FACULTY: ENGINEERING EDITION:

TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: FLUID
REVISION NO:
MECHANICS

EXPERIMENT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/3/2014

SERIES/PARALLEL
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AMENDMENT
DATE:
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

LABORATORY INSTRUCTION SHEETS

COURSE CODE BNQ 10304

EXPERIMENT NO. EXPERIMENT 5

EXPERIMENT TITLE SERIES/PARALLEL CENTRIFUGAL PUMP

DATE
GROUP NO.
LECTURER/INSTRUCTOR/ 1)
TUTOR 2)
DATE OF REPORT
SUBMISSION
ATTENDANCE/PARTICIPATION/DISCIPLINE: /5%
INTRODUCTION: /5%
PROCEDURE: /5%
RESULTS& CALCULATIONS /15%
ANALYSIS /15%
DISTRIBUTION OF MARKS
FOR LABORATORY DISCUSSIONS: /20%
REPORT: ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS /15%
CONCLUSION /10%
SUGGESTIONS& RECOMENDATIONS /5%
REFERENCES: /5%
TOTAL: /100%

EXAMINER COMMENTS: RECEIVED DATE AND STAMP:

 FACULTY: ENGINEERING EDITION:
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LABORATORY: FLUID
REVISION NO:
MECHANICS

EXPERIMENT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/3/2014

SERIES/PARALLEL
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AMENDMENT

KOD ETIKA PELAJAR DATE:

(KEP)
JABATAN TEKNOLOGI KEJURUTERAAN KIMIA

FAKULTI TEKNOLOGI KEJURUTERAAN

Saya dengan ini mengaku bahawa saya telah menyediakan laporan ini dengan daya usaha

saya sendiri. Saya juga mengaku tidak menerima atau memberi sebarang bantuan dalam

menyediakan laporan ini dan membuat ikrar ini dengan kepercayaan bahawa apa-apa yang

tersebut di dalamnya adalah benar.

Ketua Nama:

Kumpulan No. Matriks:

(Tandatangan)

Ahli 1 Nama:

No. Matriks:

(Tandatangan)

Ahli 2 Nama:

No. Matriks:

(Tandatangan)

Ahli 3 Nama:

No. Matriks:

(Tandatangan)

No. Matrik :____________________________

 FACULTY: ENGINEERING EDITION:
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: FLUID
REVISION NO:
MECHANICS

EXPERIMENT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/3/2014

SERIES/PARALLEL
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AMENDMENT
DATE:

1.0 OBJECTIVES

1. To study the characteristics of single pump operation with variable flow rate and pump speeds.
2. To investigate the effect of impeller style on pump performance.
3. To study the characteristics of pump-in-series operation with variable flowrate and pump speeds.
4. To study the characteristics of pump-in-parallel operation with variable flowrate and pump speeds.

2.0 LEARNING OUTCOMES

Demonstrate the ability to conduct experiments related to fluid flow by following standard operating
procedure effectively in a group.

3.0 INTRODUCTION / THEORY

Pumps are used in almost all aspects of industry and engineering from feeds to reactors and distillation columns in chemical
engineering to pumping storm water in civil and environmental. They are an integral part of engineering and an understanding of
how they work is important. Centrifugal pump is one of the most widely used pumps for transferring liquids. This is for a number of
reasons. Centrifugal pumps are very quiet in comparison to other pumps. They have a relatively low operating and maintenance
costs. Centrifugal pumps take up little floor space and create a uniform and non-pulsating flow.

When identical pumps are run in series, the pressure head is doubled but the flow rate remains the same. When pumps are run in
parallel the flow is increased but the pressure head produced is approximately the same as a single pump. This equipment also
allows the study of efficiency of a pump. The energy in this experiment is put through two transformations. First, the electrical
energy, which is the energy put into the system, is transferred to mechanical energy, which is the energy required to move the
shaft and impeller. Second, the mechanical energy is transferred into energy of the fluid. This is accomplished through the pump
rotation, which transfers the velocity energy of the water to pressure energy. The overall efficiency is the product of the mechanical
(shaft) efficiency and the thermodynamics efficiency.

Pumps are devices that transfer mechanical energy from a prime mover into fluid energy to produce the flow of liquids. There are
two broad classifications of pumps: positive displacement and dynamic.
 FACULTY: ENGINEERING EDITION:
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: FLUID
REVISION NO:
MECHANICS

EXPERIMENT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/3/2014

SERIES/PARALLEL
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AMENDMENT
DATE:

3.1 Dynamic Pumps

Dynamic pumps add energy to the fluid by the action of rotating blade, which increases the velocity of the fluid. Figure 1
shows the construction features of a centrifugal pump, the most commonly used type of dynamic pumps.

Figure 1: Construction Features of a centrifugal pump

3.2 Horizontal Single Stage Centrifugal Pump

Centrifugal pumps have two major components:

i. The impeller consists of a number of curved blades (also called vanes) attached in a regular pattern to one side of a
circular hub plate that is connected to the rotating driveshaft.
ii. The housing (also called casing) is a stationary shell that enclosed the impeller and supports the rotating drive shaft via a
bearing.

A centrifugal pump operates as follows. When the prime mover rotates the driveshaft, the impeller fluid is drawn in axially
through the center opening (called the eye) of the housing. The fluid then makes a 900 turn and flows radially outward. As
energy is added to the fluid by the rotating blades (centrifugal action and actual blade force), the pressure and velocity
increase until the fluid reaches the outer tip of the impeller. The fluid then enters the volute-shaped housing whose increased
flow area causes the velocity to decrease. This action results in a decrease in kinetic energy and an accompanying increase
in pressure.

The volute-shaped housing also provides a continuous increase in flow area in the direction of flow to produce a uniform
velocity as the fluid travels around the outer portion of housing and discharge opening.

Although centrifugal pumps provide smooth and continuous flow, their flow rate output (also called discharge) is reducing as
the external resistance is increase. In fact, by closing a system valve (thereby creating theoretically infinite external system
resistance) even while the pump is running at design speed, it is possible to stop pump output flow completely. In such a
case, no harm occurs to the pump unless this no-flow condition occurs over extended period with resulting excessive fluid
temperature build up. Thus pressure relief valves are not needed. The tips of the impeller blade merely shear through the
liquid, and the rotational speed maintains a fluid pressure corresponding to the centrifugal force established. Figure 2 shows
the cutaway of a centrifugal pump.
 FACULTY: ENGINEERING EDITION:
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: FLUID
REVISION NO:
MECHANICS

EXPERIMENT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/3/2014

SERIES/PARALLEL
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AMENDMENT
DATE:

Figure 2: the cutaway of a centrifugal pump

Pump Head versus Flowrate Curves for Centrifugal Pumps

Figure 3 shows pump head versus flowrate curves for a centrifugal pump. The solid curve is for water, whereas the dashed
curve is for a more viscous fluid such as oil. Most published performance curves for centrifugal pumps are for pumping water.
Notice from Figure 3 that using a fluid having a higher viscosity than water results in a smaller flowrate at a given pump head.
If the fluid has a viscosity greater than 300 times that of water, the performance of a centrifugal pump deteriorates enough that
a positive displacement pump is usually recommended.

Figure 3: Pump head versus flowrate curves of centrifugal pump for water and for a more viscous liquid
 FACULTY: ENGINEERING EDITION:
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: FLUID
REVISION NO:
MECHANICS

EXPERIMENT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/3/2014

SERIES/PARALLEL
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AMENDMENT
DATE:

The maximum head produced by a centrifugal pump is called pump shutoff head because an external system valve is closed
and there is no flow. Notice from Figure 4 that as the external system resistance decrease (which occurs when a system valve
is opened more), the flowrate increases at the expense of reduced pump head. Because the output flowrate changes
significantly with external system resistance, centrifugal pumps are rarely used in fluid power systems. Zero pump head exists
if the pump discharge port were opened to the atmosphere, such as when filling nearby open tank with water. The open tank
represents essentially zero resistance to flow for the pump.

Figure 4 shows why centrifugal pumps are desirable for pumping stations used for delivery water to homes and factories. The
demand for water may go to near zero during the evening and reach a peak during the daytime, but a centrifugal pump can
readily handle these large changes in water demand. Since there is a great deal of clearance between the impeller and
housing, centrifugal pumps are not self-priming, unlike positive displacement pumps. Thus if a liquid being pumped from a
reservoir located below a centrifugal pump, priming is required. Priming is the prefilling of the pump housing and inlet pipe with
the liquid so that the pump can initially draw the liquid. Priming is required because there is too much clearance between the
pump inlet and outlet ports to seal against atmospheric pressure. Thus the displacement of a centrifugal pump is not positive
where the same volume of liquid would be delivered per revolution of the driveshaft.

The lack of positive internal seal against leakage means that the centrifugal pump is not forced to produce flow when there is
a very large system resistance to flow. As system resistance decreases, less fluid at the discharge port slips back into the
clearance spaces between the impeller and housing, resulting in an increase in flow. Slippage occurs because the fluid
follows the path of least resistance.

Centrifugal Pump Connected in Parallel

3.3
If a single pump does not provide enough flowrate for a given application, connecting two pumps in parallel, as shown in
Figure 5, can rectify the problem. The effective two-pump performance curve is obtained by adding the flowrates of each
pump at the same head. As shown, when two pumps are connected in parallel, the operating points shift from A to B,
providing not only increased flowrate as required but also greater head. Figure 5 shows the characteristics of two identical
pumps, but the pumps do not have to be the same.

Figure 4: Two centrifugal pumps connected in parallel

 FACULTY: ENGINEERING EDITION:
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: FLUID
REVISION NO:
MECHANICS

EXPERIMENT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/3/2014

SERIES/PARALLEL
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AMENDMENT
DATE:

Centrifugal Pump Connected in Series

3.3
On the other hand, if a single pump does not provide enough head for a given application, two pumps connected in series, as
shown in Figure 5, can be a remedy. The effective two-pump performance curve is obtained by adding the head of each pump
at the same flowrate. The operating point shifts from A to B, thereby providing not only increased head as required but also
greater flow. Figure 5 shows the characteristics of two identical pumps, but the pumps do not have to be the same.

Figure 5: Two centrifugal pumps connected in series

3.4 Impeller Types

An impeller is a rotating component of a centrifugal pump which transfers energy from the motor that drives the pump to the
fluid being pumped by accelerating the fluid outwards from the center of rotation. The velocity achieved by the impeller
transfers into pressure when the outward movement of the fluid is confined by the pump casing. Impellers are usually short
cylinders with an open inlet (called an eye) to accept incoming fluid, vanes to push the fluid radially, and a splined, keyed or
threaded bore to accept a driveshaft.

Backward-curved Blades
Backward-curved blades use blades that curve against the direction of the pump impeller's rotation. Centrifugal pumps with
backward-curved blades yield higher efficiency compare to the forward-curved blades because the fluid flows into and out of
the blade passages with the least amount of turning. Sometimes the blades are airfoil shaped, yielding similar performance
but even higher efficiency. The pressure rise is intermediate between radial and forward-curved blades. Backward-curved
pumps are preferred for applications where one needs to provide volume flow rate and pressure rise within a narrow range of
values. Backward curved pumps can have a high range of specific speeds but are most often used for medium specific speed
applications-- high pressure, medium flow applications.

Forward-curved Blades
Forward curved blades, which curve toward the direction of pump impeller’s rotation. Centrifugal pumps with forward-curved
blades produce pressure rise that is nearly constant, albeit lower than that of radial and backward-curved blades, over a wide
range of volume flow rates. Centrifugal pumps with forward-curved blades generally have a lower maximum efficiency.
Forward-curved pumps are for high flow, low pressure applications.
 FACULTY: ENGINEERING EDITION:
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: FLUID
REVISION NO:
MECHANICS

EXPERIMENT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/3/2014

SERIES/PARALLEL
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AMENDMENT
DATE:

Figure 6: Forward and backward-curved blades

3.5 Formula for Calculation of Variables

𝑃𝑂𝑊𝐸𝑅𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑖𝑑
Overall Efficiency ∏ 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑙 = × 100%
𝑃𝑂𝑊𝐸𝑅𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙

Power (fluid) 𝑃𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑖𝑑 = 𝑔 ∙ 𝑄 ∙ 𝐻 ∙ 𝜌𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟

Gravitational Acceleration 𝑔 = 9.81 𝑚/𝑠 2

(𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑛 𝐿𝑃𝑀)
Volumetric flow rate 𝑄(m3/s) =
60000

𝑃2 − 𝑃1
𝐻(m) =
Pump Head 𝜌𝑔
Pressure unit [P1,P2] is Pascal
Unit conversion : 1 bar = 100000 Pascal

Water Density 𝜌𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 = 1000 𝑘𝑔/𝑚3

 FACULTY: ENGINEERING EDITION:
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: FLUID
REVISION NO:
MECHANICS

EXPERIMENT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/3/2014

SERIES/PARALLEL
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AMENDMENT
DATE:

4.0 EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS

Figure 7: Equipment Assembly

1. Pump, P1 5. Pressure Gauge

2. Pump, P2 6. Pressure Transmitter
3. Water Tank 7. Flow Transmitter
4. Speed Sensor

Figure 8: Process diagram for Serial/Parallel Pump Test Rig

 FACULTY: ENGINEERING EDITION:
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: FLUID
REVISION NO:
MECHANICS

EXPERIMENT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/3/2014

SERIES/PARALLEL
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AMENDMENT
DATE:

4.1 Experimental Capabilities

a) To demonstrate the basic operation and characteristic of centrifugal pumps.

b) To differentiate the performance curve of two identical pumps that is run in series or parallel.

4.2 Specifications

Before operation, students must familiarize themselves with the unit. Please refer to Figure 7 and 8 to understand the
process. The unit consists of the followings:

a) Dimension - The unit has a dimension of 1.10 m (L) × 0.65 m (W) × 0.70 m (H).
b) Pumps - Two units of Horizontal Single Stage Centrifugal Pump (P1) and (P2)
c) Circulation Tank - A transparent PVC water tank is provided to supply water to P1 and P2.
d) Flowrate and pump head, speed and power indicators - All indicators are displayed in its respective engineering unit.
No conversion is required.
e) Process piping - The process piping is made of industrial PVC pipes. Valves used are nonferrous to minimize rust and
corrosion.
f) Selector switch - The selector switch allows the selection of system operates either with 1 pump or 2 pumps
(series/parallel).
g) Digital indicator - There are 4 digital indicators located at the front panel for displaying of flow rate, pump head, power
and speed indicators.
i. Power indicator: Indicated value is in Watt.
ii. Speed indicator: Indicated value is in Revolution per Minute (RPM).
iii. Flow indicator: Indicated value is in Liters per Minute (LPM).
iv. Pressure Indicator: Indicated value is % value. Before getting the results in bar, the value need calculated
according to range of the transmitter.

Reading in bar = [(reading on panel in %) /100 x total range] + lower range of transmitter

Pressure Transmitter 1 (PT1) -1 to 1.5 bar

Pressure Transmitter 2 (PT2) -1 to 3 bar
Pressure Transmitter 3 (PT3) 0 to 6 bar

h) Data Acquisition System - The Data Acquisition System consists of a personal computer, software and I/O hardware.
The I/O hardware is linked to computer by means of a RS232 communication cable and is connected to the computer
with a 9 pin D-Shell connector.

Instruments that are permanently installed are turbine flowmeters (FT) for measuring water flow rate, pressure transmitters
(PT) for measuring the pump head and a power transducer to measure the motor input power. There are 2 speed sensors
to measure pump speed for P1 and P2, respectively.

4.3 Overall Dimensions

Height : 700 mm
Width : 650 mm
Depth : 1100 mm

4.4 General Requirements

Electrical : 240 VAC, 3-phase, 50Hz

Water : Laboratory main supply
 FACULTY: ENGINEERING EDITION:
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: FLUID
REVISION NO:
MECHANICS

EXPERIMENT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/3/2014

SERIES/PARALLEL
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AMENDMENT
DATE:

5.0 PROCEDURE

5.1 General Start-up Procedures

Before conducting any experiment, it is necessary to do the following checking to avoid any misused and malfunction
of equipment.

1. The circulation tank is filled with water.

2. Make sure V5 is in fully close position.
3. Switch on the main power supply.
4. Turn on the main switch on the control panel. Ensure all digital indicators illuminate.
5. Turn on the computer and activate the data acquisition software.
6. Check for the following valve position.

Fully Open Fully Close

Pump Operation Running Pump
Valve Valve
Series Both Pump, P1 & P2 V1, V3 V2, V4
Parallel Both Pump, P1 & P2 V1, V2, V4 V3

7. Turn on the pump and slowly open V5 until maximum flowrate is achieved.
Follow the experiment procedures to determine the desired flowrate.
8. Use the pump speed selector switch to monitor the pump speed.
9. Use the pressure selector switch to monitor the pressure in the pipe.
10. Turn the pump speed controller clockwise to increase pump speed or anti- clockwise to decrease the pump speed.

5.2 General Shut-down Procedures

1. Turn off the pump.

2. Make sure valve V5 is in fully close position.
3. Turn off the main switch on the control panel.
4. Shut down the computer.
5. Switch off the main power supply.
 FACULTY: ENGINEERING EDITION:
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: FLUID
REVISION NO:
MECHANICS

EXPERIMENT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/3/2014

SERIES/PARALLEL
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AMENDMENT
DATE:

5.3 Experiment 1 – Pumps in Series Operation

Equipment Set Up:

Fully Close Valve Fully Open Valve Variable Parameter Pump ON

V2 & V4 V1 & V3 V5 Both Pump

Procedures:

1. Follow the basic procedure as written in section 4.1.

2. Ensure that all setting follows the equipment set up.
3. Test the pump characteristics under the following conditions and records the data.
i. Maximum motor speed; varied V5 opening
ii. V5 fully opened; varied motor speed

5.5 Experiment 2 - Pumps in Parallel Operation

Equipment Set Up:

Fully Close Fully Open Variable

Pump ON
valve Valve parameter
V3 V1, V2 & V4 V5 Both Pump

Procedures:

1. Follow the basic procedure as written in section 4.1.

2. Ensure that all setting follows the equipment set up.
3. Test the pump characteristics under the following conditions and records the data.
i. Maximum motor speed; varied V5 opening
ii. V5 fully opened; varied motor speed
 FACULTY: ENGINEERING EDITION:
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: FLUID
REVISION NO:
MECHANICS

EXPERIMENT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/3/2014

SERIES/PARALLEL
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AMENDMENT
DATE:

6.0 RESULTS & CALCULATION

Experiment 1: Pumps in Series Operation

Series pump operation with variable flow rate

Average Average
Speed Pressure
Flow rate Power PT3 PT3- PT1 Pump head, H Efficiency
of P1 of PT1
(LPM) (Watt) (bar) (bar) (m) (%)
and P2 and PT2
(RPM) (bar)
 FACULTY: ENGINEERING EDITION:
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: FLUID
REVISION NO:
MECHANICS

EXPERIMENT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/3/2014

SERIES/PARALLEL
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AMENDMENT
DATE:

Experiment 2: Pumps in Parallel Operation

Parallel pumps operation with variable flow rate

Average
Speed
Flow rate Power PT1 PT3 PT3- PT1 Pump head, H Efficiency
of P1
(LPM) (Watt) (bar) (bar) (bar) (m) (%)
and P2
(RPM)

Calculations for pressure readings on panel

This table is especially important to convert the pressure readings on the panel into bar (g).

Pressure Transmitter Range Total Range

Pressure Transmitter 1 (PT1) -1 to 1.5 bar 2.5 bar
Pressure Transmitter 2 (PT2) -1 to 3 bar 4 bar
Pressure Transmitter 3 (PT3) 0 to 6 bar 6 bar

Reading in bar = [(reading on panel in %)/100 x total range] + lower range of transmitter

Example: for PT1 (Range: -1 to 1.5 bar, Total Range: 2.5 bar)

Readings on panel: 60.0

Thus, [(Reading on panel in %)/100 x total range] + lower range of transmitter

[(60.0/100 x 2.5] + (-1) = 0.5 bar

 FACULTY: ENGINEERING EDITION:
TECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY: FLUID
REVISION NO:
MECHANICS

EXPERIMENT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 1/3/2014

SERIES/PARALLEL
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AMENDMENT
DATE:

7.0 DATA ANALYSIS

Assignment Experiment 1:

1. Plot pressure difference pump head (m) vs. flowrate.

2. Plot efficiency vs. flow rate for condition.
3. Compare and discuss the pump performance between series and parallel pump operation.

Assignment Experiment 2:

1. Plot pressure difference pump head (m) vs. flowrate for condition.
2. Plot efficiency vs. flow rate for condition.
3. Compare and discuss the pump performance between series and parallel pump operation.

8.0 DISCUSSIOS & CONCLUSION

Approved by / Disahkan oleh :

Prepared by / Disahkan oleh:

Signature / Tandatangan :
Signature/Tandatangan:
Name / Nama : PM. DR. ANGZZAS SARI BINTI
Name/Nama: DR. NOR FAIZAH BINTI
MOHD KASSIM
RAZALI
Date / Tarikh :
Date/Tarikh :