Learning Module 5

Piping, Pumps, and Compressors

In-Class Example Problem 2
You have decided your new hilltop mansion needs a guppy pond in the back yard.
Now you need to select a pump to move water from a river at the bottom of the hill
up to the pond. If you want a flow rate of 5 gpm, which of the four pumps do you
recommend?
Pump Max. Head Max. Capacity Max. Efficiency NPSH Required
(ft)
(gpm)
(%)
(ft)
A
170
3
75
8
B
120
8
50
6
C
100
10
60
10
D
75
6
40
4

50 ft
25 ft

River

Pond
2" PVC - 250 ft
3 - 45o elbows
1 - globe valve
2" PVC - 50 ft
1 - 45o elbows

a) Which pumps have enough capacity?

b) Without doing any calculations, estimate the total frictional head loss in this
system.
c) Approximately how much head needs to be supplied by a pump in this system?
d) What is the NPSH for this system?

Need to find a pump that meets criteria for Q, H sys, NPSH

PART A - Which pumps have enough capacity?
Here, capacity refers to volumetric flowrate (Q)
Desired Q = 5 gpm
Pump A has maximum Q < 5 gpm,

so NOT PUMP A

B, C, and D all have enough capacity

PART B - Without doing any calculations, estimate the total frictional head
loss in this system.
No Calculations!? OK, lets think about this some
what do we know?
PVC is smooth
5 gpm isnt a huge flowrate (about twice that from a new kitchen sink)
2 inch pipe is rather large (household plumbing is typically or )
So low flowrate, large pipe diameter, smooth pipe Probably very little
friction loss
We will assume hf ~ 0 ft and since hf/g= hL, the frictional head loss hL ~ 0
ft
PART C - Approximately how much head needs to be supplied by a pump
in this system?
Bernoulli equation between river and pond in terms of energy/mass (units
of J/kg=m2/s2):
PR/ + vR2/2 + gZR + Wp = PP/ + vP2/2 + gZP + hf

Dividing through by g the equation is now in terms of head (units of m or ft)

PR/g + vR2/2g + ZR + Wp/g = PP/g + vP2/2g + ZP + hf/g
- Wp/g= Hsys, the head that must be supplied by a pump to get the
fluid to move at the desired flowrate; called the system head,
- hf/g= hL,the frictional head loss
Now our equation looks like this:
PR/g + vR2/2g + ZR + Hsys = PP/g + vP2/2g + ZP + hL
Rearranging to solve for Hsys it becomes:
Hsys = (PP-PR)/g + (vP2-vR2)/2g + (ZP-ZR) + hL
Now for our problem we can simplify
PP = PR = 1 atm
vP = vR ~ 0
hL ~ 0
which gives us:
Hsys ~ (ZP-ZR)
= (75 ft - 0 ft) = 75 ft
The pump needs to supply at least 75 ft of head at a flowrate of 5 gpm
Pump D cant provide 75 ft of head at 5 gpm, so NOT PUMP D
B and C will still work
PART D - What is the NPSH for this system?
NPSH (or net positive suction head) is the difference between the pressure
at the pump inlet (or suction) and the vapor pressure of the fluid, expressed
in terms of head instead of pressure:
NPSH = (Ps - Pv)/g
NPSH is important because if the liquid pressure gets close to its vapor
pressure when it goes into a centrifugal pump it will first vaporize and then
violently collapse (causing extensive damage to the pump and making lots
of noise)

The suction pressure, Ps, can be found using the Bernoulli equation (written
in terms of head) between the system inlet and the pump inlet:
P1/g + v12/2g + Z1 = Ps/g + vs2/2g + Zs + hL*
2 things to note here:
- The frictional head loss term, hL*, only includes frictional losses in
the suction line (what happens after the pump doesnt matter)
- The velocity terms are usually neglected
Thus,
Ps/g = P1/g + Z1 - Zs - hL*
and the NPSH equation becomes:
NPSH = (P1 - Pv)/g + Z1 - Zs - hL*
Now lets calculate NPSH for our guppy pond system
P1 = 1 atm = 101.3k Pa
Pv = vapor pressure of water = 3.2 kPa at 25oC
NPSH = (101,325Pa 3,200Pa)/[(1,000kg/m3)(9.8m/s)](3.28ft/m) +
0ft - 25ft -(~0ft)
= 7.8 ft
The system only provides 7.8 ft of NPSH so the pump cannot require more
Pump C requires 10 ft of NPSH, which is more than the available 7.8 ft, so
NOT PUMP C
By process of elimination, PUMP B is the only possibility
At 5 gpm, pump B provides ~110 ft of head, so either the flowrate will be
higher or a throttling valve can be used to control the flowrate (by
increasing the system head)
Some other questions to think about:
Should the throttling valve be placed before or after the pump?

What other factors should be considered in selecting a pump?