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blackmonk.co.uk /2009/11/11/how-to-size-a-pump/
This is the case for all types of pumps: centrifugal or positive displacement.
Other key considerations for pump sizing are the net positive suction head available (NPSHa) and the power
required to drive the pump.
Flow Rate
Usually, the ow rate of liquid a pump needs to deliver is determined by the process in which the pump is
installed. This ultimately is dened by the mass and energy balance of the process.
For instance the required ow rate of a pump feeding oil into a renery distillation column will be determined by
how much product the column is required to produce. Another example is the ow rate of a cooling water pump
circulating water through a heat exchanger is dened by the amount of heat transfer required.
Essentially, the total dierential head is made up of 2 components. The rst is the static head across the pump
and the second is the frictional head loss through the suction and discharge piping systems.
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The static head dierence across the pump is the dierence in head between the discharge static head and the
suction static head.
The discharge static head is sum of the gas pressure at the surface of the liquid in the discharge vessel
(expressed as head rather than pressure) and the dierence in elevation between the outlet of the discharge
pipe, and the centre line of the pump.
Discharge static head = Discharge vessel gas pressure head + elevation of discharge pipe outlet
elevation of pump centre line
The discharge pipe outlet may be above the surface of the liquid in the discharge vessel or it may be submerged
as shown in these 3 diagrams.
Darcy-Weisbach equation:
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Discharge Pipe Enters The Bottom Of The Vessel
Pump Suction
In order to calculate the frictional head losses you therefore need to know the lengths and diameters of the piping
in the system and the number and type of ttings such as bends, valves and other equipment.
It is important because for the pump to operate properly, the pressure at the pump suction must exceed the
vapour pressure for the pumped uid to remain liquid in the pump. If the vapour pressure exceeds the pressure
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at the pump suction, vapour bubbles will form in the liquid. This is known as cavitation and leads to a loss of
pump eciency and can result in signicant pump damage.
To ensure that the pump operates correctly the net positive suction head available (NPSHa) must exceed the net
positive suction head required (NPSHr) for that particular pump. The NPSHr is given by the pump manufacturer
and is often shown on the pump curve.
Net positive suction head available = absolute pressure head at the pump suction liquid vapour
pressure head
Pump Power
Pumps are usually driven by electric motors, diesel engines or steam turbines. Determining the power required
is essential to sizing the pump driver.
Pump power = ow rate x total dierential head x liquid density x acceleration due to gravity pump
eciency
30000 kg/hr of water needs to be pumped from one vessel to another through the system shown in the diagram
below. The water is at 20C, has a density of 998 kg/m 3 , a vapour pressure of 0.023 bara and a viscosity of
1cP. Well assume that the pump eciency is 70%.
Calculation
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Results
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