Centrifugal pump

Device for moving liquids and gases. The two major parts of the device are the impeller (a wheel with vanes) and the
circular pump casing around it. In the most common type, called the volute centrifugal pump, fluid enters the pump
at high speed near the centre of the rotating impeller and is thrown against the casing by the vanes. The centrifugal
pressure forces the fluid through an opening in the casing. This outlet widens progressively in a spiral fashion, which
reduces the speed of the fluid and thereby increases pressure. Centrifugal pumps produce a continuous flow of fluid
at high pressure; the pressure can be increased by linking several impellers together in one system. In such a
multistage pump the outlet for each impeller casing serves as the inlet to the next impeller. Centrifugal pumps are
used for a wide variety of purposes, such as pumping liquids for water supply, irrigation, and sewage disposal
systems. Such devices are also utilized as gas compressors.

Centrifugal force
quantity, peculiar to a particle moving on a circular path, that has the same magnitude and dimensions as the force
that keeps the particle on its circular path (the centripetal force) but points in the opposite direction.

Centrifugal Pump
Impeller
An impeller (or impellar) is a rotor inside a tube or conduit used to increase the pressure and
flow of a fluid.

The working principle of centrifugal pump

The impeller installs in the pump housing in 2, and fastens in the pump spindle on 3, the pump spindle leads
directly by the electrical machinery. The pump housing central has a liquid inspiration 4 and the boost 5
connections. The liquid 6 and the boost enter in the pump after the bottom valve. In pump housing liquid
escapement 8 and education tube 9 connections. Starts before the centrifugal pump, in the pump housing
fills the liquid which transports; after the start, after the start, the impeller leads the high speed rotation by
the axis, liquid between leaf blades also must along with the rotation. Under the centrifugal force function,
the liquid is thrown from the impeller center and obtains to the outflow boundary the energy, by leaves the

impeller outflow boundary to enter the worm type pump housing high speed. In the volute, the liquid
decelerates as a result of the flow channel gradual expansion, also transforms the partial kinetic energy into
the static pressure energy, finally by the high pressure inflow exit pipe, delivers to needs the place. Liquid
when flows to the outflow boundary by the impeller center, in the impeller center has formed certain
vacuum, because above the storage tank liquid level pressure is bigger than the pump inlet place pressure,
the liquid continuously is then pressed in the impeller. Obviously, so long as the impeller rotates
unceasingly, the liquid then can unceasingly and discharges by the inspiration.

Based on number of impeller/s in the pump:

Pump
A pump is a machine that imparts energy to a liquid to increase its pressure and move it from one point to another. We used the term liquid
(not fluid ) because the word pump is universally used to refer to a machine that pumps liquid whereas one that handles air, gas, or vapor, is
specifically referred to as air pump, vacuum pump, compressor, blower, or fan.
In this web site the word pump is used to refer to machinery that handles liquid. It is important to make this distinction because air, gas, or
vapor is an "enemy" of a pump that impairs its performance and operation. A pump, in its universal meaning, should not be used for handling
air, gas, or vapor.
A typical pump has hundreds of parts. No matter how simple or complex some pumps are, their major parts are designed to perform specific
functions regardless of their sizes and shapes. The major parts are:

casing
impeller
shaft
seal
bearing
coupling

Casing
The casing (or case) contains the liquid and acts as a pressure containment vessel that directs the flow of liquid in and out of the pump. In most
cases the casing includes the suction and discharge nozzles of the pump that connect it to the external piping. In some vertical pumps the casing
may be referred to as bowl, and in some small pumps they may it call it housing.
Impeller
The impeller is a vaned-disk (or disc) mounted on the shaft. Its function is to increase the pressure of the liquid by means of its rotating action.
The impeller may be of open, semi-open, or enclosed type, and may have anywhere between two to ten vanes. It may also be of single, or
double, suction design.

Seal
A pump may be provided with one of two types of sealing elements - packing rings or mechanical seal. The sealing elements prevents the
leakage of the pumped liquid into the atmosphere.
Bearings
The functions of the bearings are to support the weight of the shaft (rotor) assembly, to carry the hydraulic loads acting on the shaft, and to keep
the pump shaft aligned to the shaft of the driver.
Coupling
The function of a coupling is to connect the pump shaft and the driver shaft, and to transmit the input power from the driver into the pump.

Types of centrifugal pumps

Centrifugal pumps can be grouped into several types using different criteria such as its design, construction, application, service, compliance
with a national or industry standard, etc. Thus one specific pump can belong to different groups and oftentimes this becomes descriptive of
the pump itself. Some of these groups are:
Based on number of impeller/s in the pump:
Single stage - pump has one impeller only; for low head service
Two-stage - pump has two impellers in series; for medium head service
Multi-stage - pump has three or more impellers in series; for high head service
The number of impellers, not the number of volutes, determines the number of
stages. Thus a pump with 4 volutes but only 3 impellers is normally referred to as
a 4-stage pump destaged to 3-stage, or 4/3-stage.

Based on impeller suction:

Single suction - pump with single suction impeller (impeller has suction cavity on one side only); simple design but impeller is subjected to
higher axial thrust imbalance due to flow coming in on one side of impeller only.
Double suction - pump with double suction impeller (impeller has suction cavities on both sides); has lower NPSHR than single suction
impeller. Pump is considered hydraulically balanced but is susceptible to uneven flow on both sides of impeller if suction piping is not done
properly.
In a pump with more than one impeller the design of the first stage impeller determines if the pump is considered single or double suction
type.

Based on type of volute:

Single volute - pump volute has single lip which is very easy to cast. Is usually used in small low capacity pumps where a double volute design
is impractical due to relatively small size of volute passageway which makes obtaining good quality commercial casting difficult. Pumps with
single volute design have higher radial loads.
Double volute - pump volute has dual lips located 180 degrees apart resulting in balanced radial loads; most centrifugal pumps are of double
volute design.

Based on nozzle location:

End suction/top discharge - the suction nozzle is located at the end of, and concentric to, the shaft while the discharge nozzle is located at the
top of the case perpendicular to the shaft. Pump is always of an overhung type and typically has lower NPSHR because the liquid feeds directly
into the impeller eye.
Top/top nozzles -the suction and discharge nozzles are located at the top of the case perpendicular to the shaft. Pump can either be overhung
type or between-bearing type but is always a radially-split case pump.
Side/side nozzles - the suction and discharge nozzles are located at the sides of the case perpendicular to the shaft. Pump can either be an
axially or radially split case type.

Based on shaft orientation:

Horizontal - pump with shaft in horizontal plane; popular due to ease of servicing and maintenance.
Vertical - pump with shaft in vertical plane; ideal when space is limited or of a premium, or when pumping from a pit or underground barrel
to increase the available NPSH.

Based on orientation of case-split:

Axial split - pump case is split axially; the upper half is called the upper or top case, the lower half is called the lower or bottom case. The case
cannot be supported at shaft centerline because of the case split; is usually limited to temperature up to 450 degrees F to avoid misalignment
because of uneven thermal expansion from shaft centerline. The flat case gasket and irregular bolting pattern makes containing the bolt stress
difficult hence it is limited in its hydrostatic test and allowable working pressure.
Radial split - pump case is split radially; the split parts are usually referred to as case and cover; can be supported at shaft centerline for even
thermal expansion and is the preferred construction for high temperature application. The confined case gasket and circular bolting pattern
makes containing the bolt stress more manageable hence it can be designed for higher hydrostatic test and allowable working pressure.

Based on bearing support:

Overhung - the impeller overhungs on one end of shaft which is unsupported by a bearing; usually has lower NPSHR because there is no shaft
blockage at the impeller eye. The trade-off is that pump has higher shaft deflection.
Between-bearing - the shaft has bearing support on both ends, thus impeller is located in between-bearings. Pump has lower shaft deflection
than overhung pump but usually has higher NPSHR because shaft is blocking the impeller eye and shaft diameter at the impeller is usually of
larger size.

Based on shaft connection to driver:

Close-coupled - the impeller is mounted on the driver shaft which is of special design. This is also known as integral shaft design. Typically used
for light service. The pump-driver assembly is very compact, lightweight, and inexpensive.
Direct-coupled - the pump and driver have separate shafts connected by a flexible coupling. Usually a spacer coupling is used to allow the
removal of seals without disturbing the driver.

Self-priming pumps

Priming is the addition of liquid to a pump casing to displace the air inside, and to
create a liquid seal around it. Air is displaced typically through a vent connection at
the top of casing. If a vent connection were not provided, venting can be done by
filling the casing with liquid while slowly turning the pump shaft to flush out the air.
A self-priming pump is one that develops a vacuum sufficient enough for the
atmospheric pressure to force the liquid through the pump suction nozzle and into
the casing without manually re-priming the pump. Only positive displacement
pumps are truly self-priming but the term has been loosely used to include
self-priming centrifugal pumps.
A self-priming centrifugal pump is especially designed with a large chamber near
its discharge nozzle which acts both as an air separator that separates the air
from the liquid, and as a reservoir that holds a residual liquid to be used for
priming, or re-priming the pump. The pump has to be primed during the initial
start-up but re-priming is done automatically without outside intervention.
Although self-priming is a desirable feature in some centrifugal pump service the
trade-off is that pump efficiency is compromised due to some design constraints.
Self-priming pumps are popular for intermittent service, or service that requires
frequent pump starting and stopping, such as in contractors, drainage, sewage,
and similar applications, but are not widely used in critical service where optimum
reliability and efficiency are of paramount importance, and re-priming is seldom
needed due to continuous pump operation.

Pump
A pump is a machine that gives energy to a liquid to increase its pressure and move it from one point
to another. We used the term liquid (not fluid ) because the word pump is universally used to refer to
a machine that pumps liquid whereas one that handles air, gas, or vapor, is specifically referred to as
air pump, vacuum pump, compressor, blower, or fan.
Centrifugal Pumps:
A machine which converts mechanical energy into hydraulic energy b the action of centrifugal force
is caller centrifugal pump.
Centrifugal Force:
The force that keeps the particle on its circular path is called centrifugal force.

Shaft
The shaft is usually the longest part of a pump and is made of one piece. Its function is to transmit the
input power from the driver into the impeller.
Coupling
The function of a coupling is to connect the pump shaft and the driver shaft, and to transmit the
input power from the driver into the pump.
Bearings
The functions of the bearings are to support the weight of the shaft (rotor) assembly, to carry the
hydraulic loads acting on the shaft, and to keep the pump shaft aligned to the shaft of the driver.

Different Heads

Self-priming pumps
Priming is the addition of liquid to a pump casing to displace the air inside, and to create a
liquid seal around it. Air is displaced typically through a vent connection at the top of casing. If
a vent connection were not provided, venting can be done by filling the casing with liquid
while slowly turning the pump shaft to flush out the air.
A self-priming pump is one that develops a vacuum sufficient enough for the atmospheric
pressure to force the liquid through the pump suction nozzle and into the casing without
manually re-priming the pump.

Thermal and Hydraulic Machines, 1/e

By Sawhney

Hydraulic Machines: Fluid Machinery

By R K Singal