MI 304 FLUID MACHINES

LECTURE 20
B. K. Gandhi
 Jet Centrifugal Pump Combination

• Ground water available in open or tube

wells are extensively used for irrigation
and water supply.

• The phenomenon of cavitation limits

the use of centrifugal and piston
pumps to a depth of about 7m below
the pump.

• The limitation can be increased

considerably by a combination of a
centrifugal pump and a jet pump.
• The mechanical advantage of this arrangement is evident as there are
no moving parts in the well, and the centrifugal pump, with its motor can
be placed at some convenient point.

The hydraulic advantages are:

 Steep head - Capacity characteristic with operating head quite higher

than that of the centrifugal pump alone.

 A non-overloading break horse power curve.

• The efficiency of the combination is the product of the efficiency of jet

pump and overall efficiency of centrifugal pump -motor unit.

• The maximum efficiency of 42% for jet pump and 65% for monoblock
pump is known till date, which results in a maximum possible efficiency of
25.2% for a jet centrifugal pump combination.
JET CENTRIFUGAL PUMP COMBINATION JET PUMP
The characteristic of jet pumps can be described by three ratios:

A n Nozzlearea
Area Ratio, R 
A t Throat area
Qs Pumpedcapacity
Flow Ratio, M 
Qm Drivingcapacity

Hd  Hs Net jet pumphead

Head Ratio, N  
H1  Hs Netdrivinghead

The driving head H1 and the driving capacity Qm are furnished from the
outside source.

Capacity Qs enters the jet pump suction under head Hs.

The capacity leaving the jet pump discharge equals the sum of the driving
capacity and the jet pump capacity
Q = Qm + Qs
A water jet pump the elements of which are
shown in, involves the following processes:

• Conversion of pressure energy to kinetic

energy in the driving nozzle.
• Expansion of the jet in a pressure for
below that of the induced (suction) fluid
at the tip of the main nozzle.

• Fall is pressure at the driving jet,

inducing flow of the suction fluid in the
direction of the driving fluid flow.

• Entrainment of the induced (suction) fluid by viscous friction at the periphery

of the jet.
• Acceleration of the particles of the surrounding (induced) fluid by impact of
particles from the driving nozzle fluid in the mixing chamber.

• Conversion of kinetic energy to pressure energy of the combined fluid in the

diffuser.
• The jet pump works on the
principle of a driving jet
entraining and driving the
suction flow.

• The suction fluid reaches

section 4, because of the
difference in pressures between
section 4 and the water surface
in the sump 'tank, which is at
atmospheric pressure, then
mixes with the driving fluid
between Section 4 and 5.

• The pumping action is due to the exchange of momentum between the

driving and suction fluid.
The pumping efficiency = work done in lifting suction fluid per
second/energy supplied by the driving fluid.

 Qs 
Momentum of suction fluid     Vd
 g 

Work done per second in  Qs 

   Vd  Vd
moving the suction fluid  g 
Vm2
Energy supplied by driving fluid  Qm
2g
2
2Qs  Vd 
Ideal pump efficiency   
Qm  Vm 
Assuming sections 4 and 5 are very close
together, and therefore, the friction loss in
negligible, the momentum should be same
at these sections.

Therefore  Qm   Qd 
   m    Vd
V 
 g   g 
Using the continuity equation

Qm Vm  Qs  Qm  Vd
Therefore
Qs Vm  Vd

Qm Vd
2 Vm  Vd  Vd
Ideal pump efficiency j 
Vm2
 d j
Efficiency is maximum, when 0
dVd
Therefore
2Vm  4Vd
2
0  Vm  2Vd
Vm
and maximum efficiency

 Vm  Vm
2 Vm   
 2  2
 50%
2
Vm
If Vd = Vm for maximum efficiency then

Qs Vm  Vd
 Qr  1
Qm Vd
 Q
2 s
Qm
The ideal pump efficiency  2
1  Qs 
 
 Qm

The actual efficiency of

jet pump is given by

Qs (Hd  Hs)
j   MN
Qm (H1  Hd)

Ideal efficiency of jet pump verses flow ratio

Jet pump characteristics
An extensive research work was carried over on the parameters affecting the
performance of jet pump and few of the recommendations are summarized as
under

• The driving nozzle should have a semi cone angle of 8° to 10° and
preferably be streamlined,
• If the jet pump has a fixed nozzle, The area ratio should be between 0.33
to 0.543.
• If the jet pump has an adjustable nozzle, the area ratio should be about
0.205, and the pump should be operated at a nozzle distance of one to
two nozzle diameter.
• The mixing chamber length should be about 18 nozzle diameter and it
may be about 6 nozzle diameters for small jet pumps.
• The diffuser should have a total angle of 5°, and the suction nozzle should
have a cone angle of 20 to 24°.

• A long radius band with a straight suction flow entry may be used. The
pump material should be non-corrosive and smooth for high efficiencies.
 PERFORMANCE OF A CENTRIFUGAL JET PUMP
COMBINATION
Hp = Centrifugal pump discharge
head, which is the net head of
combination
H = Delivery head of centrifugal pump.

Hc = Centrifugal net head.

Hl = Head on jet pump nozzle, driving
head.
Hd = Discharge head of the jet pump.

h1 = Friction loss head in the

centrifugal pump suction pipe, which
is the discharge pipe of the jet pump.

h2 = Friction loss head in the driving capacity pipe.

All heads are taken above the jet pump suction level, which for simplicity is taken
at the center of the jet pump suction nozzle : Hs = 0
The operating point of the system is determined by four conditions:

Q  Qs  Qm  Qm (M  1) ---------(1)

M N
 1 ---------(2)
Mo No

Qm  CA n 2gH1 ---------(3)

H1
Hc  1  BN  1 ---------(4)
N1
16fLC2 A n2 ---------(5)
for B   constant
d5 2
Where f is the friction coefficient, L is the length, and d is the diameter of
the driving pipe.
 Combining eq. (1), (3) and (4) and simplifying, we get

Q2 2gC2 A n2 (M  1)2 (N  1)
 ---------(6)
Hc 1  B(N  1)

for any arbitrary point on the centrifugal pump head capacity curve (Q, Hc)
equations (2) and (6) are two simultaneous equations with M and N unknowns.

Solution of these for M and N leads to a cubic equation, which cannot be solved
algebraically.

For a solution by trial, it is more convenient to use equation (6) and reverse the
procedure, that is, to substitute M and N values for an arbitrary point on M-N
curve
Example of calculation of jet pump performance
Problem: Suction pipe length = 50 m, f = 0.02, find diameter for max. friction
Head loss = 1 m. Find the HQ characteristics of jet-centrifugal pump.

Q, lpm H, mwc P, kW H-eq, m P-eq, kW Jet pump

0 34 0.75 33.90 0.69 Mo = 0.8
50 33.3 0.8 33.37 0.85 No = 1.55
100 32.6 0.95 32.58 1.01
150 31 1.2 31.55 1.16
200 30.5 1.35 30.26 1.31
250 28 1.5 28.73 1.47
300 27.5 1.65 26.94 1.61
350 24 1.75 24.91 1.76