The Islamic University of Gaza

Faculty of Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

EMEC 3112 Fluid Mechanics Lab

Experiment # 9

Centrifugal pump+ cavitation

Done by : ahmed farajallah Student ID: 120160868

Submitted to: Eng.Mohammed Mousa

Class No: 101

Submission date: 15/12 /2018

Introduction:
Pumps fall into two main categories: positive displacement pumps and rotodynamic pumps. In a
positive displacement pump, a fixed volume of fluid is forced from one chamber into another.
The centrifugal pump is, by contrast, a rotodynamic machine. Rotodynamic (or simply dynamic)
pumps impart momentum to a fluid, which then causes the fluid to move into the delivery
chamber or outlet. Turbines and centrifugal pumps all fall into this category.

Fig(1):centrifugal pump

Main Parts of Centrifugal Pumps :

1. Impeller: which is the rotating part of the centrifugal pump.It consists of a series of
backwards curved vanes
2. Blades
3. Casing :Which is an air-tight passage surrounding the Impeller : designed to direct the
liquid to the impeller and lead it away Suction Pipe.
4. Delivery Pipe.
5. The Shaft: which is the bar by which the power is transmitted from the motor drive to the
impeller.
6. The driving motor: which is responsible for rotating the shaft. It can be mounted directly
on the pump, above it, or adjacent to it.

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Purpose:
To create head, power and efficiency characteristic curves for a centrifugal pump.

Apparatus:
1. Centrifugal pump demonstration unit (Figure 2).
2. Interface device.
3. PC with a suitable software installed.
4. Tape measure.

Fig(2) : Centrifugal pump demonstration unit

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Theory:
One way of illustrating pump characteristics is to construct contour lines of constant power or
efficiency on a graph of pump head plotted against pump discharge. These allow engineers to see
the maximum efficiency of a pump over a range of operating parameters, which can assist in the
selection of an appropriate pump to suit particular conditions. An example is given in Figure3

Fig(3)

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Procedures:
1 . Switch on the interface device, then switch on the pump within the software using the pump
on/standby button.
2. Using the software, set the speed to 80%. The interface will increase the pump speed until it
reaches the required setting. Allow water to circulate until all air has been flushed from the
system. Slightly closing and opening the inlet valve and gate valve a few times will help in
priming the system and eliminating any bubbles caught within the valve mechanism. Leave the
inlet valve fully open.
3. In the results table, rename the spreadsheet (Select Format > Rename Sheet) to 80%.
4. Close the gate valve to give a flow rate Q of 0. (Note that the pump will not run well with the
gate valve closed or nearly closed, as the back pressure produced is outside normal operating
parameters. The pump should begin to run more smoothly as the experiment progresses).
5. Select the (Go) icon to record the sensor readings and pump settings on the results table of the
software.
6. Open the gate valve to allow a low flow rate. Allow sufficient time for the sensor readings to
stabilise then select the (Go) icon to record the next set of data.
7. Increase the flow in small increments, allowing the sensor readings to stabilise then recording
the sensor and pump data each time.
8. Using the arrow buttons on the software display, reduce the pump speed to 0%. Select "Save"
or "Save as…" from the "file" menu and save the results with a suitable file name.
9. Switch off the pump within the software using the power on/standby button, then switch off
the interface device and close the software.

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Data & Results:

Mechanic Pump
Q (l/s) H (m) al Power Efficiency
(W) (%)
0.000 4.460 65.3 0.000
0.21 4.29 66.0 13.5
0.57 4.09 71.3 32.0
0.90 3.70 78.9 41.5
1.09 3.35 83.3 42.9
1.17 3.22 82.4 44.6
1.22 3.08 86.3 42.8

Fig(4):efficiency and mechanical power of pump

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 Fig(5):total head for pump

cavitation
Objective

To investigate the effect of changing inlet head on pump performance.

Method
By varying the pressure at the inlet to the pump using a manual valve to
control the available flow.

Theory
 In both the design and operation of a rotodynamic machine, careful attention has to be paid to
the fluid conditions on the suction side. In particular, it is important to check the minimum
pressure that can arise at any point to ensure that cavitation does not take place.

 If the pressure at any point is less than the vapour pressure of the liquid at the temperature at
that point, vaporisation will occur. This is most likely to arise in the suction side where the
lowest pressures are experienced. The vaporize liquid appears as bubbles within the liquid, and
these subsequently collapse with such force that mechanical damage may be sustained. This
condition, known as cavitation, is accompanied by a marked increase in noise and vibration in
addition to the loss of head.