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ENGR 120 - Using Pump Curves To Select Pumps

This document discusses how to select an appropriate pump by analyzing system head curves. It explains that a system head curve is created by calculating the static lift, static discharge, well drawdown, friction loss, and operating head. The pump curve from the manufacturer is then overlaid on the system head curve to select a pump that will operate at maximum efficiency given the desired discharge. An example is provided where a submersible pump is selected to deliver 900 gpm against a total system head of 120 ft at an efficiency of 71%.

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Ahmed Taha
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63 views13 pages

ENGR 120 - Using Pump Curves To Select Pumps

This document discusses how to select an appropriate pump by analyzing system head curves. It explains that a system head curve is created by calculating the static lift, static discharge, well drawdown, friction loss, and operating head. The pump curve from the manufacturer is then overlaid on the system head curve to select a pump that will operate at maximum efficiency given the desired discharge. An example is provided where a submersible pump is selected to deliver 900 gpm against a total system head of 120 ft at an efficiency of 71%.

Uploaded by

Ahmed Taha
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ENGR 120 Using Pump Curves to Select Pumps

Lets close the loop. How does the pump testing that you have done connect to real-world engineering?

Pumps come in a variety of configurations. configurations Here are a few examples of centrifugal pumps pumps.
Pump

Motor

Drive shaft connected to tractor PTO

Pump

Water out This is a submersible pump consisting of 4 stages connected in series. Each stage is a centrifugal pump in itself. The entire pump is submerged under water. Pump p stages g In this submersible pump water flows from one stage to the next. The pressure (or head) increases as water moves through the pump, but the discharge remains constant. This is analogous to batteries connected i series. in i Th The total l voltage l i is the h sum of f the voltage from each battery, but the current remains constant.

Water in

Procedure for Selecting a Pump

(1) Calculate the system head curve (2) Select the design discharge for the pump (3) Check pump manufacturers catalogs and select a pump that will operate at maximum efficiency near the design discharge.

System Head Curve


(1) Static lift vertical distance between the static water surface and the ground surface (2) Static discharge vertical distance between the ground surface and the ultimate point of use (3) Well drawdown decrease in water level in the well in response to pumping (4) Friction loss in the system head loss due to friction as water flows through the pipe, valves, bends, etc. (5) ( ) Operating p g head p pressure (or ( head) ) required q at the point p of use. For example, irrigation sprinklers require a certain amount of pressure to operate correctly; a well system for a home typically pumps water into a pressure tank which then supplies water to the house. house

These are all dynamic they increase with increasing discharge from the pump.

System Head Curve To otal Head, , H (ft)

Operating Head

Friction Loss

Well Drawdown

Static Discharge

Static Lift

Discharge, Q (gpm)

Operating head is determined by whatever is required at the ultimate point of use (sprinkler, pressure tank, etc.)

Friction loss, hf, can be calculated from the Darcy-Weisbach equation


where

Well drawdown, s, can be calculated from the Jacob equation


where

Select a submersible pump that will deliver 900 gpm to a water tank. Static lift = 20 ft St ti discharge Static di h = 30 ft Dynamic head is discussed on the SE next slide.
motor Static Discharge

Static lift

Drawdown

pump

Lets assume we are able to calculate the friction loss, hf, from the Darcy-Weisbach equation. Note that hf varies with velocity of the water. This means it also varies with pump discharge, Q.
where

We can also calculate drawdown, drawdown s, s from the Jacob equation. equation Note that this also varies with pump discharge, Q.
where

We calculate and plot the total system head curve as the sum of static lift, static discharge, well drawdown, friction loss and operating pressure pressure. The system head curve will be a function of pump discharge.

Lets assume we have done these calculations and plotted the system head curve as shown of the following graph.

System Head Curve

Now we superimpose this curve on the pump curves obtained from the pump manufacturer.

Static Lift + Static Discharge

The pump curves from the manufacturer were determined in essentially the same way you determined your pump curves.

System Head Curve

Static Lift + Static Discharge

Operating Point

If we operate this pump at 1600 RPM, it will deliver 900 GPM against a total system head of 120 ft. Efficiency is 71% (slightly less than peak efficiency of 72%.)

System Head Curve

Static Lift + Static Discharge

What will happen if we operate the pump at 1200 RPM ? The total system head drops to 75 ft, and the pump will deliver only 550 GPM. The efficiency drops to 69%. New Operating Point

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