How to Check Vendor Data Sheet and Performance Curve for a Centrifugal Pump?
(from Process Engineer Point of View)
Behnaz Motamed
Senior Process Engineer
linkedin.com/in/behnaz-motamed
Aug 2019, Rev. 00
Check the pump tag
numbers, description, number of
pumps in running and standby vs.
designer's data sheet.
Check the flow rate
Calculate the pump rated capacity
by this formula:
Normal flow rate x pump over-
design factor (obtained from Project
Design Criteria).
e.g: Rated Flow > 1.1 * Normal Flow
Check the suction and
discharge pressure vs.
designer's data sheet.
Differential pressure = Discharge
pressure - Suction pressure
See also Note 1 (on next page)
Check pumping liquid,
the pumping temperature and
physical properties
Check the differential head
differential head (m) = differential
pressure (bar) * 1E5 / density / 9.81
See also Note 1 (on next page)
Check NPSHA vs. designer's
data sheet
NPSHA = Suction pressure – Vapor
pressure (m.liquid)
NPSHA is calculated for the worst
case and this is a case in which
minimum NPSH is available.
See also Note 2 and item 18 of this
checklist.
Check starting condition
P&ID to be considered to see
whether an interlock causes to
pump start automatically or not. If
there is not any interlock for auto-
start, machine will be started with
discharge valve open manually.
Check whether the pump is
utilized continuously or
intermittently.
Check the site data
vs. Project Design Basis.
Check the pump
performance as follows:
 Pump performance data shall be in
accordance with performance curve
(such as RPM, efficiency, power,
NPSHR, BEP and so on). No
discrepancy is allowed.
 Pump impeller diameters to be
same as the figures on performance
curve. According to API-610, the
pump curve for maximum and
minimum impeller diameters shall
be included as well as rated
impeller.
11 Check the rated power
Rated Power = Head * (Max.
Density) * 9.81 * Rated Flow / 36 /
Efficiency / 1E5
12 Check the minimum flow
 Minimum continuous stable flow
(MCSF or Qmin) is the minimum
allowable flow for which vibration
will not exceed specified limitation.
This flow is specified by
manufacturer and it is around 30%
of rated flow.
Process Engineer is responsible to
check size of recycle line by this
flow. Data sheets for other device
such as restriction orifice or control
valve located on this line shall be
also rechecked.
 Minimum continuous thermal flow
(MCTF) is the minimum flow for
which a maximum permissible
pump temperature is anticipated.
MCTF prevents pump failure due to
flashing of the liquid. This flow is
usually equal or less than MCSF.
13 Check the BEP
The peak of the efficiency curve is
known as the best efficiency point
(BEP). According to API-610, rated
capacity shall be within the region of
80-110% BEP, moreover BEP shall
preferably be between the rated point
and the normal point.
Pump should not operate too far from
BEP, because when pump operates
away from BEP, cavitation and
vibration will occur and bearing /seal
life will be reduced.
Page 1
14 Check
region
Preferred operating
Preferred operating region is 70-120%
BEP (based on API-610).
15 Check allowable operating
region
Allowable operating region is from
minimum continuous stable flow to
maximum expected operating flow
(based on API-610).
Max expected flow is usually (not
always) considered as 120% BEP by
Vendor.
16 Check the maximum head
at rated impeller
The maximum head produced by the
pump at rated impeller is called “Shut
off head”. The corresponding pressure
at the shut-off head is called “Shut off
pressure”. The shut-off pressure is very
important for pump downstream
system design pressure.
 Check shut-off head vs. figure on
performance curve
 Calculate:
𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑 @ 𝑆ℎ𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓𝑓
𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑 @ 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑃𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡
Compare the above ratio with shut-
off head factor. This factor can be
obtained from Project Design
Criteria. It is usually around 1.2 and
above ratio shall not exceed shut-off
head factor.
(Please be noted in sample attached
data sheet, there is some deviation
that has been approved by the
Client)
 Calculate shut-off pressure (barg) by
following formula:
Shut-off Pressure = [maximum head
@rated impeller * (Max. Density) *
9.81 / 1E5] + MSP
MSP: Max Suction Pressure (barg)
 Shut-off pressure is usually reported
in Vendor data sheet in “NOTE”
section.
 Check pump downstream system
design pressure vs. pump shut-off
pressure. In case it is less than shut-
off pressure, it should be corrected
(look also for PSV valves if they are
capable to mitigate excessive
pressure).
 Design pressure of pump suction
line (from isolation valve to suction
nozzle) is usually compare with
pump shut-off pressure. Check
design pressure of this line as well.
How to Check Vendor Data Sheet and Performance Curve for a Centrifugal Pump?
(from Process Engineer Point of View)
17 Check the maximum power
at rated impeller
Maximum power at rated impeller to be
same as the figure on performance
curve.
Check NPSHR at rated
18 capacity
 NPSHA shall be greater than NPSHR
by a safety margin which is specified
by Project Design Criteria; Usually a
safety margin of about 0.6 to 1 m is
sufficient, but there may be other
criteria that to be checked by
Process engineer.
 Some manufacturers provide two
NPSHR curves for vertical can pump.
One for the first stage impeller
suction eye, and the other for the
suction nozzle.
• Check reported NPSHA at 1st stage
impeller by the following formula:
NPSHA @1st stage impeller = NPSHA
@suction nozzle (calculated by
designer) + Liquid Height – Friction
Loss
Liquid Height is from 1st stage
impeller to suction nozzle
 For reciprocation pumps (which is
not applicable to this checklist),
acceleration head is also to be
considered for calculating of NPSHA.
Max/Actual suction specific
19 speed is not usually checked
by Process engineer. For information, it
is calculated as follows:
Actual Suction Specific Speed =
𝑛 𝑄𝐵𝐸𝑃
𝑁𝑃𝑆𝐻𝑅𝐵𝐸𝑃 3/4
BEP in this formula is for max impeller
diameter
Q BEP : US GPM
NPSHR: ft
n: rpm
Maximum amount is extracted from
“Project Specification for Centrifugal
Pumps” and it is about 11000 (GPM, ft,
rpm).
20 Check the utility conditions
vs. Project Design Basis.
Check the NOTE section
21
This section to be reviewed from
Process point of view. All notes that
were kept as “HOLD” at design stage to
by finalized by Vendor.
Check the pump suction and
22
discharge lines
Suction and discharge lines size and
rating to be checked vs. P&ID.
Check the pump nozzle
23 connections
Size of suction and discharge nozzles
shall be equal or smaller than related
lines. Rating of these nozzles should not
be less than rating of relevant lines.
Check the pump casing
24 auxiliary connections
Casing auxiliary connections to be
checked vs. pump general arrangement.
All casing auxiliary connections (such as
vent and drain) should be reflected on
process P&ID by process engineer.
Moreover, destination of these
effluents to be carefully investigated
such as possibility of:
• Vent to safe location
• Low pressure flare
• High pressure flare
• Cold or acid gas flare
• Closed drain
• Open drain
In case of flaring, back pressure of the
flare shall be less than the pressure that
fluid is vented.
Type of pump seal plan is not
25 checked by Process Engineer.
Standard for seal plan is API-682. It can
be used when checking of seal plan
P&ID is done by Process Engineer.
26 Check heating and cooling
This part to be compatible with Vendor
utility consumption list. In addition to
cooling water flow rate, operating
condition of CW shall be also checked.
Check the sump
27 arrangement
If pump is located in the sump, the
arrangement to be checked vs. pump
general arrangement.
Note 1
For vertical pumps, calculated head by
designer to be corrected if suction and
discharge nozzles are not at the same
level.
Developed (or corrected) head =
calculated head + height of liquid to be
pumped to discharge nozzle + friction
loss - static head
For example, designer calculates
following items:
Discharge pressure = 26.62 barg
Differential pressure = 26.60 bar
Differential head = 422.5 m
Look at the pump general arrangement
attached to this file:
Considering friction loss as zero and
upstream vessel LLL as 1500 mm:
Developed head = 422.5 + 2.862 + 0 -
1.5 = 423.8 m
then: corrected differential pressure =
423.8 x 642.1 x 9.81 / 1E5 = 26.68 bar
Corrected discharge pressure = 26.70
barg
Note 2
For vertical can pump, some
manufacturers provide two NPSHR
curves. One for the first stage impeller
suction eye, and the other for the
suction nozzle.
Look at the pump data sheet attached
to this file:
NPSHA = Suction pressure - Vapor
pressure (m.liquid)
NPSHA is calculated for the worst case
and this is a case in which minimum
NPSH is available.
For this pump: NPSHA = [(0.02 + 0.98) -
0.868] x 1E5 / 640.1 / 9.81 = 2.1 m
(Barometric pressure is 0.98 bar, See
site data section)
As it was explained in item 18 of this
checklist, NPSHA at 1st stage impeller is:
NPSHA @1st stage impeller =2.1 + 2.862
(Pump Length) - 0.162 (Loss) = 4.8 m
Behnaz Motamed , August 2019, Page 2