - 4:00pm
vapor pressure. Available NPSH can be calculated or obtained by taking test readings at the suction side of the Las Vegas, NV
pump.

Available NPSH = (P1 – Pv) 2.31 Specific Gravity + Z1 – Hfs TUE WED
Hands-On P
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P1 = Pressure on liquid surface in pounds per square inch absolute (psia). Absolute pressure is equal to gauge MAR MAR Workshop
reading plus atmospheric pressure. Three common examples are: 2020 2020 8:00am - 4:00pm
Modesto, CA
Open tank – No gauge reading so absolute pressure equals atmospheric pressure, or 14.7 psia at sea level.
Closed tank under pressure – Add gauge reading in psig to atmospheric pressure to get total absolute

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21/02/2020 Blog - How to Calculate TDH & NPSH
pressure. Closed tank under vacuum- Subtract vacuum reading in inches of mercury from atmospheric
pressure in inches of mercury (30 inches at sea level) and convert to psia by multiplying by .49.
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Boiler Opera
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Pv = Vapor pressure of liquid in psia at pumping temperature. Available from data tables. 2020 2020 8:00am - 4:00pm
Sacramento, CA
Sp.Gr. = Specific gravity of liquid being handled.

Z1 = Height of liquid surface above pump suction, measure in feet. If surface is below pump, use minus sign. WED
WiVi Central
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Hfs = Friction loss in feet suction pipe including entrance loss from tank to pipe, and loss in all valves, elbows, MAR Coast Wine
and other fittings. 2020 Symposium
9:00am - 4:00pm
Cavitation: When the NPSH required by the pump is greater than the NPSH available by the system, Bakersfield, CA
cavitation occurs. Vapor is formed and moves along with the stream. These vapor bubbles or “cavities” collapse
when they reach regions or higher pressure on their way through the pump.

The most obvious effects of cavitation are noise and vibration. This is caused by the collapse of the vapor
MON TUE
Western Turb
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bubbles as they reach the high pressure side of the pump. The bigger the pump, the greater the noise and MAR MAR Users Confe
vibration. If operating under cavitating conditions for a sufficient length of time, especially on water service, 2020 2020 7:00am - 2:30pm
impeller vane pitting will take place. The violent collapse of vapor bubbles forces liquid at high velocity into Santa Fe Springs, CA
vapor filled pores of the metal, producing surge pressures of high intensity on small areas. These pressures
can exceed the tensile strength of the metal, and actually blast out particles, giving the metal a spongy
appearance. This noise and vibration can cause bearing failure, shaft breakage and other fatigue failures in the TUE WED
Cleaver-Broo
pump. 07 08
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2020 2020 8:00am - 4:00pm
Categories: Pumps | Tags: Engineering, NPSH, Pumps, TDH Santa Fe Springs, CA

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