Optimizing pump and fan applications

Pump and fan applications account for around 38 per cent of the end uses of motive power in
industry.

In pump and fan applications, the power consumed is proportional to the operating speed
cubed. Efficiencies of pumps and fans vary greatly and depend on operational requirements.
Fine-tuning the system can have a big impact on energy consumption. You should keep in mind
that although your pump (or fan) and your system are two separate entities, they are totally
dependent on each other. Changing one will have a significant impact on the performance of the
other.

The key areas where fluid energy is most commonly wasted are:

• excess head (pressure) that must be throttled

• more flow than necessary to accomplish the purpose of the system
• unnecessary flow paths
• excessive frictional losses.

You can also contact your suppliers and manufacturers of pumps, fans and control equipment
such as variable speed drives, to find out what additional support they can offer.

Assessment framework

When improving the efficiency of centrifugal pump and fan systems, it is important that the
savings justify the expense and effort. The four-step assessment framework outlined below will
help you identify cost-effective opportunities for energy savings on your site, which require
minimum effort.

Step one: initial plant review

You can use this table to collect basic plant information for an initial review of your energy-saving
opportunities. Or you can develop a more systematic review process by incorporating efficiency
and load data into your plant inventory.

Plant Weekly Motor Operating % average Other

identity operating size HP requirements throttling at e.g. cavitation
hours (steady, variable) outlet blocked filters

The following rules of thumb will help you prioritise these opportunities:

1. The longer the operating hours the higher the potential savings. Applications that operate
more than 80 hours a week are likely to represent the best opportunities.
2. Applications that have the highest horsepower are likely to produce the highest savings.
3. Steady applications with more than 10 per cent throttling represent opportunities for
improved pump efficiency, often at little cost.
4. Variable applications that use throttling as a form of control and operate below full load
for a significant length of time offer potential opportunities for higher efficiency through
improved control technologies.
5. Applications that have blocked filters, cavitation or poorly maintained pipe-ductwork can
deliver savings with improved maintenance.
Step two: gathering data

To examine in more detail the best opportunities determined in your initial review, you will need to
collect more data. The purpose of gathering this data is to develop a system performance curve
and apply this to the pump (fan) diagram to establish the specific operating points. This step may
require the assistance of a qualified engineer, or your pump or fan supplier.

You will require:

• a process and instrumentation (P&ID) diagram - this may be a simple hand drawn sketch
showing the equipment, layout, process and instrumentation
• the pump (fan) design data (characteristic curves)
• operational data - flow, pressure, current and duration.

From this data, you can establish the system resistance curve and the load duty cycle. When you
consider this information in conjunction with the pump and fan characteristic curves, you will
develop a full understanding of the performance enhancement opportunities.

Step three: technical options review

Systems can be classed as one of three types:

1. steady: constant load single operating point

2. discrete: two to four operating points
3. variable: greater than four operating points.

Investigate the following options, including estimated costs and savings. Your equipment supplier
may be able to help with this analysis.

Steady Discrete Variable

Reduction of impeller Multiple speed motors Variable speed drive
diameter
Variable inlet guide Variable inlet guide Variable inlet guide vanes for fans +
vanes for fans vanes for fans multiple speed motor
High efficiency motors High efficiency motors High efficiency motors
Equipment upgrade Booster pump/fan< Booster fan + variable inlet guide
(new pump) vanes

Step four: economic assessment

The last step is to determine which option presents the best opportunity for your site. The best
way to do this is to compare the life cycle cost of each option using a 'net present cost' calculation
(available in most spreadsheets). This will take into account the capital cost, running costs and
your company's investment criteria. It is important you also keep in mind other benefits such as
reduced noise, higher reliability and less maintenance that may tip the balance and justify greater
expenditure to improve efficiency.
Pump and fan characteristics

Pumps move mainly incompressible fluids (like water) and fans move compressible fluids (gases
like air). Pumps and fans each come in two basic types:

Pumps

• Centrifugal - fluid is spun around and ejected by centrifugal action. These are the most
common pumps used in industry.
• Positive displacement - a set volume of fluid is physically moved, often by a piston. These
pumps are less common, and are used for thick and viscous fluids under high pressure or
where the delivery flow must be precise.

Fans

• Centrifugal - the same principle as the centrifugal pump. These are generally higher
efficiency, up to 80 per cent, with the exception of the radial fan, which is around 50 per
cent to 60 per cent but does not clog easily.
• Axial propeller-based fans - generally these low efficiency fans are used in free air or
where space is at a premium. Aerofoil section blade fans are the exception, with high
efficiencies - up to 90 per cent.

The Motor Solutions Online system optimisation information focuses on centrifugal pumps and
fans, since these offer the greatest opportunity for energy savings.

Performance characteristics

The performance characteristics of pumps and fans are most often presented in a graphic form
called 'characteristic curves'. These curves describe characteristics of available head (pressure)
and efficiency and power consumption, from zero to maximum flow. A family of performance
curves can exist for various impeller diameters.

Understanding performance curves enables you to check the performance of existing pumps, and
identify opportunities for reducing your operating costs. For example, reduced operating costs
can often be achieved by machining a pump impeller to get a better match between pump
performance and the system requirements.

Performance curves are available from your equipment manufacturer and are often found in
equipment operating manuals.

A typical pump curve

This is an animated graphic showing a typical pump curve. It will keep cycling so do not worry if
you miss it the first time.
System curve

A pump or fan can operate at any point on its performance curve. The actual operating point is
determined by the system requirements of flow and pressure. It is important that you select or
modify your pump or fan so the operating point occurs in a zone of high efficiency. As you can
see, pump efficiencies can vary significantly. In the diagram below, for example, efficiencies vary
from 40 to 80 per cent.

In the next example, a system curve is superimposed on the pump curves so you can see the
operating point.
Load duty cycle

The load duty cycle depicts the operating points and their percentage of total operating time.
Analysis of the load duty cycle is the key to determining the most viable optimisation techniques.

Control options

The most basic form of control is to manage flow by adding friction at the pump or fan outlet. For
pumps, this is achieved by a throttle valve. For fans it is done with a damper. It is effective, but
inefficient. For example, in situations where maximum flow is not required, and where throttling or
damping is used continuously, efficiency can often be improved by reducing the diameter of the
impeller. This is called trimming and is best done with the support of your original equipment
supplier.

Most industrial systems have pumping requirements with several operating points or variable flow
and pressure requirements. Picking the pump (fan) with the optimum efficiency for a specific
delivery is only part of the story. The other part is controlling the flow rate to match the process
requirements. You can do this in several ways:

1. recirculation - continuously runs the fluid round the system through a buffer tank
2. throttle control - uses valves or flaps to control the flow rate
3. cycle control - turns the pump on and off to control the flow
4. VSD or ASD - stands for variable or adjustable speed drive, and controls the pump's
speed to control the flow.

The most efficient control option is the one that most closely matches the ideal pump curve,
which is shown in the graph below.
To select the appropriate control option you need to balance the capital cost of the control
equipment against the savings you will achieve. Although the more efficient control options
generally have higher initial set up costs, they can result in large and reoccurring energy savings
over the life cycle of the equipment.

Variable speed drive manufacturers often help their customers analyse potential saving that can
be achieved through variable speed drives for pump (fan) control. In some situations the savings
will quickly pay back1 the cost of the equipment, and from then on the savings go straight to your
bottom line.

For fans there is an additional form of control - variable inlet guide vanes. These can control air
flow and maintain efficient fan operation, if minimum flow requirements are approximately 85 per
cent of maximum flow conditions. For flow requirements below 85 per cent, variable inlet guide
vanes can be combined with multi-speed motors to extend their effective range. Variable inlet
guide vanes are relatively inexpensive but may not be suited to all situations. For example, they
are unsuitable in dirty or corrosive atmospheres.

Fine-tuning pump and fan applications

Fine tuning your pump and fan applications helps you achieve improved efficiencies and savings.
You can use several low-cost measures or minor modifications to fine-tune your pump and fan
system performance. Generally, these can be implemented with only minor interruption to the
process.

The easiest options to implement include:

• eliminating unnecessary flow paths

• reducing excessive frictional losses
• improving inlet and outlet conditions
• maintaining performance.

When making changes or looking for opportunities for savings, it is important that you keep in
mind the relationship between your pump or fan and your system. If you adjust the system in a
way that changes its initial design, you will need to plot a new system curve to find your new
operating point and ensure you are optimising the equipment's efficiency. Information about
plotting systems curves is in pump and fan characteristics.

Eliminating unnecessary flow paths

Flow paths (for getting the fluid or gas from the pump or fan to where it is required) should be as
simple and practical as possible. Avoid any unnecessary lengths of pipe or ducts, or high
resistance fittings such as elbow, bends or Tees, as they all add to the work the pump or fan has
to do.

Pipes and ducts also need to be sized to suit the volume of fluid or gas that they transport.
Increasing the width of pipes or ducts to decrease the level of resistance and therefore the load
on the pump or fan. Engineering handbooks provide a guide to suitable pipe and duct sizes and
the effect of bends and elbows on required pump horsepower.

Reducing excessive frictional losses

Pump and fan systems often become inefficient as a result of the build-up of contamination or dirt
in filters, strainers, coils, pipes or ducts. Unexpected and gradual increases in load can be a good
indicator of when such a build up is happening. In situations where buildup is likely, it is important
that you have an inspection and maintenance program to monitor increases in load and ensure
the system continues to perform as designed by preventing buildup. Protective and monitoring
systems are only effective if you set against the maximum expected load on the pump or fan
rather than the maximum load stated on the nameplate.

Improving inlet and outlet conditions

The efficiency of your pump or fan applications can be reduced by turbulence at the inlet, an
improper discharge connection, or improper inlet connections or conditions. The manufacturer of
your pump or fan will have specified inlet and outlet conditions that are necessary for acceptable
performance. Reviewed inlet and outlet conditions periodically to ensure your system meets the
requirements. Poor inlet conditions can also result in cavitation in pumps. Cavitation will
significantly reduce efficiency and, in the long term, can cause extensive damage to equipment.

Maintaining performance

To ensure that the performance of pumps and fans does not deteriorate, you should inspect
impellers regularly for erosion or product build-up. During any maintenance activity, check that
the internal running clearances between rotating and non-rotating parts are maintained within the
manufacturer's specifications.

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