Pumps

Q1. A double acting reciprocating pump having piston area 0.1 m2 has a stroke
length 0.30 m. The pump is discharging 2.4 m3 of water per minute at 45 rpm
through a height of 10m. What is the slip of the pump?

(a) 0.005 m3/s

(b) 0.015 m3/s
(c) 0.025 m3/s
(d) 0.035 m3/s

[ESE 2021]

Q2. A centrifugal pump delivers water against a net head of 14.5 m and a design
speed of 1000 rpm. The vanes are curved back to an angle of 30° with the
periphery. The impeller diameter is 300 mm and the outlet width is 50 mm.
What is the tangential velocity of impeller at outlet?

(a) 15.7 m/s

(b) 13.2 m/s
(c) 9.7 m/s
(d) 11.2 m/s
[ESE 2021]

Q3. Which one of the following statement is correct regarding centrifugal

pumps?

(a) The discharge is fluctuating and pulsating

(b) It is used for large discharge through smaller heads
(c) The efficiency is low
(d) It runs at low speed

[ESE 2020]
Q4. Water is to be pumped out a deep well under a total head of 95 m. A
number of identical pumps of design speed 1000 rpm and specific speed 900
rpm with a rated capacity of 150 l/s are available. The number of pumps
required will be

(a) 1
(b) 5
(c) 3
(d) 7
[ESE 2019]

Q5. Two identical centrifugal pumps are connected in parallel to a common

delivery pipe of a system. The discharge performance curve of each of the
pumps is represented by H = 30 – 80Q2. The discharge – head equation of the
parallel duplex pump set is

(a) H = 30 – 80Q2
(b) H = 15 – 20Q2
(c) H = 30 – 20Q2
(d) H = 15 – 80Q2

[ESE 2018]

Q6. A 20 cm centrifugal pump runs at 1400 rpm delivering 0.09 m3/sec against
a head of 45 m with an efficiency of 87%. What is its non – dimensional
specific speed using rps as the relevant data component?

(a) 0.482
(b) 0.474
(c) 0.466
 (d) 0.458

[ESE 2018]

Q7. If a centrifugal pump has an impeller speed of N (in rpm) discharge Q (in
m3/s) and the total head H (in m), the expression for the specific speed Ns of the
pump is given by

NQ0.5
(a) Ns = 0.5
H
NQ0.5
(b) Ns =
H
NQ0.5
(c) Ns = 0.75
H
NQ
(d) Ns =
H0.75

[GATE – 2017]

Q8. Identify the false statement from the following. The specific speed of the
pump increases with

(a) increase in shaft speed

(b) increase in discharge
(c) decrease in gravitational acceleration
(d) increase in head

[GATE – 2006]

Q9. If the pump head is 75 m, discharge is 0.464 m3/s and the motor speed is
1440 rpm at rated condition, the specific – speed of the pump is about

(a) 4
(b) 26
(c) 38
 (d) 1440

[GATE – 2000]

Q10. Water is to be lifted by a net head of 180 m. Pumps each with specific
speed of 30 and rotational speed of 1450 rpm with design discharge of 0.2
m3/sec are available. The minimum number of pumps required is _______

[GATE – 1991]

Q11. What is the specific speed of centrifugal pump, which has a rated capacity
of 44 cumec and a head of 36 m when operated at the speed of 725 rpm?

(a) 45
(b) 225
(c) 327
(d) 350

[SSC JE 2017]

Q12. If the two exactly same pumps are running at the same speed and lift the
water at the head of 20 m and 30 m respectively. What is the diameter of
impeller of second pump if the diameter (mm) of impeller of first pump is 500
mm?

(a) 430.2
(b) 500.5
(c) 612.5
(d) 714.3
[SSC JE 2017]

Q13. The power of the pump is given as 30 HP. What is the equivalent power
expressed in watts?

(a) 20000
 (b) 22380
(c) 25742
(d) 30500

[SSC JE 2017]

Q14. The head developed by the centrifugal pump is 40 m while operating at

the speed of 750 rpm. If the rated capacity is given as 50 cumec. What is the
specific speed of centrifugal pump?

(a) 150
(b) 300
(c) 333
(d) 500
[SSC JE 2017]

Q15. The specific speed of a pump is defined as the speed of a unit of such a
size that it discharges

(a) Unit discharge at unit power

(b) Unit work at unit head loss
(c) Unit discharge at unit head
(d) Unit volume at unit time
[SSC JE 2015]

Q16. The specific speed of a pump has dimensions of

(a) L3/4 T-3/2

(b) L3/4 T1/2
(c) M0 L0 T0
(d) M-1/2L1/2T1/4
[SSC JE 2007]
Q17. A centrifugal pump having overall efficiency of 75% delivers 1820 litres
of water per minute to a height of 18 m, through a pipe of 100 mm diameter and
90 m length. If f = 0.012, calculate the horsepower to drive the pump.

f lV2
[Note use Hf = ]
2gd

[IFS 2014]

Q18. A four stage reciprocating pump has cylinders of 400 mm diameter and
stroke of 600 mm each. The pump has to deliver 0.5 m3/sec of water at an
elevation of 300 m above the sump level. The friction loss in delivery and
suction pipe are 25 and 5 metres. Take velocity of water in delivery pipe as 2
m/sec, efficiency = 0.8 and slip is 2%. Compute the speed and power required
to drive the pump.

[IFS 2012]

Q19. At normal operating point a centrifugal pump with one stage delivers 0.3
m3/sec against a head of 30 m at a speed of 1500 rpm. At another site it is
required that 0.4 m3/s be raised over a height of 105 m by using a similar pump
operating at same speed but with multistage in series (one after the other). How
many stages are required.

[IFS 2010]

Q20. A pump is needed to operate at 3000 rpm with a lift of 7 m and discharge
of 0.15 m3/sec. Calculate the specific speed, determine which among following
is most suited.

(i) Reciprocating pump

(ii) Centrifugal pump
(iii) Mixed flow pump
(iv) Axial flow pump
 [IFS 2010]

Q21. At normal operating point a centrifugal pump with one stage delivers 0.3
m3/sec against a head of 30 m at a speed of 1500 rpm. At another site it is
required that 0.4 m3/s be raised over a height of 105 m by using a similar pump
operating at same speed but with multistages in series (one after the other). How
many stages are required.

[IFS 2010]

Q22. A centrifugal pump has an impeller of 400 mm diameter and gives best
efficiency when running at 900 rpm and delivering 0.025 m³/s against a head of
20 m. If exactly similar design of pump is required to deliver thrice the
discharge, against a head of 18.0 m. Determine the diameter of the Impeller and
the speed at which it should run.

[IFS 2006]

Q23. A discharge of 1.0 m3/s is to be pumped to a height of 40 m using

centrifugal pumps of specific speed of Ns of 50. The pumps run at 1500 rpm and
have an overall efficiency of 75%. Determine the number and arrangement of
pumps.

[CSE 2013]

Q24. It is required to pump 0.25 m³/s of water to a height of 200 m. The pumps
have an overall efficiency of 80%. If the pumps running at 1500 rpm and with
specific speed (Ns) of 30 are to be used, determine the number of pumps and
their arrangement.

[CSE 2007]
Q25. A 15 cm diameter bore hole well was drilled in an area to supply 360
l.p.m. of water. The water level in the well is found to be 18 m below ground
level. Water is conveyed to a place 50 m away from the well. If the drawdown
is 20 m and water is lifted 2 m above the ground level, determine the power in
kW of the motor of the pump, given the overall efficiency as 65% Friction
including strainer and other losses may be taken as 5 cm per metre length of
delivery pipe. What type of pump would you suggest?

[CSE 2007]

Q26. A centrifugal pump having 25 cm diameter running at a speed of 1500

rpm, discharges 0.12 m³/s water against a head of 44 m with an efficiency of
92%. Determine (1) Its non-dimensional specific speed, (2) performance of
similar pumps twice its size and (3) performance of similar pumps twice its
speed.

[CSE 2006]

Q27. A double-acting reciprocating pump having piston area 0.16 m² has a

stroke 0.40 m long. The discharge of water through the pump is 6.0 m³ per
minute at a speed of 50 rpm through a height of 12 m. Find the slip of the pump
and power required to drive the pump.

[CSE-2006]

Q28. A centrifugal pump is coupled to a diesel engine and runs at 900 rpm.
Water enters the Impeller radially and the velocity of flow through the Impeller
is constant. The Impeller details are given as follows:

Inner diameter 250 mm; Inlet angle 30°; Inlet width 20 mm and the Outer
diameter 500 mm. Find the discharge through the pump and the head developed.
Neglect losses and the thickness of vanes.

[CSE 2005]
Q29. A centrifugal pump having an impeller of 35 cm outside diameter rotates
at 1050 rpm. The vanes are radial at exit and are 7.0 cm wide. The velocity of
radial flow through the impeller is 3 m/sec. The velocity in the suction and
delivery pipes are 2.5 m/sec and 1.5 m/sec respectively. Neglecting frictional
losses, determine the height through which pump lifts and the horse-power of
the pump.

[ESE MAINS 2012]

Q30. Define specific speed of pump. Where is it useful? A centrifugal pump

runs at a speed of 250 rpm for 50 m3/sec discharge at a head of 50 m. Find the
specific speed.

[ESE MAINS 2015]

Q31. A single – acting reciprocating pump discharges 0.018 m3 of water per

second when running at 60 rpm. The stroke length is 50 cm and diameter of
piston is 22 cm and the total lift is 15 m, describe the following:

(i) Theoretical discharge of the pump

(ii) Slip and percentage slip of the pump

[ESE MAINS 2016]