This presentation is being brought to you by:

Rocky Mountain ASHRAE Chapter

McNevin Company
Aurora, CO
www.mcnevinco.com

and
ITT Bell & Gossett
The Little Red Schoolhouse®

Basic Pump Selection

Presented by:
Larry Konopacz, Manager Training & Education

Friday, April 15, 2011 1

What is a Centrifugal Pump?

Three basic components:

•Volute, casing, body
■ or Diffuser
•Impeller
■ or impellers
•Driver (motor)

2
Centrifugal Acceleration

High
Velocity

Low
Velocity

At rest Rotating

Pump Impeller

Direction of
rotation

Vanes

4
 Typical Impellers

Single Suction Double Suction

5

Full Diameter Impeller

Vr Vs

Vt
Vr = Radial Velocity
Rotation Vt = Tangential Velocity
Vs = Vector Sum Velocity
Impeller

Blades

6
 Trimmed Impeller

Vr
Vs

Vt

Rotation
Trimmed
Trimmed Impeller
Impeller

Full
Full Impeller
Impeller

Impeller and Volute

Arrows represent the

direction of water flow Discharge
Nozzle

Cutwater

Suction Eye

8
Velocity Through the Pump

Small Circulators…”Boosters”

33 Piece
Piece Circulator
Circulator
Oil Lubricated
Oil Lubricated

Close
Close Coupled
Coupled
System
System Lubricated
Lubricated Circulator
Circulator

10
 Large, Line Mounted Pumps

• Close Coupled • Spacer Coupler (Rigid)

• Special Purpose Motor • Special Purpose Motor

11

Base Mounted End Suction Pump

• Single Suction Impeller

• Flexible Coupler
• General Purpose Motor

12
Close Coupled End Suction Pump

• Horizontal or Vertical
Installation
• Special Purpose Motor

13

Double Suction Pump

• Vertical Split Case

• Reduced Axial Loads
• General Purpose Motor

14
 Double Suction Pump

• Horizontal Split Case

• Reduced Axial Loads
• General Purpose Motor

15

This Is Not A Pump Curve

(Foot Lbs Per Lb Water Pumped)
Total Head In Feet

Capacity In US Gallons Per Minute

16
Typical Pump Curve – Constant Speed

17

Typical Pump Curve – Variable Speed

Control Curve

18
Pump Selection - Things to Consider
• Pump location
■ Equipment room or plenum?
■ Close to occupied areas?

• Available space
■ Installation footprint
■ Maintenance footprint

• Maintenance requirements
■ Parts availability
■ Special skills, tools etc.

• Reliability
• Hydraulic requirements
■ Flow rate, head, efficiency, horsepower
■ NPSH

19

Hydraulic Requirements
• Analyze the system: determine head and flow
• Evaluate individual pump curves for:
■ Duty point with respect to BEP
■ Horsepower requirement
■ Efficiency
■ NPSHR
• Estimate life cycle costs
■ Initial cost
■ Annual operating cost
■ Use software to speed the process

20
Pump Life Cycle Costs
Life Cycle Costs

Installation 7%
Pump 10%
Environmental 5%

Downtime 3%

Operating 10%

Energy 40%

Maintenance 25%

21

You have many decisions to make:

•“Suitable” pump configuration.

•Pump size within that configuration.
•Impeller diameter.
•Seal type and materials.
•Pressure rating.
•Motor speed, type of enclosure, size.
•Costs

22
What’s “Suitable”?
•Base mounted or in-line?
•Close coupled or flexibly coupled?
•Single or double suction impeller?
•Pump installation and maintenance details.
•Packed pumps or internally flushed mechanical
seals?
•To the left or right of the best efficiency point
(BEP)?

23

Pump Selection – Preferred Region

2008 ASHRAE Handbook – HVAC Systems and Equipment, p 43.10 24

Pump Selection – Radial Thrust

2008 ASHRAE Handbook – HVAC Systems and Equipment, p 43.9 25

Pump Operation in Relation to BEP

•Operation well above BEP
■ Lower efficiency
■ Excessive bending stress on the shaft
■ NPSHR increases
■ High fluid velocity may lead to noise, vibration, or
erosion.

•Operation well below BEP

■ Lower efficiency
■ Large radial forces acting on the shaft
■ Incipient cavitation
■ A common rule of thumb defines low flow at 25% of best
efficiency flow.

26
Pump Selection - Which RPM…?

•The three most common pump speeds in

HVAC applications:
■2 pole, 3500 rpm
low flow rates, high head, intermittent operation
■4 pole, 1750 rpm
most common, low noise, long bearing and seal life
■6 pole, 1150 rpm
high flow rates, low head, quiet operation

27

3500 RPM for Intermittent Operation

Inertial loads imposed on the
motor shaft by the 1750 rpm
impeller are 16 times greater
than those of a 3500 rpm
impeller.

Wr 2
I
2g
1750 impeller is twice the
diameter, and four times the
weight of 3500 impeller

28
Closed/Open System Definitions

•Closed System
■Has only one point of contact with a
compressible gas.
■Elevation differences may exist, but can’t
cause flow.
•Open System
■Has several points of contact with a
compressible gas.
■Elevation differences can cause flow.

29

Closed System
Load

Pump
Source
• Boiler
• Chiller

30
Static Pressure and Pump Head

Pa Pb B

Which system has the greater static pressure?

Which one requires more pump head?

31

System Curve Construction

2
 Q2   h2 
   
 Q1   h1 
•Q1 = Known (design) Flow
•Q2 = Final Flow
•h1 = Known (design) Head
•h2 = Final Head

32
 “Simple”
The System Curve
2
 Q2  h 
   2
 Q1   h1 
2 G.P.M. Ft. HD.
 Q2  10
   115 10
 200  30
165 20
10
Q2  200  185 25
30
200 30
Q2  200  .33 215 35
Q2  200  0.574456 230 40
Q2  114.8913  115

33

System Curve Construction

50
Total Head In Feet

40
System Curve
30

20

10 What we need

50 100 150 200 250

Capacity In US Gallons Per Minute

34
 Pump and System Operation

50 Operating
Point
Total Head In Feet

40
System Curve
30

20

10

50 100 150 200 250

Capacity In US Gallons Per Minute

35

Where will the pump operate?

2
Total Head In Feet

Capacity In US Gallons Per Minute

36
 Open System – Total Static Head

Total
Static Static
Head Discharge
Head
Total
Static Static
Suction Head
Head

Static
Suction
Lift

Static Suction Head Static Suction Lift

Less Than Plus
Static Discharge Head Static Discharge Head

37

Cooling Tower System

Pipe Friction Loss

(Varies with flow)
Total
Static
10’ Head

Condenser
(Known head loss)

Basin
Water
Level Pump
(Constant) hf = 30’ @ 200 GPM

38
 Open System Operation
Operating
Total Head In Feet 50 Point

40

30
System Curve
20
Variable head loss
10
Constant head loss

50 100 150 200 250

Capacity In US Gallons Per Minute

39

NPSHR
Net Positive Suction Head Required
(Foot Lbs Per Lb Water Pumped)
Total Head In Feet

Head Capacity

NPSHR
feet
NPSHR

Capacity In US Gallons Per Minute

40
NPSH Required

Ps

Vapor
Pressure

Suction Discharge

Ps Vapor
Pressure
to discharge 
Suction Discharge

41

Cavitation = Swiss Cheese Impeller

42
 NPSH Available From the System

Static Suction Head Static Suction Lift

• from surface to centerline • from surface to centerline
• adds to NPSHA • subtracts from NPSHA

43

Increasing NPSHA

Vent
Liquid type and temperature?

Flow friction loss = 0.5’ Minimum 5’

NPSHR = 5’

44
 NPSH Summary

•NPSH Required •NPSH Available

■ Impeller design, shape,
construction
■ Plotted on pump curve
■ Increases with flow
■ Positives
 Static suction head
 Lower vapor pressure
 Higher system pressure

■ Negatives
 Friction losses
 Static suction lift

45

Pump Selection For Low NPSHR

Pump Curve
Larger Pump
Head NPSHR Curve

Pump Curve Smaller Pump

Head
NPSHR Curve

Flow

46
Pump Selection – Parallel Pumps

System Head

1/2 system flow*

1/2 system flow*

* Size piping for total flow.

47

Pump Selection – Parallel Pumps

No intersection Point
Poor Pump Selection

48
Pump Selection – Parallel Pumps

Intersection Point
Good Pump Selection

49

Saving Energy in Hydronic Systems

•Good pump selections.

•Insure the system is hydronically balanced.
•Trim the impeller based on measured values.
•Consider:
■using multiple pumps
■primary-secondary pumping
■variable speed pumping

50
 Consider Impeller Trimming**
**Some impellers can’t be trimmed
Total Head In Feet

15 HP
12 HP
10 HP
7.5 HP
5 HP

Capacity In US Gallons Per Minute

51

Good Pump Selections

•Operate most of the time at high efficiencies

•Prevent heavy bearing loads
•Avoid cavitation
•Keep from running off the end of the curve
•Minimize operating costs, maintenance costs

52
Avoid Pumping System Problems

•Make good pump selections

•Proper installation - including all required
accessories
•Proper system cleaning and commissioning
•Periodic inspection and routine service

53

Why Improvement Opportunities Exist

•Lack of a systems approach during the design

process
•Overly conservative or improper pump
selection, resulting in poor performance
•Improper installation or operation
•Poor maintenance
•System requirements change over time

54
Basic Pump Selection

Any Questions?

55

This presentation was brought to you by:

Rocky Mountain ASHRAE Chapter
McNevin Company
Aurora, CO
www.mcnevinco.com

and
ITT Bell & Gossett
The Little Red Schoolhouse®

Thanks for Attending!

Friday, April 15, 2011 56