LAB 5 – OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS OF A CENTRIFUGAL PUMP

LABORATORY SAFETY

 SLIPPING HAZARD – Clean up all water spills immediately.

 ROTATING MACHINERY – Stay clear of the shaft connecting the motor and pump.
 SHOCK HAZARD – Be careful with the electronic instruments around water.

1. OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this laboratory is to measure the efficiency of an Armfield 140 mm centrifugal
pump and present this information in the form of an efficiency-island plot.

2. INTRODUCTION

There are three main classes of pumps: centrifugal, reciprocating, and rotary. The centrifugal
pump is used the most extensively, primarily because of the following advantages:
(1) smaller size and cost for the same capacity,
(2) operates at high speed permitting direct connection to an electric motor,
(3) simplicity - no valves,
(4) steady discharge,
(5) no danger from excessive pressure due to blockage, and
(6) can pump solids in suspension.

The centrifugal pump derives its name from the fact that the pressure rise produced is due to
the centrifugal action associated with rotation. The principal components of the pump are the
impeller and volute casing. The volute is a spiral casing into which flow from the impeller
discharges. The impeller is the rotating part of the pump, and consists of an eye, vanes, and
shroud plates. The eye is the open area at the centre of the impeller through which the flow
enters. The discharge flow passes outward through the passages formed by the vanes and the
shroud plates. The pump to be tested in this laboratory has an open impeller; that is, there is a
shroud plate on the back of the impeller only. Details of pump geometry and operating
characteristics may be found in Karassik et al. (1976).

Centrifugal pumps are not suitable for applications requiring very high heads and each pump
has a very small range of operating head. They must also be primed by filling them with liquid
before they can be started. Centrifugal pumps vary in size from those with a large diameter
and narrow impellers designed to produce heads of around 100 m, to the more common
varieties designed for very low heads. Some centrifugal pumps achieve very high heads by
raising the pressure in stages as the liquid flows successively through several impellers
mounted on the same shaft. These pumps are known as multi-stage centrifugal pumps. Most
deep-well municipal water-supply pumps are of this variety.

The absolute pressure at the pump inlet is a function of pump lift (the difference in height
between the inlet and outlet) and the head loss at the design flow rate in the pipe network
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connecting the reservoir to the pump inlet. If this pressure drops below the vapour pressure of
the fluid being pumped, the liquid boils at the inlet, vapour bubbles develop which are carried
along with the liquid until a region of higher pressure is reached, where they suddenly collapse.
This process is called cavitation. The result is reduced efficiency and erosion of the impeller
blades. Pump characteristic curves typically display a NPSH (Net Positive Suction Head)
curve. This curve indicates the pressure required (in meters or feet of water) at the pump inlet
to prevent cavitation from occurring when pumping water at 20oC. The NPSH is a design
guideline and must be adjusted for the temperature and type of liquid being pumped. Details
on NPSH may be found in White (2016) section 11.3.

Figure 1a shows a set of pump curves for a 1.5” x 1.5” x 8” (nominal inlet, discharge and casing
diameter) centrifugal pump operating at 3500 rpm. This figure describes the pump’s behaviour
with different impeller diameters. The diagram also indicates pump efficiency and motor
power requirements (hp). The composite curves in Figure 1b show operating ranges of a
particular pump series and is used to determine the pump size and impeller diameter required
to meet a particular application. Additional pump curves and product information may be
viewed at www.ArmstrongIntegrated.com.

For this experiment, a set of characteristic curves as shown in Figure 2 are developed for the
Armfield 140 mm centrifugal pump. Note that all curves are for the 140 mm diameter impeller
operated over a range of speeds. The efficiency of the pump is determined at each test point,
and isoefficiency lines can then be drawn. In this way, the relationship between head,
discharge, speed, and efficiency are available on a single plot.

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 ACE Online Selection Software image courtesy Armstrong Fluid Technology
Figure 1a. Commercial Pump Curves

ACE Online Selection Software image courtesy of Armstrong Fluid Technology

Figure 1b. Commercial Pump Curves

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4
Development of the Efficiency-Island Plot

To develop an efficiency-island plot similar to Figure 2, it is necessary to measure the pump

head, volume flowrate, and efficiency under a variety of operating conditions. These
measurements are based on the application of the energy equation to the pump considered as a
control volume as illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Schematic representation of a control volume around a

centrifugal pump for application of the energy equation

The derivation of the energy equation for such a control volume is presented in section 3.7 of
White (2016). If we let q denote the heat added to the system, and ws denote the shaft work
performed by the system (both on a unit mass basis), then for steady one-dimensional flow, the
energy equation reduces to

 
q  ws  u~2  u~1   p2  p1    V22  V12 2  g z2  z1 , (1)

where u ~, p, V , and z represent the specific internal energy, pressure, average velocity and
local elevation, respectively. Assume the fluid to be incompressible with density  . In order
to define the expression for pump head, it is necessary to divide equation 1 by g to give each
term a dimension of length. Thus,
ws g  u~2  u~1  g  q g 
p 2  p1  g  V22  V12  2 g   z 2  z1  , (2)
or
ws g  hL  hp , (3)

where hL  u~2  u~1  g  q g is the head loss across the pump as defined in the energy
 
equation, and hp   p2  p1  g  V22  V12 2 g  z 2  z1  is the pump head. Note that in order
to calculate the pump head, hp , it is necessary to measure the pressure and velocity at the pump
inlet and outlet and the difference in elevation between inlet and outlet. Details of the
measurements are discussed in a later section.

The efficiency of the pump,  , is defined as the ratio

  hp ws g . (4)
In other words, the pump efficiency is the ratio of energy imparted to the water (hydraulic
power) to the energy input to the shaft. Equation 4 is not in a convenient form for calculations.
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Multiplying top and bottom of the ratio by m gives
  m ghp Ws . (5)

The power input Ws  T , where T is the shaft torque and  is the angular velocity. Torque
is measured with the dynamometer motor described under Description of Equipment.

Description of Equipment

A schematic diagram of the apparatus is shown in Figure 4. Before conducting the experiment,
it is essential to become familiar with the test rig. The following is a general description of the
apparatus.

The pump is constructed of cast iron and has an open impeller. It is driven by a dynamometer-
mounted variable-speed 1.57 kW DC motor. This 220 V motor provides a continuous speed
variation between 400 and 2,900 rpm. A rheostat is used to control the motor speed. The
torque is determined by measuring the stator reaction torque using a load cell.

The main reservoir is approximately 1200 mm x 660 mm x 660 mm in size and is made from
mild steel plate. The volumetric measuring tank incorporates a level indicator and scale. A
quick-acting drain valve as well as an emergency overflow are mounted on the measuring tank.
Water discharged by the pump can be returned either directly to the sump or to the measuring
tank using the diverter valve.

Figure 4. Schematic representation of the pump test rig

The pump suction pipe has a 50.8 mm (2 in) ID and is manufactured from PVC. The pump
discharge pipe is made of steel, has a 38.1 mm ID (1.5 in) and incorporates a gate type throttle
valve to control the flow rate. Pressure taps are located on both the suction and discharge pipes
and are connected to mercury manometers. To eliminate the possibility of spilling mercury
from the manometers, pressure gauges, have been added at the inlet and outlet. The pressures
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p1 and p 2 may be determined from these gauges.

3. OPERATION

In this section, the methods for measuring the variables involved in developing an efficiency
island plot are described.

Pump Input Torque

Torque is determined by measuring the reaction on the motor stator. The stator is provided
with a moment arm and a cantilever type load cell mounted at a 150 mm radius. The output
from the load cell can be read from a digital strain indicator and converted to N.m.

Pump Shaft Speed

This speed is determined by means of a photo-electric sensor. A hand-held tachometer which

can be engaged with the motor shaft is also available.

Pump Flow
The flow is determined volumetrically using the flow measuring tank and the diverter system.
Once the pump is operating at steady flow conditions, completely drain the flow measurement
tank. The volume flow of water is calculated by measuring the area of the tank and the rise in
water level. The water is diverted to the measuring tank for a time determined precisely by
means of a stopwatch. A water level reading is then recorded. Note that when the water surface
is at the zero mark on the scale there is 2.1 in of water in the tank, therefore 2.1 in must be
added to all water level readings. To obtain accurate results, it is important to wait until
oscillations in the measuring tank have settled before measuring the water level. The flow
rate can be calculated using this volume and time from the stopwatch. Pump inlet and outlet
velocities are calculated using the cross-sectional area of the inlet and outlet pipes.

Pressure Measurements

Both the suction and discharge pressures are measured by means of pressure gauges.

4. PROCEDURE

1. Present an analysis of the pump’s performance at a single operating condition (2250 RPM
with maximum flow rate) by calculating the flow rate, pump head, pump shaft power input,
and efficiency. Use your results to fill in the blank table entries for this pump speed on the
next page.

2. With your group and the help of the lab demonstrator, record the pressure upstream and
downstream of the pump, the force applied to the load cell, and the flow rate in the table on
the next page. Record measurements for a pump speed of 2500 RPM at six different flow
rates, ranging from maximum flow (gate valve fully open) to no-flow. Use the pressure
readings on the pump suction side to distribute the six points.

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 3. Plot the data on the graph below. Write the corresponding efficiency next to each point on
the graph.

4. Sketch contours of constant efficiency on the graph in intervals of 5% to generate an

efficiency island plot for this pump.

5. REFERENCES

Karassik, I.J., W.C. Krutzsch, W.H. Fraser, and J.P. Messina, 1976. Pump Handbook,
McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1181 p.

White, F.M., 2016. Fluid Mechanics, 8th edition., McGraw-Hill, New York.

Armstrong Fluid Technology www.ArmstrongIntegrated.com

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14

12

10
Pump head (m)

0
0.000 0.001 0.002 0.003 0.004 0.005 0.006
Flow rate (m3/s)

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Speed: 1750 RPM
P1 P2 Force Water Time Flow Rate Pump Shaft Efficiency
(inHg) (kPa) (N) Height (s) (x103 m3/s) Head (m) Power (%)
(in.) (W)
-3.8 36 11.9 11.4 30 2.95 5.20 327 46.0
-3.5 40 11.4 12.2 35 2.69 5.42 403 35.5
-3.2 41 10.9 11.3 35 2.52 5.46 385 35.0
-2.9 46 10.3 13.3 50 2.03 5.81 364 31.7
-2.7 49 9.3 12.5 60 1.60 5.99 329 28.6
-2.4 58 5.6 0.0 0 0.00 6.74 198 0.0

Speed: 2000 RPM

P1 P2 Force Water Time Flow Rate Pump Shaft Efficiency

(inHg) (kPa) (N) Height (s) (x103 m3/s) Head (m) Power (%)
(in.) (W)
-3.9 46 15.2 13.7 30 3.44 6.35 478 44.9
-3.6 52 14.6 12.3 30 3.16 6.75 459 45.6
-3.2 55 13.6 12.7 35 2.77 6.92 427 44.1
-2.9 63 12.6 11.4 40 2.21 7.50 396 41.1
-2.5 68 11.2 12.7 60 1.62 7.83 352 35.3
-2.2 78 7.0 0.0 0 0.00 8.71 220 0.0

Speed: 2250 RPM

P1 P2 Force Water Time Flow Rate Pump Shaft Efficiency

(inHg) (kPa) (N) Height (s) (x103 m3/s) Head (m) Power (%)
(in.) (W)
-4.7 58 18.9 13.2 25
-4.2 66 17.9 11.3 25 3.53 8.47 633 46.3
-3.7 73 17.0 11.9 30 3.07 8.99 601 45.0
-3.3 83 15.6 12.8 40 2.45 9.75 551 42.5
-2.8 93 13.3 12.0 60 1.54 10.50 470 33.8
-2.3 102 8.5 0.0 0 0.00 11.19 300 0.0

Speed: 2500 RPM

P1 P2 Force Water Time Flow Rate Pump Shaft Efficiency
(inHg) (kPa) (N) Height (s) (x103 m3/s) Head (m) Power (%)
(in.) (W)
4.52 9.86 907 48.2
4.04 10.64 876 48.1
3.49 11.32 813 47.6
2.74 12.19 738 44.4
1.77 13.07 640 35.3
0.00 14.18 412 0.0