ME F341 Prime Movers and

fluid machines

Pelton turbine Steam Turbine Gas Turbine

Centrifugal pump Reciprocating pump Centrifugal compressor

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 1

 Centrifugal pumps

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 2

 Introduction
 Centrifugal pump
◼ a power absorbing TM
◼ lifts water from a lower level to a
higher level at the expense of
mechanical energy
◼ uses centrifugal action
 Basic principle
◼ When a certain volume of liquid is
set into rotation by an external
mechanical force within the pump
casing, a forced vortex is generated.
◼ This vortex increases the pressure
head of the rotating liquid solely
through centrifugal action.

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 3

 Main Parts
 Impeller
◼ is a wheel provided with a series of
backward curved vanes.
◼ Is mounted on a shaft, which is
connected to an electric motor.

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 4

 Main Parts
 Casing
◼ Is an airtight chamber surrounding
the impeller.
◼ It is similar to the casing of a
reaction turbine.
 Types of casings are:
◼ Volute casing
◼ Volute casing with vertex chamber
◼ Diffuser casing

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 5

 Main Parts
 Suction pipe (SP), foot valve, and
strainer
◼ Lower end of SP: in to the sump via
foot valve ( a non return valve) and
strainer
◼ To minimize the losses, the diameter
should be large
◼ No leakage should be there
◼ The other end is connected to “eye”
of the impeller

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 6

 Main Parts
 Delivery pipe (DP), Delivery valve
◼ The lower end of DP connected to the
outlet of the pump and
◼ the other end is connected to the tank,
where the liquid is stored.
◼ Diameter of the delivery pipe = Diameter of
the suction pipe
◼ A check valve or delivery valve
 is provided in the delivery pipe to
regulate the discharge from the pump.
 should be closed before the pump is switched on and
 is opened as soon as the pressure builds up.
 Also, the valve should be closed before the pump is switched off so that the
delivery pressure is not transmitted to the suction pipe.

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 7

 Working
 Priming:
◼ First step in pump operation
◼ Operation of filling the suction pipe,
casing and a portion of the delivery
pipe (up to the check valve) with the
liquid to be pumped
◼ Done to avoid any air bubble in the
line up to the check valve.
 Even the presence of a small air pocket
may result in no delivery of liquid from the
pump.
 After the pump is primed, the delivery valve is still kept closed and the electric
motor is started to rotate the impeller.
 The rotation of the impeller produces a forced vertex, which results in an
increased pressure.

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 8

 Working
 When the delivery valve is opened,
◼ the liquid flows in an outward radial
direction with increased velocity and
pressure.
 When the fluid is discharged to the delivery,
◼ a partial vacuum is created near the eye
of the impeller
◼ liquid rushes from the sump through the
suction pipe to replace the liquid that is
being discharged.

 The casing should be so shaped that part of the kinetic energy is converted into useful
pressure energy.
 The developed head is purely due to the whirling motion of the liquid imparted by the
rotating impeller and is not due to any displacement or impact.

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 9

 Classification of centrifugal
pumps: Based on head
 Low head  High head
◼ Head limited to 15 m. ◼ Head above 40 m.
◼ Liquid may enter either from one ◼ Usually a multistage
or from both sides of the impeller arrangement.
◼ Usually a horizontal shaft is used. ◼ Shaft may be horizontal or
◼ Volute with no guide vanes. vertical.
 Medium head ◼ For deep wells, vertical
◼ Head between 15 m to 40 m. shafts are used.
◼ Liquid may enter either from one
or from both sides of the impeller
◼ Volute casing with guide vanes.

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 10

 Classification of centrifugal
pumps: Type of casing
 The volute casing has a spiral
shape with an increasing cross-
sectional area towards the
discharge end, acting as a diffuser.
 This design decreases flow
velocity while increasing pressure,
ensuring efficient fluid movement.
 The increasing cross-sectional area
helps accommodate more water
while maintaining a constant mean
velocity, preventing kinetic energy
loss due to eddy formation.

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 11

 Classification of centrifugal
pumps: Type of casing
 A vortex casing includes a
circular chamber between
the impeller and the casing,
enhancing fluid flow
dynamics.
 This design improves
efficiency compared to a
simple volute casing by
significantly reducing head
loss due to eddy formation.

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 12

 Classification of centrifugal
pumps: Type of casing
 A diffusion casing consists of
guide wheel with stationary
vanes (diffuser) placed at the
outlet of impeller vanes,
allowing water to enter
smoothly without shock.
 The increasing area of guide
vanes reduces flow velocity
and increases pressure,
directing the liquid into a
collecting volute with either
uniform or varying cross-
sectional area..
Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 13
 Classification of centrifugal pumps:
Type of entrance and flow direction

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 14

 Classification of centrifugal pumps:
No of stage

 Single stage (single impeller); multi stage (multiple impellers

on a single or multiple shafts); head and discharge
requirements decide.
Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 15
 Classification of centrifugal pumps:
Type of impeller

 An open impeller pump: is used when the liquid to be lifted is a mixture of liquid
(75%) and solids (25%), for example, to lift slurry (mixture of sand and water).
 Semi open: Vanes are covered with shroud on one side of the impeller only; used to
lift sewage water.
 Closed: vanes are covered with shrouds on both sides of the impeller; used to lift
non-viscous liquids like water.

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 16

 Classification of centrifugal pumps:
specific speed
 Low Specific Speed Pumps: Pumps with a specific speed of 10–30 rpm
 Medium Specific Speed Pumps:
◼ Pumps with a specific speed of 30–50 rpm.
 Both Low and medium specific speed pumps are typically include radial flow
pumps.
 High Specific Speed Pumps:
◼ Pumps with a specific speed of 40–450 rpm
◼ Include
 radial pumps (50–80 rpm),
 mixed flow pumps (80–160 rpm), and
 axial flow pumps (100–450 rpm).

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 17

 Heads of centrifugal pumps:
Static Head (Hs)
 Is the sum of suction head (hs)and
delivery head (hd), i.e.
 HS=hs+hd
 Suction head (hs​): It is the vertical
height between the center line of
the centrifugal pump and top
surface of the liquid.
 Delivery head (hd): It is the
vertical height between the centre
line of the pump and the water
surface in the overhead tank to
which water is delivered.

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 18

 Heads of centrifugal pumps:
Manometric Head (Hm)

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 19

 Heads of centrifugal pumps:
Manometric Head (Hm)

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 20

 Heads of centrifugal pumps:
Manometric Head (Hm)

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 Efficiencies of centrifugal
pumps: Manometric efficiency

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 Efficiencies of centrifugal pumps:
Mechanical, hydraulic and volumetric
efficiencies

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 Efficiencies of centrifugal pumps:
Overall efficiency

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 Work done by the impeller of
centrifugal pumps

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 Work done by the impeller of
centrifugal pumps

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 Work done by the impeller of
centrifugal pumps

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 Work done by the impeller of
centrifugal pumps

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 Pressure rise in pump, impeller
and Manometric head

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 Minimum starting speed of
centrifugal pump
 The pump must reach a certain minimum speed before water starts
flowing.
 This happens when the impeller pressure difference overcomes the
manometric head.
 If the impeller is rotating but no flow occurs, water rotates in a
forced vortex.
 The centrifugal pressure head is given by:
 This must be equal to or greater than the manometric head for
the pump to deliver water.

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 30

 Minimum starting speed of
centrifugal pump

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 31

 Multi Staging of centrifugal
pumps
 Maximum head developed with a single impeller is up to 50 m.
 For more head and discharge, a multistage pump is preferred.
 Series arrangement
◼ The liquid leaves the suction pipe,
enters the first impeller at inlet and is
discharged at outlet with increased
pressure.
◼ The liquid leaving from the first
impeller enters the second impeller
◼ The pressure of the liquid leaving the
second impeller is more than the
pressure of the liquid leaving the first
stage.
◼ Total head developed = n × Hm
◼ N: No of impellers

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 32

 Multi Staging of centrifugal
pumps
 Parallel Arrangement
◼ The liquid leaving each pump is discharged into a common pipe.
◼ Each pump is dipped in the same sump.
◼ In this case, the discharge obtained is more against the same head.
◼ Total discharge = n × Q
◼ n = number of identical impellers mounted on the same shaft,
◼ Hm = head developed by each impeller (pump),

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 33

 Cavitation in centrifugal pumps
 What is Cavitation?
◼ Cavitation occurs on the suction side of the pump where the
lowest pressure exists.
◼ Due to the height of installation above the sump, suction
pressure can drop below atmospheric pressure.
◼ Head drop across the foot-valve, frictional loss, and kinetic
head contribute to sub-atmospheric pressure.
◼ If the pressure drops below the vapor pressure head,
vaporization and bubble formation occur at the inlet to the
runner

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 34

 Cavitation in centrifugal pumps
 Effects and Consequences of Cavitation
◼ When bubbles collapse, water rushes to the spot, causing
mechanical stress.
◼ This leads to mechanical failure and formation of cavities on
surfaces.
◼ Cavitation can cause:
 Reduced efficiency and performance of the pump.
Increased vibration and noise.
 Damage to pump components over time.
 Proper pump design and installation can help minimize cavitation.

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 35

 Sample problem 1
 The internal and external diameters of an impeller of a
centrifugal pump which is running at 1000 rpm are 20 cm, 40
cm respectively. The discharge through pump is 0.04 m3/s and
the velocity of flow is constant and equal to 2.0 m/s. The
diameters of the suction and delivery pipes are 15 cm and 10
cm respectively and suction and delivery heads are 6 m (abs)
and 30 m (abs) of water respectively. If the outlet vane angle is
45° and the power required to drive the pump is 16 kW,
determine (a) the vane angle of the impeller at inlet, (b) the
overall efficiency of the pump, and (c) the manometric
efficiency of the pump.

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 36

 Sample problem 1

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 Sample problem 1

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 Sample problem 1

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 Sample problem 2
 A centrifugal pump has a specific speed of 0.08 revolutions per
second. The blades are forward facing on the impeller and the
outlet angle is 120° to the tangent to an impeller passage with
at outlet equal to one-tenth of the diameter. The discharge
through the pump is 0.05 m3/s at a vertical height of 40 m. The
suction and delivery pipes are each of 150 mm diameter. The
pump has a combined pipe length of 50 m with a friction factor
of 0.005. Other losses (pipe entry, exit, bends, etc.) are four
times the velocity head in the pipes. Blades occupy 5% of the
circumferential area and the hydraulic efficiency is 75%.
Calculatethe diameter of the pump impeller.

Dr. M. Srinivas, ME F341 PMFM 40

 Sample problem 2

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 Sample problem 2

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 Sample problem 2

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 Sample problem 2

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 Sample problem 2

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 Sample problem 3

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 Sample problem 3

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 Sample problem 3

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 Sample problem 4

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 Sample problem 4

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 Sample problem 4

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 Sample problem 4

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 Sample problem 4

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 Sample problem 4

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 Sample problem 5

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Thank you