Equipment for

Fluid Mechanics
 Fluid machine deals with conversion of power
from fluid power to shaft power or from shaft
power to fluid power.

Fluid In Shaft Power

or
Power Out
Out or In

Machine
Fluid Type of Turbine
Water Hydraulic Turbines
Fluid power to shaft power : TURBINE Steam Steam Turbines
Freon Vapour Turbines
Gas/Air Gas Turbines
Wind Wind Mills
 Fluid power to shaft power : TURBINE
Fluid Type of Turbine
Water Hydraulic Turbines
Steam Steam Turbines
Produce Power output
Freon Vapour Turbines
Gas/Air Gas Turbines
Wind Wind Mills

Shaft power to fluid power : PUMP, FAN, BLOWER or COMPRESSOR

Fluid Type machine
Water and other liquids Pumps
Air and other gasses –with Fans & Propellers Require Power input
slight pressure rise
Air and other gasses –with Blowers & Compressors
high pressure rise
 Geometrical Features

Axial-Flow Machines: the fluid flows through the

machine axially with respect to it. (Axial-flow pump)

Radial-Flow Machines/Centrifugal Machines: the

fluid flows through the machine radially with
respect to it. (Centrifugal pump)

Mixed-Flow Machine: the fluid flow is arranged to

conform to a relative path which is neither axial nor
radial. (Mixed-flow pump)
Pump has 2 important functions :
a) ability to supply liquid at required rate of flow.
b) impart energy to the liquid, thereby
increasing the pressure.

Types of pump?
 Capacity of the pump
refers to Volume flow rate

m
Q 

 Performance of the pump
is characterize by net head,
H.

 P V2   P V2 
H 
 g  2 g  z 
   g  2 g  z 

 out  in
 shaft  Tshaft
 Brake horse power, bhp= W
(external power supplied)

 Efficiency
W W gVH
 pump 
water horsepower

water horsepower


Wshaft bhp Tshaft

(rad/s)= rotational speed of the shaft

Torque supply to the shaft

 Pump performance
Free delivery
H=0 ; maximum Q
Is achieve when there is
no flow restriction at the
pump inlet/outlet-no load
to the pump
Q is very large, but H=0;
the pump efficiency is zero
because the pump did not
do any useful work.
Shut off
Q=0; maximum H
Is achieve when the outlet
port of pump is blocked
off.
H is very large but Q =0,
the pump efficiency is zero
 Pump Performance Curve
For steady condition, the pump operates along the performance curve

* Refers to maximum values of respective parameters

BEP = Best Efficiency Point
 Required net head of pump increases with flow rate to account
the losses due to the system.
 Operating point of a piping system is established as the volume
flow rate where the system curve and the pump performance
curve intersect.
 BEP should be close to operating point for best efficiency
Energy Equation
  Required net head, H required
P2  P1  2V22  1V12
H required  hpump,u    ( z2  z1 )  hturbine  hL,total
g 2g
Where α is kinetic energy correction factor.
For fully developed turbulent pipe flow, α ≈ 1

 This equation is evaluated

from inlet(upstream) to
outlet (downstream).
 Thus, at operating point
H required  H available
Example
Water is pumped from a lower
reservoir to a higher reservoir
by a pump that provides 20kW
of useful mechanical power to
the water. The free surface of
the upper reservoir is 45 m
higher than the surface of the
lower reservoir. If the flow
rate of water is measured to
be 0.03 m3/s, determine the
irreversible head loss of the
system and the lost
mechanical power during this
process.
 Pump cavitation & NPSH
• The local pressure (P) inside the pump may fall
below the vapour pressure (Pv) of the liquid.
• When P < Pv : vapour-filled bubbles called
cavitation appears (liquids boils locally).
• These bubbles transported through the pump
region where the pressure is higher causing
the collapse of the bubble.
• This will cause noise, vibration, reduce in
efficiency and damage to impeller blades.
 Before cavitation

After cavitation
Cross section view of pump

Cavitation effect on pump blades

 Pump cavitation & NPSH
• How to avoid it? P > Pv
• Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH) : the head
difference between the pump inlets
stagnation pressure and the vapour pressure.
• Pump manufacturers test their pump for
cavitations in the pump test facilities by
varying the volume flow rate and the inlet
pressure and provide the NPSHrequired value.
• Maximum volumetric flow rate can be estimated at a
point where the NPSH and NPSHrequired intersect .
• To make sure no cavitations occur, actual NPSH should
be higher than NPSHrequired.
• The value of NPSH varies not only with flow rate but
also with liquid temperature and type of liquid.
 How to increase available NPSH?
• Lower the pump or raised the inlet reservoir
level.
• Use larger diameter of pipe.
• Reroute the piping system such that less
minor losses.
• Shorten the length of the pipe at upstream.
• Use smoother pipe.
• Use elbow with minor loss coefficient.
• NPSHavailable > NPSHrequired
Po

ho
ui delivery
suction

𝑢𝑖 2 𝑃𝑜
= ℎ𝑜 + −
2𝑔 𝜌𝑔
 Pump in series and parallel
• Pump in series or larger capacity pump may be
applied to increase the volume flow rate/pressure.
• Arranging pump with different capacity in
series/parallel may lead to problem due to different
in volume flow rate.
 n
Pump in series H combined   H i
i 1
• The combine net head is the sum of the net head of each
pump (at a given flow rate).
 n

Pump in parallel Vcombined   V

i 1
1

• The combine capacity for n numbers of pumps

• A free delivery of the three combined pumps
are equal to the sum of the free delivery of
each individual pump.
• To avoid pump damage and loss of combined
capacity, any individual pump should be shut
off at net head larger than that pump’s shut
off head.
• Pump branch should be block with valve.
Centrifugal Pump: Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages Disadvantages
Simple Construction - can be made from Can’t handlle very viscous efficiently
wide range of materials.
Complete absence of valves. Not usually self-priming
Operates at high speed (100 Hz) thus can Liquid will run back into the suction tank
be coupled directtly to an electric motor. as soon as the pump stops (install non-
return valve either at at the delivery or
suction line).
Steady delivery. Operates at a high effiiciency over only a
limited range of conditions (esp for
turbine)
Lower maintenance cost. Single stage pump will not develop a high
pressure.
Incase of blocked – no damage to pump
(not prolonged)
Smaller in size for a similar capacity.
Liquid containing high proportions of
suspended solids are readily handled.
 Reciprocating Piston Compressor
Initially gas at P1 and V1
Line 4 – 1 : suction stroke where amount of V1
is admitted at constant pressure P1
Line 1 – 2 : Compression of gas to P2 and V2
Line 2 – 3: Delivery of gas at constant P2
Line 3 – 4 :Sudden reduction in the
pressure in the cyclinder from P2 to P1. As
the whole gas has been expelled, this can
be regarded as taking place intentaneously.
Work done by the compressor during
each phase
Compression =

Delivery =
Suction =
 Compression =

Delivery =
Suction =

Total workdone per cycle

Work for compression of an ideal gas

per cycle under isothermal condition =