NPSH - An introduction for pump users

1. General formulation
Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH) is a local liquid property and is defined as the excess
mechanical energy of the liquid above that required to prevent vaporization. Also called
NPSH „available“ (NPSHA), it‘s usefulness is straightforward: when the NPSHA at any
point reaches zero, the liquid vaporizes.
NPSHA = Total mechanical energy of liquid – Vapor pressure energy of liquid
In the design of liquid handling systems, one often wishes to calculate the NPSHA at
some point of interest. This is normally done by calculating the energy relative to some
known reference point:

Total mechanical energy of liquid = HA + ΔHR + ΔHF

NPSHA = ( HA + ΔHR + ΔHNR ) - HVP

Where: *
HA (m , ft) = A known reference energy at some point in the system.

ΔHR (m , ft) = The calculated reversible energy changes between the reference point
and the point of interest. This term may be positive or negative depending on the
system geometry.

ΔHNR (m , ft) = The calculated non-reversible energy changes between the reference
point and the point of interest. This term is always negative (or zero if neglected
as minor). For this reason, it is commonly referred to as the system “loss”.
HVP (m , ft) = Vapor pressure energy of the liquid being handled at the current
temperature.
* Consistent SI and US units are given for all quantities. Other unit systems are possible.

It is customary to express the above energy terms as potential energies, (i.e. as feet or
meters of the liquid ), since this simplifies the overall system calculations. Strictly
speaking, NPSH has units of mechanical energy per unit mass: (ft-lbf/lbm) or (m-
kgFORCE/kgMASS). These same units are used for total dynamic pump head. When dealing
with incompressible fluids under earth gravity, the (lbf/lbm) or (kgF/kgM) terms may be
ignored, as they always cancel out.
If a reference location is selected where the liquid has a free surface (such as the liquid
level in a sump) then the reference energy can be expressed simply in terms of the
ambient pressure over the liquid, all other terms being zero:

HA = PA /ρg
Where
PA (Pa or N/m2 , psf) = The ambient pressure at the liquid free surface.

ρ (kg/m3 , slug/ft3) = Liquid density

g (m/s2 , ft/s2) = Acceleration of gravity

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NPSH - An introduction for pump users

Regarding the reversible energy changes, a widely used formulation for liquid systems is
the Bernoulli equation:

ΔHR = ( ΔP/ρg + ΔV2/2g + Δz )

Where:

ΔP (Pa or N/m2 , psf) = Change in static pressure relative to the reference point.

ΔP/ρg (m , ft) = Change in static pressure energy relative to the reference point.

ΔV (m/s , ft/s) = Change in liquid velocity relative to the reference point. Note:
normally VREF=0 and therefore ΔV = V.

ΔV2/2g (m , ft) = Change in kinetic energy relative to the reference point.

Δz (m , ft) = Change in potential energy (in the direction of gravity) relative

to the reference point. Note: If the reference point is above the
point of interest, then z is positive.

The non-reversible energy changes are often lumped together and called “friction losses”,
although they include both pure friction and local turbulent (or shock) losses. In a piping
system, these are the system resistance losses. Since they are usually represented as a
positive quantity, we have the following relationship:

ΔHNR = - HF
Where:
HF (m , ft) = Friction and shock losses expressed in feet or meters of liquid. Note:
Although this term includes entrance and exit pressure losses due to turbulence
around areas of rapid velocity change, it does NOT include static pressure
changes due to the acceleration or deceleration of the liquid (i.e. velocity head).

Regarding the vapor pressure energy, this is simply determined from the vapor pressure:

HVP = PVP /ρg

Where:
PVP (Pa or N/m2 , psf) = The liquid vapor pressure at the current temperature.

Back-substituting into the original equation for NPSHA gives a general NPSH equation of
practical application to liquid systems:

NPSHA = (PA + ΔP - PVP)/ρg + ΔV2/2g + Δz - HF

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NPSH - An introduction for pump users

2. Useful simplifications
Several simplifications of the above formula are useful to pump users.
A. If the mass flow is constant between the reference point and the point of interest,
the terms ΔP/ρg and ΔV2/2g cancel out leaving:

NPSHA = (PA - PVP)/ρg + Δz - HF

This formula is often used to calculate the NPSHA for a pump during the system design
phase. In this case:
PA (Pa or N/m2 , psf) = Atmospheric pressure (in an open system) or tank pressure
over the liquid (in a sealed system)

Δz (m , ft) = Level difference from the free surface of the liquid to the pump
suction centerline. Note: If the free surface is above the pump
suction centerline, then z is positive.

ΔHF (m , ft) = System friction losses from the free surface to pump suction
inlet.
The pump suction inlet is usually defined as a measurement section in the pipeline
approximately one pipe diameter from the pump suction flange.
B. In the case of a sealed sump without external pressurization, PA = PVP. In this
case our equation simplifies to:

NPSHA = Δz - HF
C. In the case of a pump test, where the pressure and velocity at the pump suction
inlet are known, a different formulation is useful. For this purpose, we recognize that the
absolute static suction pressure (PS) as measured at pressure taps flush with the suction
piping wall can be written as follows:

PS/ρg = (PA + ΔP )/ρg + Δz - HF

Back-substituting into the original general equation gives a formula that allows NPSHA to
be calculated directly from the measured pressure and velocity at the pump suction:

NPSHA = (PS - PVP)/ρg + ΔV2/2g

Where:
PS (Pa or N/m2 , psf) = Absolute static pressure at the pump suction inlet, (e.g. as
measured by pressure taps flush with the suction piping wall).

D. Alternatively, we can define this equation in terms of the suction head.

NPSHA = HS - PVP/ρg
Where:

HS (m , ft) = PS/ρg + ΔV2/2g = Suction Head

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NPSH - An introduction for pump users

3. Application
Theoretically, cavitation at the pump suction inlet will occur when the NPSHA there falls to
zero. In practice, localized cavitation occurs elsewhere in the pump at some suction inlet
NPSHA value that is greater than zero. This is usually the result of areas of reduced
pressure caused by turbulence around the leading edges of the impeller vanes, or by
other characteristics of the pump inlet geometry. The value of suction inlet NPSHA
resulting in actual cavitation elsewhere in the pump is normally called the „required“ NPSH
(or NPSHR) and must be determined in the test lab. Three values of NPSHR are
important:
NPSHI = The incipient NPSH, i.e. that suction inlet NPSHA at which vapor bubbles are
first observed at some point in the pump, usually at the vane inlets. These
bubbles signal the potential onset of cavitation damage, even though the pump
performance may be unaffected. Since NPSHI must normally be determined by
visual observation, it is difficult to measure. It can, however, be an important
value for pumps requiring a high degree of reliability over long periods of
continuous operation (e.g. nuclear power plant cooling pumps).
NPSH0% = The minimum value of suction inlet NPSHA at which the pump total dynamic
head exhibits no appreciable drop and the pump itself no appreciable vibration.
In many clear fluid applications, this is the NPSHA at which the pump can
operate continuously without damage.
NPSH3% = The value of suction inlet NPSHA at which the pump total dynamic head drops
by 3%. NPSH3% is relatively easy to measure in the test lab and gives a good
indication of the onset of significant performance losses due to cavitation. One
must recognize, however, that at this value of NPSH, some cavitation is already
occurring and that continuous operation at this point is generally not advisable.
In the dredging industry, pumps are often operated well into the cavitation range on a
regular basis. As a result, NPSH5% and even NPSH10% are often measured and taken into
consideration during operation.
Dredgers also sometimes refer to the value of “Decisive Vacuum”, rather than NPSHR.
Decisive Vacuum is defined as the static gauge pressure at the pump suction inlet, (as
measured by pressure taps flush with the suction piping wall), at the point where the pump
discharge head falls by some given amount, usually 5%. It is derived by rearranging the
pump test equation “C” above to solve for suction head, then multiplying through by ρg
and adding atmospheric pressure to convert suction head into static gauge pressure:

VacM = PA - (NPSH5%*ρg) - PVP + ρV2/2

Where:
VacM (Pa or N/m2 , psf) = The “Decisive Vacuum”.
PA (Pa or N/m2 , psf) = The ambient pressure at the liquid free surface.
2
PVP (Pa or N/m , psf) = The liquid vapor pressure at the current temperature.
ρ 3
(kg/m , slug/ft ) 3
= Liquid density
g (m/s2 , ft/s2) = Acceleration of gravity
2 2
V (m/s , ft/s ) = Liquid velocity at the pump suction

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