CENTRIFUGAL PUMP FM50

ADDIS ABABA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

UNIVERSITY

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP PERFORMANCE

LABORATORY MANUAL

Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2020

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CENTRIFUGAL PUMP FM50

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP PERFORMANCE

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.

Centrifugal pumps are widely used in industrial and domestic situations. Due to the characteristics
of this type of pump, the most suitable applications are those where the process liquid is free of
debris, where a relatively small head change is required, and where a single operating capacity or a
narrow range of capacities is required. The general design is usually simple with few mechanical
parts to fail, however, and it is possible to operate a centrifugal pump outside ideal parameters
while maintaining good reliability.

The centrifugal pump converts energy supplied from a motor or turbine, first into kinetic energy
and then into potential energy. The motor driving the impeller imparts angular velocity to the

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impeller. The impeller vanes then transfer this kinetic energy to the fluid passing into the center of
the impeller by spinning the fluid, which travels outwards along the vanes to the impeller casing at
increasing flow rate. This kinetic energy is then converted into potential energy (in the form of an
increase in head) by the impeller casing (a volute or a circular casing fitted with diffuser
vanes) which provides a resistance to the flow created by the impeller, and hence decelerates the
fluid. The fluid decelerates again in the outlet pipe. As the mass flow rate remains constant, this
decrease in velocity produces a corresponding increase in pressure as described by Bernoulli ’s
equation.

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

Apparatus:
 Centrifugal pump demonstration unit (Figure 1).
 Interface device.
 PC with a suitable software installed.

Theory:

The operating characteristics of a centrifugal pump may be described or illustrated by using graphs
of pump performance.

The three most commonly used graphical representations of pump performance are:
• Change in total head produced by the pump, Ht
• Power input to the pump, Pm
• Pump efficiency, E
The change in total head produced as a result of the work done by pump can be calculated as:
Ht = Change in pressure head + change in velocity head + change in elevation = Hs
+ Hv + He
Where:

Where Pin is the fluid pressure at inlet in Pa and Pout is the fluid pressure at outlet in Pa.

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Where Vin is the fluid velocity at inlet in m/s and Vout is the fluid velocity at outlet in m/s.
He = Change in elevation= ρgh
The vertical distance between inlet and outlet, which is h= O.075m for the available pump.
The mechanical power input to the pump may be calculated as:
Pm = rotational force x angular distance = 2.π.n.t/60
where n is the rotational speed of pump in revolutions per minute and t is the shaft torque in N.m.
Hydraulic power is given by:
Ph = ρg Ht.Q
The efficiency of the pump may be calculated as:

Where Q is the volume flow rate in m3/s, and Pm is the mechanical power absorbed by pump:
Each of these parameters is measured at constant pump speed and is plotted against the volume
flow rate Q through the pump.
An example of this type of graphical representation of pump performance is given in Figure 3.

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Characteristic curves for a centrifugal pump

Examining the above figure , the general performance of the pump can be determined.

 The Ht-Q curve shows the relationship between head and flow rate. The head decreases as
flow rate increases. This type of curve is referred to as a rising characteristic curve. A stable
head-capacity characteristic curve is one in which there is only one possible flow rate for a
given head, as in the example here.
 The Pm-Q curve shows the relationship between the power input to the pump and the
change in flow rate through the pump. Outside the optimum operating range of the pump
this curve flattens, so that a large change in pump power produces only a small change in
flow velocity.
 The E-Q curve shows the pump capacity at which the pump operates most efficiently. In
the example here, the optimum operating capacity is 0.7 dm 3/s, which would give a head of
0.95m. When selecting a pump for an application where the typical operating capacity is
known, a pump should be selected so that its optimum efficiency is at or very near that
capacity.

Equipment set up:

If the equipment is not yet ready for use, proceed as follows:
1. Ensure the drain valve is fully closed.
2. If necessary, fill the reservoir to within 20cm of the top rim.
3. Ensure the inlet valve and gate valve are both fully open.
4. Ensure the equipment is connected to the interface device and the interface device is
connected to a suitable PC. The red and green indicator lights on the interface device should
both be illuminated.
5. Ensure the interface device is connected to an appropriate mains supply, and switch on the
supply.
6. Run the software. Check that 'IFD: OK' is displayed in the bottom right corner of the screen
and that there are values displayed in all the sensor display boxes on the mimic diagram.

Procedures:
1. Switch on the interface device, then switch on the pump within the software using the pump
on/standby button.

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2. Using the software, set the speed to 80%. 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
stabilize then select the (Go) icon to record the next set of data.
7. Increase the flow in small increments, allowing the sensor readings to stabilize 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.

Results:
Using the graph facility, Plot a graph of head against flow rate. On the secondary axis plot a graph
of mechanical power and efficiency against flow rate.
Alternatively, the results sheet may be exported to an alternative spreadsheet program (or results
may be manually plotted on graph paper) to produce a chart.

Conclusion:
Examine and describe the shapes of the graphs obtained, relating this to the changing performance
of the pump as the flow rate changes. Locate the point of maximum efficiency and the flow rate at
which it occurs.