Applying the NPSHR Standard to Progressing Cavity Pumps Take NPSHR values into consideration to ensure proper continuous operation. By Michael Dillon and Klaus Villings rogressing cavity pumps have characteristics tunigue to their class These include high suc tion lift capabilities and the ability to transfer multi-phase fuids ability to handle vapors ‘oF gaseous materials, however, com. pilicates the application of traditional NPSH values, To make full use of any pump’s capabilities. it is crucial to {ake into account NPSH - Net Positive Suction Head. This acronym, which originated in the United States, is used internationally in pump engineering asa standard term for designating the net energy level in the pump inlet cross-section. Even though, due to their construction, progressing cavity pumps do not suffer immediate dan age in the area where cavitation occurs, there will still be negative Jong-term effects caused by the reduc tion in flow and by pressure varia tions. Possible product damage, as well as a degradation of a pump's ‘ontinuows operating capability are inevitable if NPSHy values arc not taken into consideration In simple terms, this acronym ignites the internal pressure loss of a ‘pump, designated as the NPSH, or [PSH required of the pump, and the inlet pressure available to the pump ~ that i, the pressure at the end of the suction line reduced by uid vapor pressure. designat ed as the NPSH, or NPSH avail: ble from the system, With this definition of the NPSH, value, cavitation will be within accep able limits if pump inlet pressure exceeds the fluid vapor pressure and the internal pressure loss the NPSE The following formula must hol NPSH, > NPSH,, When plansing pump systems, « safety margin, of 0.5 m (1.6') should be taken into account diate variances within individual para meters such as pump speed, Muid temperature, vapor pressure or inlet pressure, Moreover, a safety factor should be allowed for systern changes overtime, such as solid settling in the inlet pipe or erosion of the pumping ‘components and a resulting degrada: tion of the pump’s NPSH,.capabilt ‘These changes will not immediately cause an operational fault but can cer tainly cause problems later, To define the NPSH, as a pure pump character istic, NPSH, is generally stated in the ‘meters of “feet” as the level of fli jwater) head in absolute terms, ‘The existing NPSH, is defined by the pump installation and calcu lated by NPSHe=(0:P\-Do /O"D)4I¥2/20HH, se where 9. preseure in the inlet cross-se i of the system, fluid level Pe atmospheric pressure Bo vapor pressure @ densi 0 acceleration due to gravity velocity in the inlet cross-se on of the system, codetic level 8 level Hoe , ference level, the horizont level (Z| wil be defined as ~in devia. tion from the definition for rotary [pumps (¢., ISO 2548 or DIN 24260) passing through the center of the ‘Pump inlet cross-section. This avoids the influence of an additional refer ence height. PROGRESSING CAVITY PUMPS As is generally known, the pr gressing cavity pump was invented by Di. René Moincau, following World War 1, as a supercharger for an airplane engine. Due to the multi phase and high suction capability the pump and its ability to convey large quantities of air, vapor or gas in fa fluid, that may also contain solids, this pump is not usually used in th way or considered to be the as other rotary positive dis placement pumps The progressing cavily pump vas designed to be @ rotary and pis ton pump combination. It integrates the advantages of both types of pump constructions, such as high pumping flow rates, high pressul capabilities, minimal pulsat valveless operation and excellent Pressure stability The progressing cavity pump distinguishes itself from other rotary Fump types, in particular. by the fact that the external housing - in addi tion to its sealing function - is also the pumping element This static pumping element, an elastomeric stator, is preferably designed with a compression fit for containing the rotating pumping ele ment, the metalic rotor.In this way, fluids with very low viscosity can be conveyed with very little internal fluid slippage. Most other rotary positive displacement pumps require pumping media with 4 much higher viscosity than that of ‘water in order to produce slip-free performance between the rotating And stationary elements. Since toler ance fits are integral to their designs, the resultant gaps and the inherent slippage in other pamps produce volumetric efficiencies below those of progressing cavity pumps, This is particularly the case for applications wit higher differ ential pressures and lower viscosity In addition, the higher internal leak: age will induce a cavitation condition. As in all rotary positive displacement pumps, the progress ing cavity pump volume is directly proportional to the speed and show's only a slight degradation due to the pumping pressure In contrast to reciprocating pumps, as well as to gear pumps and peristaltic pumps, the progressing cavity pump has almost no pulsa Hons. In this regard, NPSH., values in piston pumps show a particularly strong dependence on the mass forces of the pumping medium, orig inating from the pulsating flow. A periodic movement law, which is dependent on the displacement kine- ‘matics and the elastic characteristics of he pumping ld, wil be impart ‘ed to the liquid inside the pipes. The pressure pulsations thus generated in the pipe system must be taken into account. If low frequency pres- sure variations exceed the vapor pressure, cavitation will occur. Ifthe pressure in a flowing lig: tid decreases at any point below the level of the liquid vapor pressure, ‘bubbles will form, and these bubbles Figure 1. Cross-sectional view: progressing cavity pump of a moders modular type. : will implode intermittently when they contact areas of the pumped fu id that are under higher pressures Manufacturers can experimentally define a series of cavitation scenarios and, depending on the customer's application 5, define oper ational and fluid condition limits that Will not be exceeded at a predefined NPSH value, tn general, practical engineering - looking for an econom: ical and operationally safe system ~ is interested in solving problems such as the deterioration of pump performance by cavitation and the consequences of such cavitation ~ i.e, noise emission, pulsation, vibra- tion and wear. Generally, the mos common indication of cavitation is reduction of the pumping height or the pumping flove (X4%, AH or AQ) When such conditions exist, the amount of cavitation must already be significant since there must alr bbe a significant volume of bubbles forming for the resultant effect to be noticeable The standard procedures for measuring the cavitation sequence are designed to decrease the system- side NPSH value (NPSH,). Depend. ing on the regulatory standard to be met, the pump manufacturer will chose from one of the following methods: The inlet pressure of the fluid entering the pump will be con- trolled by means of « throtiling tm The pump wil be fd by 1 pump aves gel rth an adjustable fluid level, WE In closed circuit, system pres: sure or temperature (and thus vapor pressure) will be ‘Taking into account the real mea- surement cross-section, the NPSH, value here is calculated in the same manner as NPSH: INPSH, = (By+fy-Po/d*a)4(ve/20)-Hs-2, where Py pressure in the measurement ‘Crose-secticn ¥y velocity in the measurement cross-section. 2) height level of measurement point in relation to the entry cross-section, PSH, STANDARDS ‘Varying standards among interme: tional regulatory institutions regard ing the definition and testing of NPSH values can cause confusion about the correct way to operate progressing cavity pumps in relation o their suc: tion capability. The Hydraulic Insti tute recognizes the difference between the general classification of totary positive displacement pumps and reciprocating pumps or centrifu al pumps For this reason, a separate standard as well as test procedure for the required pressure at the pump inlet (NPIP=Net Positive Inlet Pres: sure) has been provided. However, discrepancies between the institu: tions and even pump manufacturers arise when the percentage of the reduction is to be determined. The German VDMA (Verein Deutscher Maschinenbau ~ Anstalien-Associ tion of German Engineering Institu- tions) states in VDMA 24284 "Testi of Rosie Dicacroett Pen’ at there is to be a decrease of flow by no mote than 25 This ste same standard set by the Hydraulic Institute for centrifugal and positive displacement pumps. Yet API (Amer- ican Petroleum Institute] describesin APL 676 "Positive Displacement Pumps - Rotary" a reduction by 3%. The Hydraulic Institute states additionally that the NPIP, for rotary positive displacement pumps isle mimic a Ss Tea ing flow. Users need to liars Guach seastard tag tae by the pump manufacturer to calcu- late NPSH,. NPSti, CHARACTERISTICS: ‘As described in the section on NPSH, the NPSH, value can be ‘understood as the internal pressure loss of the pamp. and this pressure Joss can be read off directly fram the QPs characteristic curve,This criterion is frequently used in connection with reciprocating pumps. The pressure loss will be determined experimentally, by mea- ‘suring the pressure inside the pump- ing eavity The NPSH value will then bbe calculated as follows NPSH = Api 4"9 The procedure described here can be used for progressing cavity pumps as well: however, the pres- sure measurement drilling that needs to be carried out does not per: mit any non-destructive (esting of production pumps. By recording the pressure curves in the pumping chambers of a. progi pump, any resulting ‘nomena can be analyzed. ‘When a new pumping chamber is rented, oation ofthe Seer within the stator will ausea sudden opening ‘of the chamber on the suction sid accompanied by a strong decrease i the cavity pressure, Depending on the actual Jevel of inlet pressute, speed or {luid viscosity, this presoure decrease ‘may fall below the vapor pressure lev- el fora defined time and thus deter ‘ine the volume of the eavity filed with bubbles. If any bubbles implode in the area of higher pressure as early as this suction action, they will not affect the O-Ps characteristic curve. However, with low viscosity fluids this situation leads to pressure varia- tions, The resulting oscillating behav- ior and increase in noise can be considered as a first indication of cay- itation, even though this phenomenon scien compared te oer rotting ive displacement pumps ~ fre oealy is not aa marked dee (o the damping acting ofthe elastomeric st tor. If the bubbles remain intact while the pumping chamber is being creat ed, the chamber will be formed and progress through the pump in a par tially filled state, and this will decrease the Alove. When the chamber ‘opens on the pressure side of the pump, the bubbles will condense instantancously. The consequent backflow causes pulsations the strength of which is determined by the volume of vapor, The Q Ps charac teristic curve of a progressing cavity ‘pump is dependent on both speed and fluid viscosity. In the lower speed range there will be a relatively immedinte transi- tion from partial cavitation to {ull cay- Capacity US GPM Absorbed Horsepower tation for highly uid media. At high- er speeds this transition is more grad ual, For high viscosity fluids the transition will be progressive across the entire speed range, and will fe ‘questly begin as early as at the point ‘of entry into the vacuum range: The ‘onset of cavitation will also be infu ‘enced by the type and characteristics of the fluid. For instance, with mix tures such as hydraulic ails, cavita- tion will start slowly and then become amplified across a wide boil- ing or vapor phase range. The Q-Ps characteristic curves of progressing cavity pump sizes have been recrded in Connprehen- sive test runs. From the results it is possible to derive pump-speciie coaf- ficients that take into account the pos- itive displacement geometry and the individual manufacturer's design of the suction components. For the nor- ‘mal direction of rotation, construc: tion of a hydraulically favorable joint seal and the length and design of the suction casing are both importa Within the turbulent flow range, the NPSH value will be independent of the pumped fluid, and the pressure loss will be in proportion to the dens ty. For each pump size, using the ow rate and this coefficient, itis possible to calculate an NPSHR value, as is shown on the curve in Figure 3 [REVERSE DIRECTION OF ROTATION For applications in which the NPSH, value is very low, the perfor mance of progressing cavity pumpsc im reverse should be consid- | pump made from an inelastic metal ered. The pumping medium flows | orsy erials. Moreover, the into what is normally the high pres- | smooth injection-molded stator sur sure side of the pump and is dis- | face provides a poor working surface charged from what is normally the | for the currents that occur during low pressure side, The advantage of | cavitation. If casing walls are rough, this is that chaff sealing will be on | these ‘microjets™ shoot into fine the pressure side, excluding any pos- | grooves and cracks, By selecting an sibility of losing prime through the | appropriately low strength elastomer packing or « mechanical seal. A fur: | quality, damage as a consequence of ther advantage is that the NPSH val- | cavitation could be confined to the ue will be improved by the | first third urbed suction conditions This | viewed f the stator pitch - when ks the suction side mode the | in the elesiemner'wil appear, end suction casing as well asthe restric | mechanical load due to squeezing, the iniet side ol the pumping cle. | wlfactossawide suriace area Phowo i | PnWlO2. Oey run damage sequence soenis. The aflugace of the saoving | thou this cxvitlion Garage across | scraponeats oc Saxible shale rope joint, in perticular represeats the | three phases’ A toial Hockey of the | seat tacronoed sak So" angle must be instaed tn the | entire area, and tis will be similar to | that progressing cavity pumps can pipeline @ aapke i powaidle o'run | ihedamug’ generated by ronning be | coolinen ts operas wihout dr the pump in reverse pump dry In contrast to dry run fol. | to the elastomer when only 10% lowing crerpreseure, heurever, the: | the flow lbreugh the ponep i realy CAVITATION DAMAGE stator end will kep the original form, | fluid, tn relation to the NPSH. thi te fond terms HUBiel e/have | In adeitios toa tecqpecatere sles in | capably - When converted inte made, progressing cavity pumps | the enlie pump ares, extreme cavi- | test standard ~ would low a reduc 1 in the pursping flow of around 909%. This standard could not be use the destru: were subjected to many different cavitation conditions, and the pumps have proved themselves to be rela tively insensitive ation dam: Age, In edition to the pump-apeci the internal component cavitation phenomenon, minimi tion of damage is essentially due to SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION the combination of materials in the pumping elements and the effect of | the elastomeric stator. The stator acts fas a shock absorber, Pressure surges caused by bubble implosion are bet ter absorbed in this design than by a Progressing cavity pumps are unique type of rotary positive dis placement pump. In ackdition to their ability to pump very thin fluids, they can pump multiphase fluids with extremely high vapor or gas content r Pte. Cavitation damage sequence | The yea standard of 2% or 3 reduction in pumping flow to deter tation will increase the power | mine the NPSH, may not be a pruden! consumption of the drive due to | ctiterion for a decision against the use temperature-dependent material | of a progressing cavity pump — if you expansions. Photo 2 shows a typ consider that this type of pump can dry ruin Which - in contrast to cavita- | operate well below the listed NPSH, a damage - starts nter. | without suffering physical damage ¢ During cavitation tests no dam- | Aside from the low speed operation, & iE age to transmission components was | progressing cavity pump incorporates ie found within the full ea specific design features and opera 8 Strong variations in pr tional characteristics that minimize the resulting thrust load shocks would | damaging effects of cavitation, ‘normally damage universal joint While the consequences of cavé nections. The design of the joint to | tation may be acceptable far below absorb these loads is an important | the 2% or 3% criterion, it may be consideration iflow NPSH, operation | better to use criteria such as noise is likely, The use of high quality mate- | level or vibration, particularly for rials with sufficient cross section | larger pumps, even when there is no designs to avoid fracturing is essen- | visible reduction in flow or pressure ect | | tial. Designs that include thin locking | A general application of a criterion igure 3. NPSH curve keys, brass or bronze or cast iron | that allows for a 50% reduction in