VIVIEN PUNG REII WYNN

KEM150165

KMEM2172

Title: Pump Inherent Characteristics

1.0 ABSTRACTS
This experiment is conducted in order to obtain a head-flow curve for a centrifugal pump
operating at inherent speed. It is divided into two parts to demonstrate operating characteristics of a single
pump and two pumps installed in parallel connection respectively. The study is undergone by setting up
the FM21 centrifugal pumps. For the first part, the operating characteristics of a single pump are studied
by controlling the main valve. It is manipulated to make a total of 15 increments of orifice pressure drop
ranged from 0kPa to maximum valve limit. The computer software is used to record the set of data for
each sample of orifice pressure drop increment. These data include water temperature, pump pressure
drop, motor speed, volume flow rate, pump total head, pump power output and overall efficiency. Next,
same steps are repeated for the second part of experiment which is parallel pumps connection. The data
recorded is then tabulated. The pump total head, power output and efficiency are plotted respectively
against the flow rate to obtain three curves for each part of experiments. Any error and precaution is then
further discussed.
2.0 INTRODUCTION
Turbomachinery is the study of conversion of energy between fluid and rotor. It can be classified
into those that increase the fluid pressure by absorbing energy such as pumps and those that produce
energy such as turbines by changing the flow pressures. Basically, the function of pump is to raise,
transfer or compress fluid to higher pressure by applying work or energy on it. The main difference
between pump and compressor is that pump deals with water whereas compressor works on gas.
Generally, there are two types of pump, which is centrifugal pump and positive displacement
pump. Pump functions by speeding up the fluid to produce a head which results in a flow through the help
of impellers. The flow units can either be axial, radial or mixed. Basically, end suction pumps, in-line
pumps, double suction pumps, regenerative pumps and submersible pumps are some of the examples for
the type of centrifugal pumps.
The working principle of a centrifugal pump can be explained by the conversion of mechanical
energy produced by the motor to the hydrodynamic kinetic energy of the fluid. The fluid will enter the
pump via the entrance of impeller eye. The fluid is then accelerated and forced to flow outward with a
radial direction into a diffuser. The fluid exits with an increase in both pressure and speed. The origin of
first centrifugal pump can be related to the invention of mud lifting machine in 1947. The pump with
straight vane is first developed in late 17th century while the modified version with curved vane is
produced in 1851. (Wikipedia, 2014)
The centrifugal pumps can be set up in series or parallel connection. In series pump, we can
observe that the exit of one pump is just connected to the entrance or suction end of the next pump. If
there are any two similar types of centrifugal pumps connected in series with same operating function, we
can describe it as a two-stage centrifugal pump. Generally, the total head of a series centrifugal pump is
the summation of individual head of each component pump as each pump contributes to energy increase
of fluid. On the other hand, parallel pump is set up by the linking each individual pump to same suction
line at one end and same discharge line at another end.

VIVIEN PUNG REII WYNN

KEM150165

KMEM2172

Figure 1: Fluid path in a centrifugal pump

Figure 2: Comparison of pumps connected in parallel and in series.

Basically, head, flow rate, pressure, power, efficiency and net positive suction head (NPSH) are
some of the important parameter in order to study the characteristics of pump.
We can evaluate the head of fluid flow as below.

Head=

Ptotal
g

Where P = fluid pressure

= fluid density (1000kgm-3 for water)
g = gravitational acceleration (9.81ms -2)
Pressure is actually the force per unit area and further divided into static and dynamic pressure.
They will be summed up to the total pressure with SI unit of Pascal.

Ptotal=Pstatic + P dynamic

The pressure gauge over a piezometric tube can be used to measure the static pressure. On the
other hand, the dynamic pressure is obtained by formula below.

VIVIEN PUNG REII WYNN

Pdynamic =

v
2

KEM150165

KMEM2172

Where v = velocity of the fluid.

Daniel Bernoulli has derived an equation called Bernoullis equation which is named after him.
This equation is found to be useful to study the performance of pump. This equation explains that the
summation of pressure head, velocity head and elevation head is always a constant in an ideal case.

P v2
+ + z=constant
g 2 g
Where z = elevation of fluid.
The rate of energy transfer is the definition of power. It is given in SI unit of Watt (W). There are
several types of power that should be taken into consideration when studying the whole operating system
of pump. For instance, external power supply, motor power, shaft power and also the hydraulic power in
fluid are important to evaluating the performance and efficiency of the pump. The fluid density will be
one of the factors that affect the power consumption. Hydraulic power can be calculated by formula
below.

Power=gQh
Where h = head of the fluid
Q = volume flow rate.
Meanwhile, efficiency is defined as the ratio of the hydraulic power to supplied power. It is
expressed as the formula below.

Efficiency=

Phydralic
100
P supplied

Some power losses in motor and pump components cause the efficiency impossible to be 100%.
Besides, we define the optimum point or best efficiency point as the volume flow rate in which the pump
functions with the highest efficiency.
The net positive suction head (NPSH) is another parameter to measure the fluid proximity in the
suction pipe to vaporisation. It will always be a positive value and is stated in meter as the head. Its
formula is shown as below.

NPSH A =

P totalPvapour
g

Where Pvapour = vapour pressure of the fluid at a specific temperature.

The performance of a pump is illustrated by plotting the curves of head, power, efficiency and
NPSH against the flow rate. The relationship between the volume flow rate and the pressure at a constant
speed of the pump crank is stated in flow rate-head curve (Q-H curve or pump curve). The head value is
defined as the difference in head level between the suction and the pressure side of the pump. Q-H curve
depends on geometry and speed of the fluid but not the fluid physical properties such as density. Besides
that, the relationship between the absorbed hydraulic energy and the provided mechanical energy at the

VIVIEN PUNG REII WYNN

KEM150165

KMEM2172

pump is portrayed well in the efficiency curve. Meanwhile, the net positive suction head curve (NPSH)
curve describes the relationship between the volume flow rate, Q and the required margin between the
head at the suction side of the pump and the vapour pressure head of the water to prevent cavitation in the
pump.
Figure 3: Pump curve, efficiency curve and NPSH curve

When the fluid vapour pressure exceeds its local static pressure, the air bubbles will form causing the
cavitation to occur. The vapour will collapse due to evaporation, thus resulting in a decrease in the velocity and

an increase in pressure. Definitely, this will cause damage to the pump. Basically, cavitation occurs
mostly at the blade edge at the impeller inlet. As precaution, by lowering the pump, shortening the suction
line, increasing the suction lines cross-sectional area or lowering the fluid temperature to reduce its
vapour pressure, we can minimize the occurrence of cavitation.
3.0 OBJECTIVE
To obtain a head-flow curve for a centrifugal pump operating at inherent speed.

4.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

4.1 RESULTS
dPo
Tw
dPp1
n1
Pgr1
Qv
Hd
P
Egr

= orifice pressure drop

= water temperature
= pump 1 pressure drop
= motor 1 speed
= motor 1 power
= volume flow rate
= pump 1 total head
= pump 1 power output
= overall efficiency

VIVIEN PUNG REII WYNN

KEM150165

KMEM2172

Table 1: Characteristics of Single Pump

Variables
Units
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16

dPo
kPa
0.02
0.45
0.94
1.43
1.89
2.27
2.74
3.23
3.75
4.28
4.70
5.13
5.59
6.01
6.57
6.99

Tw

dPp1
kPa

n1
Hz

Pgr1
W

Qv
m3/s

Hd
m

P
W

Egr
%

26.17
26.49
26.76
27.03
27.41
27.62
27.73
27.89
28.00
28.21
28.32
28.59
28.64
28.80
28.91
29.07

0.01
1.01
2.83
4.04
4.85
6.87
8.18
9.70
11.41
13.23
13.44
14.65
16.66
17.48
17.68
19.70

50.94
50.03
49.89
49.80
49.71
49.59
49.45
49.36
49.30
49.15
49.15
49.04
48.95
48.92
48.92
48.83

227.16
264.53
271.62
275.28
278.46
283.10
285.54
289.45
294.09
299.46
298.97
301.17
304.35
307.28
307.28
311.92

0.000051
0.000264
0.000380
0.000468
0.000537
0.000589
0.000648
0.000703
0.000758
0.000809
0.000847
0.000886
0.000924
0.000959
0.001002
0.001034

0.10
0.19
0.38
0.50
0.58
0.79
0.92
1.08
1.26
1.44
1.46
1.59
1.67
1.88
1.90
2.10

0.05
0.49
1.40
2.29
3.06
4.56
5.86
7.42
9.30
11.39
12.11
13.74
16.27
17.58
18.57
21.25

0.02
0.19
0.52
0.83
1.10
1.61
2.05
2.56
3.16
3.81
5.05
4.56
5.02
5.72
6.04
6.81

Figure 4: Graph of total head against volume flow rate for single pump

VIVIEN PUNG REII WYNN

KEM150165

KMEM2172

Graph of Total Head against Volume Flow Rate

2.5
2
1.5

Total head, Hd (m)

1
0.5
0
0

Volume Flow Rate, Qv (m3s-1)

Figure 5: Graph of power input against volume flow rate for single pump

Graph of Power Input against Volume Flow Rate

350
300
250
200

Power Input, Pgr1 (W) 150

100
50
0
0

Volume flow rate, Qv (m3s-1)

Figure 6: Graph of efficiency against volume flow rate

VIVIEN PUNG REII WYNN

KEM150165

KMEM2172

Graph of Efficiency against Volume Flow Rate

8
7
6
5

Efficiency, Egr (%)

4
3
2
1
0
0

Volume flow rate, Qv (m3s-1)

dPo
Tw
dPp1
n1
Pgr1
dPp2
n2
Pgr2
Qv
Hd
P
Pgr
Egr

= orifice pressure drop

= water temperature
= pump 1 pressure drop
= pump 1 motor speed
= motor 1 power
= pump 2 pressure drop
= pump 2 motor speed
= motor 2 power
= volume flow rate
= total head
= total power output
= total power input
= efficiency

Table 2: Characteristics of parallel pumps

Var

dPo

Tw

Units

kPa

1
2
3

0.02
1.60
3.30

Pump 1

Pump 2

Qv

Hd

Pgr

Egr

dPp1

n1

Pgr1

dPp2

n2

Pgr2

kPa

Hz

kPa

Hz

m3s-1

29.07
29.45
29.77

0.10
3.23
0.10

50.83
49.65
50.27

222.28
267.71
245.80

74.2468
65.6605
71.1153

51.35
51.41
50.74

238.15
239.37
259.89

0.0001
0.0005
0.0007

0.1601
0.4624
0.1222

0.08
2.23
0.85

460.43
507.08
505.37

0.02
0.44
0.17

VIVIEN PUNG REII WYNN

4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16

4.78
6.33
8.00
9.66
11.23
12.84
14.39
16.09
17.61
19.26
20.79
22.46
23.99

30.20
30.58
30.90
31.28
31.60
32.13
32.46
32.73
33.10
33.37
33.69
34.07
34.39

0.61
1.01
2.63
4.04
4.85
6.26
7.48
8.89
9.80
10.51
11.52
12.93
14.75

50.00
49.77
49.68
49.62
49.48
49.36
49.30
49.21
49.95
49.13
49.33
49.04
48.95

KEM150165
252.56
253.74
260.38
266.24
267.71
280.17
283.59
287.74
289.94
291.40
291.89
293.11
296.53

69.9032
67.6808
66.2666
62.2259
69.3168
58.3873
57.0741
53.3406
60.0891
48.9928
46.5084
54.1440
39.6993

50.39
50.24
50.09
49.89
49.77
49.71
49.59
49.51
49.94
49.54
49.45
49.27
49.18

KMEM2172
267.46
271.37
276.99
286.27
286.03
301.42
304.35
306.55
307.77
310.21
312.65
315.10
319.00

0.0009
0.0010
0.0011
0.0012
0.0013
0.0014
0.0015
0.0016
0.0016
0.0017
0.0018
0.0019
0.0019

0.1567
0.1802
0.3265
0.4520
0.5168
0.6429
0.7492
0.8850
0.9503
1.0036
1.0897
1.2154
1.3841

1.31
1.73
3.53
5.37
6.61
8.80
10.83
13.56
15.23
16.82
18.97
21.99
25.88

520.03
527.11
537.27
552.52
553.74
581.58
587.93
594.28
597.70
601.61
604.54
608.21
615.53

0.25
0.33
0.66
0.97
1.19
1.51
1.85
2.28
2.55
2.80
3.14
3.62
4.20

VIVIEN PUNG REII WYNN

KEM150165

KMEM2172

Figure 7: Graph of total head against volume flow rate for parallel pumps

Graph of Total Head against Volume Flow Rate

Total head, Hd (m)

1.6
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0

Volume flow rate, Qv (m3s-1)

Figure 8: Graph of total power input against volume flow rate

Graph of Total Power Input against Volume Flow Rate

700
600
500

Total power input, Pgr (W)

400
300
200
100
0

Volume flow rate, Qv (m3s-1)

Figure 9: Graph of efficiency against volume flow rate

VIVIEN PUNG REII WYNN

KEM150165

KMEM2172

Graph of Overall efficiency against Volume Flow Rate

5
4
3

Overall efficiency, Egr (%)

2
1
0

Volume flow rate, Qv (m3s-1)

4.2 DISCUSSION

Based on Table 1, we can observe that the water temperature increases slightly when the orifice
pressure drop become higher. In fact, this is caused by the heat loss to the fluid. Finally, there is a
total rise of about 3oC in temperature. Besides, it is also found that the Pump 1 pressure drop
increases while the Motor 1 speed decreases according to the increase in orifice pressure drop.
For the first part of single pump experiment, we can conclude that when the volume flow rate
increases, total head, power input and efficiency will increase as well. Maximum efficiency is 6.81%
which is achieved when orifice pressure drop is 6.99kPa and volume flow rate is 0.001034 m 3s-1.
Meanwhile, based on Table 2, when the orifice pressure drops, there is a total increase in water
temperature of 5.0oC at the end of experiment. At the same time, when pressure drop in pump 1 increases,
the speed of motor 1decreases gradually and the power of pump 1 motor increases as well. On the other
hand, when pressure drop in pump 2 decreases, the speed of pump 2 motor decreases gradually and the
power of pump 2 motor increases as well. For the second part of parallel pump experiment, we can
conclude that when the volume flow rate increases, total head, power input and efficiency will increase
as well. Maximum efficiency is 4.20% which is achieved when orifice pressure drop is 23.99kPa and
volume flow rate is 0.0019 m3s-1.
In this experiment, we can figure out the difference between the experimental head flow rate
curve and the typical one. Theoretically, head drops when flow rate increases in order to satisfy
Bernoullis Equation. However, in this experiment, both parts of single pump and parallel pumps
experiments show head-flow rate curve in which head increases when flow rate increases. This is due to
some errors occurred during the experiment. The pump water properties may fluctuate according to
variation of its temperature. For example, the viscosity of water flow will increase with the temperature.
The phenomenon of cavitation will give an impact to the flow rate as well. In addition, the fluctuation of
reading happens as the computerized apparatus is too sensitive. It is crucial to ensure air bubbles have
been dispersed before recording the reading to minimize the errors. It is better to record the reading after
it becomes stable. The experiment must be repeated several times to obtain more accurate results.

VIVIEN PUNG REII WYNN

KEM150165

KMEM2172

5.0 CONCLUSION

From the experiment of single pump, it has been found that total head, power input and
efficiency curves shows an increasing trend. The maximum efficiency 6.81% is obtained when
the volume flow rate is 0.001034 m3s-1. As for the experiment of parallel pumps, total head, total
power input and efficiency curve also increases when the volume flow rate increases. The
maximum efficiency is 4.20% when the flow rate reaches 0.0019 m3s-1.

6.0 REFERENCE
1. Pumps and pumping station (n.d.). Retrieved 18 October 2015 from
http://ocw.tudelft.nl/fileadmin/ocw/courses/PumpingStationsandTransportPipelines/res00031/e
mbedded/pumps_and_pu.pdf
2. Grundfos (n.d.).The centrifugal pump. Retrieved 18 October 2015 from
http://my.grundfos.com/content/dam/Global%20Site/Industries
%20%26%20solutions/Industry/pdf/The_Centrifugal_Pump.pdf
3. McNally Institute (2012).Series and parallel operation of centrifugal pump. Retrieved 16
October 2015 from http://www.mcnallyinstitute.com/18-html/18-1.htm
4. Munson, Young, Okiishi, &Huebsch (2009). Fundamentals of fluid mechanics,sixth edition.
United States of America: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

5. Wikipedia (2015) Centrifugal Pump. Retrieved on 16 October 2015 from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifugal_pump