Centrifugal Pump

Introduction Pumps are commonly divided into the two categories positive displacement pump and centrifugal pump or axial-flow pump. The pump used in this experiment is a centrifugal pump. In the centrifugal pump the maximum head that can be developed is a definite characteristic of the design of the pump. The components of a centrifugal pump are generally an impeller with curved blade, connected to a shaft and running inside a volute casing. Centrifugal pumps are used in areas were a large volume of liquid must be moved. In this report dimensional analysis is used to analyse the performance of the pump provided and use the data obtained a characteristic graph which can be used to analyse the performance of a range of pumps of the same design. Three graphs are drawn showing each of the variables dependence to rotational speed N, the impeller diameter D and volumetric rate of flow Q. The variables were head, power and efficiency. The maximum point of the efficiency graph is used to obtain the points required to calculate the specific speed of the pump. [J. M. Kay et al, 1974] Apparatus

T01 P01 N01 N02 F01

Water Tank Centrifugal Pump Pressure Transducer 1 Pressure Transducer 2 Flow meter 1

V01 V02 V03 R01 F02

Valve 1 Valve 2 Valve 3 Force Transducer Flow meter 1

Hazard analysis One of the major hazards in this experiment was the high three phase voltage used to operate the pump. This is a serious hazard as water is being pumped in the system and if leaked it can easily conduct electricity through the water, frame and any operator in contact with it. In normal circuit systems fuses may be used however in this system the time taken for a fuse to blow is enough for the electricity to kill the operator. Instead an earth leakage detector (ELD) is used. This devise measures the fluctuation in AC electricity and also measures the flow in the live and neutral wire. If there is an unusual fluctuation or the current is different the wires the LED cuts the circuit. It was also essential to wear PPEs such as safety helmet and googols to for protection in case of malfunctions in the pump or other equipment in the plant. Procedure y y y y y y Ensure the Variac is on its zero stop, ensure all valves are closed except V01. To measure the rotational speed of the pump a stroboscope must be set up and kept at 50 of the required pulse rate. Before continuing it is essential to check the ELD is connected properly and functioning Record the rotational flow, Pressure and force at different flow rates increasing by 1 cm3. Ensure readings of pressure and force are taken when there is 0 flow and at 0. Follow the procedure for 1800 RPM, 2500 RPM and 3250 RPM

Results Maximum efficiency of the pump 0.38 Flow rate at maximum efficiency 0.17 Head Co-efficient at maximum efficiency 17 Specific speed of the pump 0.04925

Discussion The experiment was successful and the characteristic curves produced correlate with the published literature very closely. Some errors may be seen caused by the change in the stroboscope pulse and human error during reading the fluctuating data and determining the speed of the pump, however in the case of this experiment these errors are too small to cause much data discrepancies. The little discrepancies may be caused by the calibration data and human error reading from the rotameter calibration graph. The calibration data is dated the 2nd of September 1985. The performance of the pump may have changed due to its age since then. The specific speed of the pump shows that the pump was a single-stage radial flow centrifugal pump even though the value obtained was slightly outside the range of 0.6 - 0.20. This may have been caused by the errors discussed above. [J. M. Kay et al, 1974] To improve accuracy in the experiment the three variables recorded, pressure 1 and 2 and Force may be recorded by a computer after the same period of time for every single rotational flow rate. This will illuminate the human error, although this is not essential for experimental accuracy. Another way of improving results is to use a digital calibration graph which illuminates human error. Furthermore the pump may be re calibrated and new calibration data may be obtained. Conclusion The three characteristic graphs produced were quite accurate with little discrepancies. Based on the specific speed of the pump calculated it was also determined the pump was a single-stage radial flow centrifugal pump. To increase accuracy in the experiment the above improvements may be implemented. Bibliography 1. J. M. Kay and R. M. Nedderman, An Introduction to Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer, 3rd Ed, Chapter 7, Cambridge University Press, 1974

Nomenclature
CH CQ Cs D F g H m N P Q r (4 Head co-efficient Power Co-efficient Flow Co-efficient Diameter of pump impeller Force gravity Head Pressure mass Revolution speed of the pump Power Flow Torque radius Pressure Efficiency Density NA NA NA m mV ms-2 m Kg Rev s-1 w l m-3 m N m-2 NA Kg m-2

Appendix 1 Original top copy Data Sheet

Appendix 2 Sample Calculations D (Diameter of pump impeller) 0.07 m Torque radius r 0.155 m Head co-efficient CH

CH !

gH N 2D2

N = Pump Rev s-1 D = 0.07 m g = 9.81 m s-2 H = Head Pressure gH = (P = gH

(P ! gH V
= 1000 kg m-3 (P = P1 - P2 (Calibration sheets are used to find the pressures in PSI and then it may be converted to N m-2) Pressure 1 Data Pressure Range 15 PSI Full range output 61.47 1 PSI = 6895 N m-2 @ P1 !

P (mV ) v 15 1 v 6895 61.47

E.g. For P1 of 0 flow at 1800 RPM

P1 !

50.9 v 15 v 6895= 85640.67838 N m 2 61.47

Pressure 2 Data Pressure Range 50 PSI Full range output 199.73 1 PSI = 6895 N m-2 And @ P2 !

P2 (mV ) v 50 v 6895 199.73

E.g. For P2 of 0 flow at 1800 RPM

P2 !

0.9 v 50 v 6895= 1553.472187 N m 2 199.73

Sample Calculation for co-efficient of Head at 1800 RPM at 0 flow (P = P1 - P2 (P = 84087.20619 N m-2

CH !

84.08720619 ! 19.06739369 30 20.07 2

Power Co-efficient CP P=T[ = F r N 2T = mgr N 2T To calculate mass, m, calibration sheets may be used. Transducer Range 4.5 Kg Sensitivity (full range output) 3.667 mV/V Actual supply voltage 10 Volts DC

m!

F v 4.5 3.667 v 10

Sample calculation of m at 1800 RPM at 0 flow

m!

6 v 4.5 ! 0.7362967Kg 3.667 v 10

Sample calculation of Power at 1800 RPM at 0 flow

P ! 0.7362967 v 9.81 v 0.155 v 30 v 2T ! 211.0351Kg m3s-3 (watts)

Flow Co-efficient CQ To calculate the flow co-efficient it is necessary to calculate volumetric rate of flow. This may be calculated by:

Flow l m -1 Q! 60000
CQ ! Q ND 3

Sample calculation of Flow co-efficient at 1800 RPM and 20 l m-1

CQ !

0.000333 ! 0.03239391 30 v 0.73

Efficiency

L!

CQCH CP
at 1800 RPM and 20 l m-1

Sample calculation of Efficiency

L!

0.03239391 v 19.37853967 ! 0.112957688 5.55736119

Specific speed of the pump Cs

Cs !

CQ CH

1 2 3 4

Cs = 0.04925