23/7/2020 5 common pump and system design mistakes | Flow Control Network

A stockphoto/iStock

PUMPS, MOTORS & DRIVES

5 common pump and system design

mistakes
The right design will put the right pump with the right system.

Author — Randy Riddell

Mar 27th, 2020

For pump systems to last many years with reliable operation, it is critical to get key design
areas right. A poorly designed pump system will generate decades of high maintenance and
poor reliability for the operators. Once in place, the only x for design errors is a redesign

https://www.flowcontrolnetwork.com/print/content/21131622 1/7
23/7/2020 5 common pump and system design mistakes | Flow Control Network

of the pump and system. This article discusses ve areas where design mistakes are
common.

1. Missed operating point

When a pump system is designed, the primary function of the pump operation gets the
focus, yet oftentimes, there are secondary functions as part of the system that will put
different conditions on the pump. For an example: A dilution pump supplied dilution water
to the process but also served to ll a water tank particularly on startup. The startup
condition was never included in part of the pump and system design. This led to the pump
operating off the curve for the secondary operating point, causing signi cant cavitation. As
a consequence, the pump suffered pump casing failures from the cavitation of the
secondary operating point, which only occurred a small amount of the time. The x was to
install a xed ori ce on the water tank ll line. The different operating points can be seen in
the pump and system curves in Figure 1. The second system curve needed more friction
head to put the additional operating point in a reliable point.

Figure 1. Dilution pump with secondary operating point.

Courtesy of Essity

2. Air entrainment
If a process such as paper stock operates with air entrainment, some pump sizing
adjustments may be necessary. Many pumps can handle up to 2% air without any
adjustments for performance losses; however, if air entrainment exceeds 2% air, corrections
https://www.flowcontrolnetwork.com/print/content/21131622 2/7
23/7/2020 5 common pump and system design mistakes | Flow Control Network

will often need to be made. When air entrainment approaches 4% to 6%, up to 30% to 40%
of pump capacity may be lost. A larger impeller can oftentimes help offset the reduction in
pump performance with air. The motor will also need to be sized for the pump as if no air
was present, which will increase brake horsepower (BHP).

Figure 2. Pump with 4% entrained air.

Courtesy of Essity

Air entrainment can enter the pump uid in several ways, such as pipes dumping into a tank
and splashing and inducing air into the uid or through suction vortex. The suction bringing
in air is partly addressed by having proper pump submergence. This should be known for
any pump system design and even process controls to prevent the tank level from reaching
below this minimum level to satisfy pump submergence. If tank level must drop below
minimum submergence for some reason, a vortex breaker may need to be installed in the
pump suction design of the tank. Pump suction lines into tanks should have elbows turned
down with proper spacing to prevent vortex and proper uid supply into the suction pipe.
Suction lines straight into tanks will require a higher tank level to prevent vortex
conditions. Pump submergence can be calculated by the following equation:

S = D + 0.574*Q/D^1.5

Where: 

Q is ow in gpm

D is suction pipe diameter in inches

https://www.flowcontrolnetwork.com/print/content/21131622 3/7
23/7/2020 5 common pump and system design mistakes | Flow Control Network

S is submergence in inches of uid level above suction 

3. Miscalculating system head

Errors in system head design calculations and BHP can lead to problems under certain
process conditions. This can happen in several ways such as not having the correct
viscosity or speci c gravity of the uid being pumped. These will affect the friction head
and BHP calculations. When pumping paper stock in the pulp and paper industry, the
consistency will greatly change the system curve. Up to 2% consistency and system head is
similar to water, but over 2% consistency and signi cant increase in system head will alter
pump sizing.

The pump and system curves in Figure 3 show how the pump performance is affected by
pumping different consistencies. The higher friction head from higher consistency stock
moves the system curve up the pump curve. When the consistency and system curve is not
calculated, the pump will not meet the performance needs. Higher consistency stock also
has a slightly higher speci c gravity.

Figure 3. Pump and system curves for different consistency paper stock.

Courtesy of Essity

https://www.flowcontrolnetwork.com/print/content/21131622 4/7
23/7/2020 5 common pump and system design mistakes | Flow Control Network

4. Material speci cations

Material speci cations can often be overlooked on the front end of pump selection due to
cost or under-estimating the uid conditions. The application may include a corrosive
application or pumping an abrasive material. In that case, a cast iron casing is probably not
the best choice for that type of application. A stainless alloy (316, CD4) may be a better
choice for corrosion applications. Abrasive applications may bene t from a hardened
stainless steel (CD4 or 17-4PH) or high chrome iron up to 600 Bhn.

Component material selection may also depend on pump design. If the pump is running
packing, a hardened shaft sleeve should be speci ed, but if a mechanical seal is used, a
standard sleeve may be used. 

Several factors will make the pumped uid more abrasive such as higher hardness of
abrasive material, higher quantities of particles and larger-size particles. Higher speed
pumps and higher pump heads also increase wear potential. Hard coatings may work well
on low-impact angle situations. 

5. Pump suction design

So much of poor pump reliability can be traced back to the pump suction design conditions.
If the uid does not reach the pump impeller eye, the pump cannot do any work on the uid
to increase its energy ( ow or head). The suction conditions should be such that the uid
lling the eye of the impeller is at a suf cient pressure so that it remains in liquid phase as
it travels through the pump.

The pump suction design must satisfy the net positive suction head required (NPSHR) for
the pump. Many times, this is misapplied or not investigated enough in the system design or
pump selection phase of a project. The pump curve does not really give NPSHR, but NPSH3,
which means the pump is already cavitating and has lost 3% of head. An NPSHmargin must
be applied for most pump applications to prevent signi cant cavitation from affecting
pump performance. NPSHmargin is typically between 1.2 and 2.5 to satisfy most
applications. Suction energy can be an indicator of how much NPSHmargin is needed.
Higher suction energy requires higher NPSHmargin.

NPSHR = NPSH3*NPSHmargin

The net positive suction head available (NPSHA) is the other side of the suction equation to
evaluate in a pump system design. The equation for NPSHA is: 

NPSHA = Hs – Hf – Hv + Hatm

https://www.flowcontrolnetwork.com/print/content/21131622 5/7
23/7/2020 5 common pump and system design mistakes | Flow Control Network

Where: 

Hs is suction head in feet

Hf is suction friction loss in feet

Hv is vapor pressure in feet

Hatm is atmospheric pressure in feet

NPSHA is an absolute pressure (head) so atmospheric pressure is a key factor. A pump in

Denver, Colorado, will have a different NPSHA than the same system in Kossuth,
Mississippi. Vapor pressure is another important factor that is highly dependent on uid
temperature and uid type. 

Suction piping must be designed such that suction friction losses are kept to a minimum.
Suction piping should be sized so that suction line velocities are in the 4 to 7 ft/s range. The
pump suction should also have a suf cient amount of straight run into the pump. Typically,
this will be 5 to 10 times the suction pipe diameter. Straight run is not just to minimize
friction loss but to establish a straight uid path and uniform velocity entering the pump
suction. Do not install a valve directly on the pump suction, but upstream in the straight
run section of piping.

NPSHR must be greater than NPSHA if the pump is to operate without any signi cant
cavitation. If a pump operates to the right of best ef ciency point (BEP) — like the pump in
Figure 1 at a second operating point — then a much higher NPSHR will be required.

These design oversights will negatively affect pump reliability for every year the pump
system is operating until they are corrected. While most of these can be addressed, rooting
this out up-front in the design phase is the most cost-effective time to do it. Give these
areas a critical look before your next pump system is installed and started up. 

Randy Riddell, CMRP, PSAP, CLS, is the reliability manager for Essity at the Barton Mill in
Alabama. He has over 30 years of industrial experience with a career focus on equipment
reliability. Riddell has a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Mississippi State
University. He is a certi ed maintenance and reliability professional from the Society of
Maintenance & Reliability Professionals, and he has a pump system assessment professional
(PSAP) certi cate from the Hydraulic Institute. Riddell can be reached at
randy.riddell@essity.com.

https://www.flowcontrolnetwork.com/print/content/21131622 6/7
23/7/2020 5 common pump and system design mistakes | Flow Control Network

Source URL: https://www. owcontrolnetwork.com/pumps-motors-drives/article/21131622/5-

common-pump-and-system-design-mistakes

https://www.flowcontrolnetwork.com/print/content/21131622 7/7