Hindawi Publishing Corporation

Advances in Mechanical Engineering

Volume 2013, Article ID 423107, 12 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/423107

Research Article
Research on the Energy Consumption Evaluation and Energy
Saving Technical Reconstruction of Centrifugal Pump System
Based on Actual Demand

Luo Yin, Shouqi Yuan, Tang Yue, and Yuan Jianping

Research Center of Fluid Machinery Engineering and Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China

Correspondence should be addressed to Luo Yin; luoyin6@gmail.com

Received 20 August 2013; Revised 24 October 2013; Accepted 13 November 2013

Academic Editor: Wang Zheng-wei

Copyright © 2013 Luo Yin et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

A new method for calculating the operational efficiency of a pumping station has been developed based on the integral principle
and operation rules of the pump flow rate. To determine the energy saving space of a pumping system and to reflect the relationship
between supply and demand, a new method for evaluating the energy consumption rate of a pump system has been developed based
on the principle of an inverter-controlled water supply with varying pressures. These methods have been applied to a pump station
with an apparently efficient operation. By evaluating energy consumption based on actual demand, we developed a new strategy
that configures a single frequency converter with a small transitional pump and decreases the energy consumption by almost 14%
with a payback time of less than three years.

1. Introduction which makes it difficult for many users to understand the

Energy conservation and the reasonable resource utilization
have become imperative given the recent energy crisis, short-
age of resources, and spread of environmental pollution in
China. Nearly 20.9% of the electrical energy demand in the
country is satisfied by pumping systems. Therefore, energy
reduction and conservation of these pumping systems must
be highlighted.
According to the American Hydraulics Institute, 30% of
the total electrical energy consumed by these systems can be
conserved by designing highly efficient systems and by using
appropriate pumps. China fails to conserve more energy
because it uses pumping systems with practical operating effi-
ciency levels that are 10% to 30% lower than the advanced
systems being used in foreign countries [1].
Therefore, producers and users of pumps must design
or adopt highly efficient pumping systems. The efficiency of
these systems must be evaluated to differentiate an efficient
system from an inefficient one as well as to focus on systems
that are likely to consume less energy. Moreover, a pumping
system cannot simply be identified as highly efficient because
the assessment of such system involves multiple factors,
energy costs and energy reduction potential of these systems
[2–6].
Several organizations and researchers have made signif-
icant developments in assessing the efficiency of pumping
systems. For example, the American Hydraulics Institute has
developed the pumping system assessment tool (PSAT),
which remains widely used [7].
PSAT calculates the efficiency of the motor and pump
based on field measurements, the nameplate type of motor,
and other pump information. This tool also estimates the
potential efficiencies of the motor and pump in meeting their
flow and head requirements. However, this tool can only
provide a reference of the potential energy cost and savings
of a pumping system given the following limitations [8].
(1) The energy consumption and efficiency of a pumping
system are calculated through a special operation.
However, the pump does not only operate under
certain special operation points, but also under con-
stantly changing operations in most parts of the
system. This condition produces inaccurate estimates
of energy consumption in a particular operation
2 Advances in Mechanical Engineering

point. Therefore, a new method for calculating the

energy consumption of a pumping system must be
adopted.

(2) The potential for a pumping system to decrease its

energy consumption is estimated based on the opti-
mal cost reduction that other pumping systems have
achieved. However, this method often shifts the focus
of the user to the efficiency of a particular system
or to the optimum values that are achieved by other
systems, which disregards the superfluous supply Figure 1: Pump station image.
that may be the key point of energy conservation.
Therefore, a better supply operation control line must Table 1: Factors and their levels.
be developed for the pumping system to conserve
more energy without disregarding any superfluous Rated Rated Rated Rated Installed
flow head speed efficiency capacity
supply. However, the procedures for developing such (m3 /h) (m) (rpm) (%) (kW)
method remain unknown [9–11].
2850 58 960 86 710

Given these limitations, this study aims to formulate a

new method for calculating the energy consumption and
potential energy cost reduction of a pumping system.
2. Profiles of the Pump Station
A circulating water pumping station in an alumina plant is
selected for this study. This station is regarded as one of the
most important facilities in the plant for its role in the mother
liquor evaporation process and its consumption of 17% of the
total electricity of the plant.
The station has eight single-stage pumps and double suc-
tions, including four hot pumps of the same model (three in
use and one still being prepared) and four cold pumps of the
same model (three in use and one still being prepared). All
pumps are matched with a 10 kV voltage motor, and the
groups of hot and cold pumps are controlled by a throttle in
the system (see Figure 1).
The cold pump group is used as the sample in this study.
Table 1 shows the design parameters of the cold water pump,
whereas Figure 2 shows its performance curve.
3. Energy Consumption Evaluation Index of
the Pumping System
3.1. Basic Operation Principle of the Pumping System. As
shown in Figure 3, the fluid is drawn from a tank, is pumped
through a piping system (comprising a flow control valve),
and ends up in an elevated tank. A recirculation line with
another control valve is also included in the pump system.
The pump is operated by an electric motor that is fed by a
motor control center, which is fed, in turn, by a station
transformer.
The operation point of a pump is represented by the
intersection of the system and the pump characteristics. The
system characteristic 𝐻𝐴 = 𝑓(𝑄) refers to the difference in
the total pressure, which must be supplied by the pump to
maintain a specific flow rate throughout the system.
The head 𝐻𝐴 that is required by a plant comprises a static
component 𝐻stat and a flow-dependent component 𝐻dyn [12,
13]. Therefore, 𝐻𝐴 is computed using the following equation:
𝐻𝐴 = 𝐻stat + 𝐻dyn . (1)
𝐻stat comprises the geodetic head differences 𝐻geo and the
system pressure differences, which can be expressed as
follows:
(𝑝𝑅 − 𝑝𝐴 )
𝐻stat = 𝐻geo + . (2)
𝑔𝜌
𝐻dyn , as expressed in (3), comprises all head losses 𝐻𝑉
in the suction pipe, the discharge pipeline (including its
components, such as heat exchangers), the adjustable head
drop in the throttle valve 𝐻DRV , and the increase in kinetic
energy. Figure 4 shows the three parts that comprise the
energy consumption in 𝐻𝐴:
V𝑅2 − V𝐴
2
𝐻dyn = + 𝐻𝑉 + 𝐻DRV = 𝑅𝑄2 . (3)
2𝑔
3.2. Energy Composition of the Pumping System. Energy effi-
ciency refers to the use of energy for producing the same
amount of services or other useful output (Patterson, 1996)
[14]. The required head and flow rates are used to calculate
the system efficiency and energy consumption.
As shown in Figure 4, the consumption of the head com-
prises three parts. The required differential head partly
depends on the counter pressure and the differences in height,
the definition of which is almost identical to that of 𝐻stat , but
can also be affected by the friction loss in the piping system,
which can be represented by 𝐻dyn . The required flow rate
should reduce the recirculation flow and leakage. The other
parts of 𝐻𝐴 are used as the overcome power of the system, in
which 𝐻DRV is used to determine the cost of operation change
caused by the throttle control (which is not a necessary part of
Advances in Mechanical Engineering 3

80
75 n = 960 r/min
70
65

H (m)
60 H
55
50 90
45 80
40 70
Ç 60
600 50

Ç (%)
500 P 40
PA (kW)

400 30
300 20
200 10
0

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400

Q (1/s)

0 800 1600 2400 3200 4000 4800

Q (m3/ h)

Figure 2: Product samples performance curve of the cold pump.

PR R the throttle control and can thus be exterminated), and 𝐻dyn

is used to overcome the resistance of the pipeline (which can
Station be reduced by optimizing the design of the pipeline system).
Recirc line
transformer Hgeo Given that 𝐻dyn cannot be eradicated, the effective output
power 𝑃𝑜 , the necessary output 𝑃𝑁, and the actual output 𝑃𝐴
V−1 can be expressed as follows [15]:
PA A
P0 0 𝑃𝑜 = 3.6𝜌𝑔𝐻stat 𝑄rep , (4)
Pi i
V−3
MCC Pump
𝑃𝑁 = 3.6𝜌𝑔 (𝐻stat + 𝐻dyn ) 𝑄rep , (5)
Motor 𝑃𝐴 = 3.6𝜌𝑔 (𝐻stat + 𝐻dyn + 𝐻DRV ) (𝑄rep + 𝑄𝐷)
(6)
Figure 3: Pumping system. = 3.6𝜌𝑔𝐻𝑝 𝑄𝑃 .

As the actual output of the pump, 𝑃𝐴 requires more energy

to form. When the electric energy enters the pumping system,
H
energy losses are observed in the electric power distribution
unit, variable speed drive, drive mechanism, motor, and
pump. In this case, 𝑃𝐴 can be reexpressed as
𝑃𝐴 = 𝑃𝐼 ⋅ 𝜂𝑒 ⋅ 𝜂V ⋅ 𝜂dm ⋅ 𝜂𝑚 ⋅ 𝜂pu , (7)
where 𝑃𝐼 refers to the input electric energy, 𝜂𝑒 refers to the
electric power distribution unit efficiency, 𝜂V refers to the
HDRV variable speed drive efficiency, 𝜂dm refers to the drive mech-
anism efficiency, 𝜂𝑚 refers to the motor efficiency, 𝜂pu refers
to the pump efficiency, and 𝜂pu 𝜂𝑚 𝜂dyn 𝜂V 𝜂𝑒 refers to pump unit
efficiency.
Hdyn

3.3. Operation Energy Consumption of the Pumping System.

Hstat
The basic characteristics of the pump often refer to the
Q
discharge of the pump at a certain speed with other capability
parameters, such as head-flow rate curve, shaft power-flow
Figure 4: System characteristics of the energy consumption in the rate curve, and efficiency-flow rate curve. These curves show
pump head. the relationship between characteristic parameters and flows.
4 Advances in Mechanical Engineering
However, the operation condition changes over time in actual
operation, which complicates the calculation of the changes
in characteristic parameters and operation efficiency within
a particular period.
Therefore, time must also be considered in evaluating the
actual operation conditions. The operation energy consump-
tion can be computed as follows:
𝑊in = ∫ 𝑃𝐴𝑑𝑡. (8)
𝑇 (2) The required energy per thousand tons of pumped
Therefore, the operation hydraulic energy consumption
can be computed according to
𝑊𝐻 = 3.6𝜌 ⋅ 𝑔 ∫ 𝑄 (𝑡) ⋅ 𝐻 (𝑡) 𝑑𝑡, (9)
𝑇
where 𝑊𝐻 is the operation energy consumption; 𝑊in is the
operation hydraulic energy consumption; 𝑡 is the time; and
𝑄(𝑡) and 𝐻(𝑡) are the functions of time, which can be changed
based on the meaning expressed in (4) to (7).
The shaft power, flow rate, head, and other operation
parameters within a period can be acquired from the exper-
imental results or recorded data, the relationship between
the parameters and the time can be established by fitting,
and the real output of hydraulic energy consumption can be
calculated using (6), (7), and (9). The recorded duration must
exceed one operating cycle.
The data for some systems may be chaotic. This condition
hinders the fitting of data, thus making such data unsuitable
for the online test and renders the recorded data inadequate
for fitting. Therefore, the equation must be changed as
follows:
𝑛
𝑊𝐻 = 3.6𝜌 ⋅ 𝑔∑𝑄𝑖 ⋅ 𝐻𝑖 ⋅ 𝑡𝑖 , (10)
𝑖=1
where 𝑄𝑖 , 𝐻𝑖 , and 𝑡𝑖 are the flow rate, head, and duration time,
respectively, in the 𝑖 operation condition.
3.4. Energy Consumption Evaluation Index of the Pumping
System. The following factors must be considered when com-
puting for the evaluation indexes of the energy consumption
of the pumping system [16, 17].
(1) The efficiency of the pumping station operation is
computed as follows:
𝑊𝑂
𝜂st = . (11)
𝑊𝐼
This parameter views the energy consumption from a
global scale, which may benefit the energy evaluation of
different pumping systems but may also complicate the
calculation of the energy saving potential of these systems.
Therefore, the aforementioned equation must be revised.
According to (4) to (7), 𝜂st can be decomposed into several
parts, and the energy saving potential of each part can be
calculated as follows:
𝑊𝑂 𝑊𝑁 𝑊𝐴
𝜂st = = 𝜂pi 𝜂𝑑 𝜂pu 𝜂𝑚 𝜂dyn 𝜂V 𝜂𝑒 , (12)
𝑊𝑁 𝑊𝐴 𝑊𝐼
where 𝜂pi is the pipeline efficiency and 𝜂𝑑 is the demand effi-
ciency.
Although the operation efficiency is directly related to the
economic efficiency of the pumping system, it cannot be used
as the characterization index of the pumping system as it does
not directly consider the manufacturing economic capability
(i.e., how much water can electricity transmit per kW⋅h).
Therefore, another index is generated.
fluid or per million gallons of energy intensity can be
computed as follows:
1000𝐸
𝑒1 = , (13)
𝐺
where 𝐸 is the energy consumption of the pumping system in
a period of time (expressed in in kW⋅h) and G is the capacity
of water delivery in a period of time (expressed in m3 ).
These evaluation indexes directly reflect the relationship
between the water supply and energy consumption and are
especially suited to evaluate the energy conservation.
However, 𝑒1 only considers the energy consumption with
flow quantity rather than with the pressure supplied by the
pumping system, which complicates the criteria and unbal-
ances the comparison of the energy consumption between
two pumping systems with different lift heads.
In most cases, energy consumption can be expressed in
terms of operation efficiency, as described in (12), which
can be used to formulate the general criteria. Therefore, the
economical index of the pumping system operation can be
expressed in terms of energy intensity.
4. Energy Consumption Test of The
Pumping System
To understand the energy consumption of the pumping sys-
tem better, the measurements that test energy consumption
are categorized into two groups: the operation characteristics
of the pump (to assess the energy saving opportunity of the
pump unit) and the demand characteristics of the pump (to
reduce the unnecessary supply).
4.1. Measuring the Operation Characteristics of the Pump
4.1.1. Measurement Method. The operation characteristics of
the pump are investigated to determine the head, shaft power,
and efficiency of the real flow rate. The characteristic curve of
the pump is often indicated in the standard test device and
is supplied by the manufacturer. The condition of the actual
operation significantly differs from that of the standard test
because of construction and wear loss. An online test must be
conducted because of its importance in energy assessment.
The measurements used in the field test are divided into
two groups: electrical and mechanical parameters. The elec-
trical parameters comprise the measurements that have been
taken from the electric motors that drive the pumps, whereas
the mechanical measurements comprise the measurements of
the pump flow rates and pressures.
Advances in Mechanical Engineering 5

Drainage
F22 Pressure
meter 3
Evaporimeter 2 F21

Evaporimeter 1 F11

F12

Drainage

Pool

Pressure Pressure
meter 2 meter 1
Pump

Electrical
parameter

Motor
F

Flow meter 1

Flow meter 2

Figure 5: Test system schemes.

The online test is conducted differently in each condition Table 2: Test system instruments.
of the pumping system.
Instrument Specification Precision Number
(1) A standard test method [18, 19] is used for pumping Ultrasonic
60 TDS-1000 ± 32 m/s 1.0 2
stations that can change their operation points. flowmeter
(2) If the process condition does not allow the changing Pressure 07MF4033-1DB10-3AC6-Z 0.438 160
of operation points or does not provide physical transmitter 16–1600 Kpa
quantities for certain reasons but provides relatively Revolution 0.1 1
complete historical data, such data can be sorted and meter
analyzed to obtain the necessary information, such Power 0.5 1
as the pump characteristics and operation conditions. transmitter
This method was employed by Ahonen [20] in 2010. Voltage 0.5 2
transformer
Current
4.1.2. Online Test. Figure 5 shows the basic test condition of 0.5 2
transformer
the pump characteristics, and Table 2 shows the test system
and the involved instruments.
To evaluate the processes that are unaffected by the online
test (i.e., the mother liquor evaporation process), the test time 4.2. Measuring the Demand Characteristics. To determine the
is set when the evaporator 2 is not working. Valve F22 is requirements of the end user, the function of the pumping
opened, valve F21 is closed, and the water in evaporator 2 is system must be investigated. The conditions are used as
drained through valve F22. criteria to identify the different working conditions of the
Valve F21 is used to adjust the flow. During the test, the pumping system. The pumping system can be divided into
flow starts with the highest possible rate and then decreases two types: power and flow rate use types.
to a rate that must not be lower than the minimum flow The power use type is primarily employed for the output
(1000 m3 /h). More than 10 operation points are identified power of the fluid, such as that of the hydraulic transmission
during the test through a uniform selection. Each test point system, which uses static power as its output to fulfill its
has a stable operation time longer than 1 min. The inlet pres- functions. Other power use types include hydraulic liters
sure, flow rate, outlet pressure, speed, voltage, current, and extraction, hydraulic flushing, fire extinguishing, and ship
power input data must be read at least thrice at 1 min intervals. propulsion, all of which mainly use the water power output
Figure 6 shows the test results. of kinetic energy [21].
6 Advances in Mechanical Engineering
70
Q− H
65
60
H (m)
55
50
45
40
1000
700
600
P (kW)
500
400
300
1000
Figure 6: Online test results of the pump characteristics.
Flow rate use type observes a certain flow rate to transport
liquids between different grounds or to accomplish engineer-
ing activities that rely on flow rates, such as the cooling and
heat circulation cycles.
In the engineering field, power use type often considers
both flow and pressure as power-related factors. Therefore,
the flow and pressure supply are restricted by the progress of
the operation. Energy loss occurs when the flow and pressure
supply are low, which indicates that the flow rate use type
focuses on efficiency when conserving energy.
The flow use type, which may be regarded as the major
operation method of the pumping system, aims at the trans-
portation of the liquid (including circulation transportation).
The flow may be regarded as the most important factor in
the pumping system operation as its supply often exceeds
the prescribed value in practical engineering for reliability
and simplification purposes. The flow use type must be
emphasized, and the practical engineering requirements of
the technological process must be identified with the help of
the end user.
The pump efficiency evaluation method is often used to
examine the energy consumption of the pumping system by
calculating the pump efficiency under different conditions.
However, the energy consumption of a pumping system is not
only determined by pump efficiency, but also by user demand.
Although the water supply of the pump provides a certain
amount of energy that exceeds the prescribed minimum,
the actual consumption value of the pump remains high.
90
Q− 𝜂
80
70
(%)
60
50
40
2000 3000 4000 5000
Q (m3 /h)
(a)
Q− P
2000 3000 4000 5000
Q (m3 /h)
(b)
Therefore, user demand must be tested and analyzed using
the same methods for assessing energy. If the pumping
system is treated as an isolated system as shown in (4), the
effective energy supply of the pumping system is expressed
as 𝑄rep , whereas other fluids exhibit elevated 𝐻stat in the unit
interval. The wasted energy that failed to meet user demand
is regarded as a surplus flow. As stated in the pump operation
principle, the energy supplied by the pump must compensate
for the losses in the piping system. Such losses can be avoided
by focusing on the economic index of the system, the loss
of unnecessary head can be avoided by using less throttle
controls, and the loss of unnecessary flow can be avoided by
using bypass control. When assessing the energy conserva-
tion of the pumping system, the system characteristic curve
without the throttle and bypass controls must first be adopted.
Therefore, a system characteristic must be achieved in the
energy test without using throttle and bypass controls.
The pumping system is usually often regarded as a part
of the technological process, as its supplied energy is often
related to the production process. Therefore, the necessary
energy that is supplied by the pumping system must be
differentiated from the unnecessary energy during the energy
test.
4.2.1. Analysis of the Process Requirements. The pumping
system used in this study is part of the production process
in which the realization of the water cycle is very important.
Advances in Mechanical Engineering 7

Therefore, the water cycle process (Figure 7) must be analyzed Mother

Cooling Cool
to calculate user demand. water pool pump group liquor cooling
In the water cycle, the mother liquor evaporation process
is the main user, and the requirement of the evaporator is the
key determinant of the demand.
The vertical distance 𝐻geo between the evaporator and the
cooling water pool is 22 m, and the evaporation requires an Hot pump
Cooling Hot water
operation pressure of 0.2 MPa. tower group pool
This pumping system is used as a flow use type, and
its flow demand is determined by the water cycle progress Figure 7: Water cycle of the pumping system.
to ensure the stability of the system. The daily energy
consumption of the pumping system is used to calculate the
6000
demand characteristic and energy consumption.
Figure 8 shows the whole flow demand based on the 5000
historical data of the pumping station.
A single pump operation is observed when the flow rate 4000
is below 4200 m3 /h, and three pump operations are observed

Q (m3 /h)
when the flow rate exceeds 6500 m3 /h. Figures 9 and 10 show 3000
the flow rate achieved by a single pump.
2000

4.2.2. System Characteristics Test 1000

(1) Test Methods. System characteristics are determined
0
according to (1) to (3). System characteristics are measured
0:00 4:48 9:36 14:24 19:12 0:00
using two groups of measurements: the static component,
Time (h)
which includes the differences in geodetic head 𝐻geo and sys-
tem pressure, and the dynamic head, which mainly comprises Figure 8: Daily variation curve of the whole flow demand.
the losses in the system [22, 23].
The operation parameters of the pump group at several
flow points must be measured when the group can be adjusted Therefore, the system characteristic can be computed as
without using throttles and bypass controls, when it is con- follows:
trolled instead by a speed control equipment, and when the
head is observed between the imported and exported liquid Δℎ = 9.76 × 10−7 𝑄2 . (15)
surfaces. The system characteristic can also be determined
using this method. The basic demand of the system can be computed as
When the pump is controlled by throttles and when follows:
the valve is fully opened, the flow and head of the pump
𝐻dem = 42 + 3.51 × 10−7 𝑄2 , (16)
operating point can be determined (point 𝐴 in Figure 11).
When the head between the imported and exported liquid where 𝐻dem is the basic head of the system demand and 𝑄 is
surfaces (point 𝐵 in Figure 11) can be measured, the system the demand flow rate.
characteristic can be roughly determined and fixed based on
Given that the system can operate well without omitting
the historical data.
any factors, the ideal loss coefficient can be calculated
(2) Testing of the System Characteristic. Given that the flow according to the pipeline handbook [24], which returns a loss
energy in the system is consumed from the pump group outlet coefficient of 2.18 × 10−7 .
to the evaporator, the system characteristic has to be tested to
calculate the energy consumption. 5. Analysis of the Pumping System
As shown in Figure 5, the front-end valve F21 of the Energy Consumption
evaporator controls the operation when testing the system
characteristic. 5.1. Performance Analysis of the Pump and Motor. Figure 6
The pressure of the evaporator (𝐻0 ), the pressure of the clearly identifies the characteristics of the pump and motor.
pump group outlet (𝐻), and the flow rate (𝑄) are recorded in The best efficiency point (BEP) reaches 3500 m3 /h with a 54 m
each test point. The loss coefficient of the system (𝑆) can be head, 86.3% efficiency, and a high efficiency area that varies
calculated as follows:
between 2400 and 4200 m3 /h when the efficiency exceeds
𝐻 − 𝐻0 80%.
𝑆= . (14)
𝑄2 Table 4 shows the differences between the sample and
Table 3 shows the test data. actual characteristics.
8 Advances in Mechanical Engineering

5000 Table 3: Factors of the system and their corresponding levels.

4500 Pipe loss
𝐻0 (m) 𝑄 (m3 /h) 𝐻 (m) 𝑆
4000 (m)
3500 60.44 1800 63.6 3.16 9.75 × 10−7
58.27 2200 63.0 4.73 9.77 × 10−7
3000
Q (m3 /h)

47.00 3200 57.0 10.00 9.76 × 10−7

2500
2000 Table 4: Comparison of the actual and sample characteristics.
1500
BEP
Model High efficiency area
1000 𝑄 𝐻 𝑃 𝜂
500 Sample 2850 58 554 86% 2000 to 3400
0 Actual 3500 54 604 86.3% 2000 to 3400
0:00 4:48 9:36 14:24 19:12 0:00
Time (h)
Although the actual BEP is higher than the sample BEP,
Figure 9: Daily variation curve of the flow demand of the first pump. the sample has a wider high efficiency area. Therefore, the
pump and motor do not need to be changed based on the
capability degradation.
However, the applicability of the exited pump unit still
3000 needs to be investigated.
The total energy consumption and the output energy of
2500 the pumping system can be calculated based on the online
test data and on (8) and (9), which are computed as follows:
2000 1 𝑡1
𝑊𝐴 = 𝜌𝑔 ∫ 𝐻𝑎 (𝑡) 𝑄 (𝑡) 𝑑𝑡 = 15245.2 kW ⋅ h,
3.6 × 106
Q (m3 /h)

0
1500
𝑡1
𝑊in = ∫ 𝑝 (𝑡) 𝑑𝑡 = 18920.7 kW ⋅ h.
1000 0
(17)
500 The operation efficiency of the pump unit can be calcu-
lated as 𝑊𝐴 /𝑊in , which returns a value of 80.57%. Therefore,
0 the pump unit is regarded as efficient based on the national
0:00 2:24 4:48 7:12 9:36 12:00 14:24 16:48 19:12 21:36 0:00
standard, which indicates the need to replace the pump unit
Time (h)
used in this study.
Figure 10: Daily variation curve of the flow demand of the second
pump. 5.2. Operation Energy Consumption and Energy Saving Poten-
tial of the Pumping System. The operation is mainly con-
trolled by throttles. The practical operation track is rep-
resented by the pump or parallel characteristics. Figure 12
H shows the operation track required by the system.
Based on (9) and Figure 12, 𝑊0 is computed as
11288.56 kW⋅h, and 𝑊𝑁 is computed as 12661.958524 kW⋅h.
The operation efficiency of each part can is computed as
follows:
A 𝜂pi = 89.15%, 𝜂𝑑 = 83.06%,
(18)
𝜂pu 𝜂𝑚 𝜂dyn 𝜂V 𝜂𝑒 = 80.57%.
The efficiency of the system design is computed as
B 12354.31 kW⋅h, the achievable optimization result is com-
puted as 𝜂pi = 91.37%, and the energy-saving potential
is computed as 2%. Therefore, the system is unqualified to
undergo further improvements.
Q
QA The demand efficiency has a 16% energy saving potential
if the operation adjusting method changes from valve control
Figure 11: Measuring point of system characteristics. to speed control [23].
Advances in Mechanical Engineering 9

80 1800

70 1600

60 1400

1200
50
1000
H (m)

P (kW)
40
800
30
600
20
400
10
200
0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 0
3
1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000
Q (m /h) 3
Q (m /h)
Real demand
Real provision Original Two
Single invert Full
Figure 12: Operation control lines of the real demand and real Single with transition
provision.
Figure 13: Flow versus total shaft power under different schemes.

Despite the relatively high value of 80.57%, the energy- 0.24

saving potential of the pump unit is limited.
0.22

6. Energy Saving Method of the 0.2

Pumping System
e (kW·h/m3 )

0.18
6.1. Analysis. Based on the analysis of the energy consump-
tion of the pumping system, the equipment variable speed can 0.16
be used for energy conservation, and the frequency converter
can be used to maintain the continuous change of the flow. 0.14
The frequency converter can be operated through several
methods [10, 11]. 0.12
First, when adjusted by full invert with the same type of
pumps, the operation efficiency and the price of the frequency 0.1
converter are very high, and the wasted energy is very low. 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000
Second, the assembly of the pump group with the single fre- 3
Q (m /h)
quency converter configuration condition may return a low Original Two
pump efficiency. Third, the assembly of the pump group with Single invert Full
two frequency converter configuration conditions may yield Single with transition
better results. Fourth, some scholars suggest the addition of a
small transitional pump under the single frequency converter Figure 14: Energy intensity under different schemes.
configuration to increase the operation efficiency.
Three strategies are adopted for the formulation of an
energy saving method for the sample pumping system. The function, the starting factor and the speed regulation ratio
first strategy is adopted with the full invert and uses three are taken into consideration, and the total flow, equal head,
inverts to adjust the rotation speed of pumps 1 to 3. The sec- high efficiency zones, and minimum speed regulation ratio
ond strategy uses a single invert for pump 1. The third strategy are regarded as constraints. The model is simulated using a
uses two inverts for pumps 1 and 2. The last strategy fixes one genetic algorithm program [26, 27], and the results are shown
invert into pump 1 and adds a small transitional pump with a in Figure 13.
design rate of 1425 m3 /h, which is almost half of the original, The findings in Figure 13 can be used to calculate the
and a design head of 58 m, which is almost the same as the energy intensity, which is shown in Figure 14.
original [25]. Based on Figure 14, the full invert can yield the best
A model is constructed based on the abovementioned energy saving potential for the pumping system. The sin-
strategies. The minimum shaft power is used as the objective gle invert model with a low pump efficiency can also save
10 Advances in Mechanical Engineering

Table 5: Total energy consumption under different schemes. 9000

Power consumption Energy saving rate 8000

Scheme
(kW⋅h) (annual) 7000
Original scheme 9075400 6000
Single-inverter

Q (m3 /h)
1329500 14.6% 5000
configuration
Single-inverter with 4000
1402300 15.5%
transitional
3000
Two-inverter
1504800 16.6% 2000
configuration
Full-inverter 1000
1526200 16.8%
configuration
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Table 6: General expenses of different schemes. Month

Payback Figure 15: Annual water demand law.

Electrovalence Investment
Scheme Save time
(million Yuan) cost
(year)
25
Exciting scheme 5.45
Single-inverter
4.65 0.7977 1.5 1.8
configuration
20
Single-inverter
with transition 4.6 0.84138 1.75 2
pump
Two-inverter 15
Gain (Million RMB)

4.54 0.91572 3 3.3

configuration
Full-inverter
4.53 0.90288 4.50 5 10
configuration

more energy as compared to that of the existing system. 5

However, the energy saving reconstruction not only affects
the simple practice of energy conservation, but also the
overall economy. Therefore, an economic analysis must be 0
conducted to formulate a more rational and feasible method. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Year
6.2. Economic Analysis of the Energy Saving Method for the −5
Pumping System. For the economic analysis, the implemen-
Single inverter Two
tation costs and the energy consumption within a certain
Single with transition Full
period must be calculated according to the flow demand
principle of the pumping system. This study uses a one- Figure 16: Relationship between time and gain.
year operation condition. Figure 15 shows the annual water
demand law based on the statistical investigation.
Based on Figures 13 and 15, the annual power consump-
tion can be computed according to (8) and (9), and the results less than five years. However, the single invert with transition
are shown in Table 5. pump configuration achieves the best gain with an operation
Given that the common industry electrovalence amounts time that exceeds 20 years. Therefore, the single invert
to 0.6 yuan and that the configuration of the invert with with transition pump configuration is highly recommended.
10 kV and 710 kW amounts to 150 million yuan, the transi- Although the other two schemes have remarkable effects on
tion pump, high-voltage electromotor, and installation costs the energy saving potential, these schemes require a longer
amount to a total of 25 million yuan. Table 6 shows the time to achieve any gains.
general expenses of these different schemes based on the cost-
benefit ratio. 7. Conclusions
By assuming that the machine is free from any compro-
mise, the relationship between time and gain can be observed This study constructs a methodology for the energy con-
as shown in Figure 16. sumption evaluation and the energy saving technical recon-
The same figure shows that the single invert configuration struction of a centrifugal pumping system. The energy con-
scheme achieves the optimum profit with a working period of sumption of a circulating water pumping station with a
Advances in Mechanical Engineering
seemingly efficient operation is evaluated based on actual
demand. A single frequency converter is converted with a
small transitional pump to conserve approximately 14% of
energy with a payback time of less than three years.
Based on the findings, the following conclusions are
made.
(1) The output hydraulic power of the pump can be
divided into three parts based on the effect of the
pump. These parts include the effective output power
(to produce the static head), the necessary output (to
overcome the system loss), and the actual output of
the pump. The energy saving potential, particularly
that of the surplus supply, can be easily calculated
based on this process.
(2) An integral method can be used to calculate the oper-
ational efficiency of the pump station based on the
operation rules of the pump flow rate, given that the
pump efficiency itself cannot reflect different operat-
ing conditions within a certain period.
(3) The operation control track for meeting the mini-
mum requirement can be obtained through an online
test based on the system characteristic and process
requirements. This track can be used to calculate the
energy saving potential and the control setting of the
invert.
(4) A strategy for adding a small transitional pump is pro-
posed to increase the operation efficiency of the pump
assembly that operates under the single frequency
converter configuration. The conditions and price of
the frequency converter are very high, as reflected in
the parallel operation model used in most pumping
stations.
Software is currently being developed based on the meth-
odology that is proposed in this study.
Acknowledgments
This project is supported by the Open Research Fund of
Key Laboratory of Fluid and dynamic Machinery Labora-
tory, Xihua University (Grant no. szjj2013-006), National
Science & Technology Pillar Program of China (Grant
nos. 2011BAF14B02 and 2011BAF14B04)), National Natural
Sciences Foundation of China (Grant no. 51349004), the
Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher
Education Institutions and Jiangsu University fund assistance
(Grant no. 13JDG082).
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