École Nationale des Sciences et Technologies Avancées à Borj Cédria

Fluid Mechanics & Hydraulic Machines

Centrifugal Pump Characteristic Curve

The Operations or Process Engineer is

frequently involved in hydraulic
calculations. Therefore understanding the
Centrifugal Pump Performance Curve is
an important aspect of his/her work.

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École Nationale des Sciences et Technologies Avancées à Borj Cédria

Fluid Mechanics & Hydraulic Machines

Centrifugal Pump Characteristic Curve

Essential elements of Centrifugal pump performance curve
There are 4 elements which characterize the centrifugal
pump performance curve:
(i) Head vs. flow rate, known as H-Q Curve;
(ii) Efficiency vs. flow rate curve: Efficiency Curve;
(iii) Brake Horse Power vs. flow rate curve: Energy Curve;
(iv) Net Positive Suction Head vs. flow rate curve: NPSH
Curve.

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Centrifugal Pump Characteristic Curve

H-Q Curve
On x-y plot H, the head (in m) or pressure in (Pa, kPa or
Bar) is plotted in y axis and the flow rate Q (m3/s, m3/h,
L/min, etc.) is plotted in x axis. At zero flow rate is
associated a shut off head which is the maximum head
developed by the pump. For increasing flow rates, the
H-Q curve will be decreasing.
Priming loss/Cavitation of the pump can be identified
by the shut off head.

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Centrifugal Pump Characteristic Curve

Efficiency Curve

The efficiency curve start at zero flow rate and zero

efficiency and increases up to a maximum point at the
Best Efficiency Point (BEP) then starts to decrease as
the flow rate increases. The BEP is the point on a
pump performance curve corresponding to the flow
rate with the highest possible efficiency.

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Centrifugal Pump Characteristic Curve

Energy Curve

In order to obtain energy curve, the Brake Horse

power is plotted against the flow rate in the
centrifugal pump performance curve. It is a straight
line. At zero flow rate (which corresponds to the shut
off head of the pump), minimum power is consumed
by the pump. Brake Horse power increases with
increasing flow rate.

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Centrifugal Pump Characteristic Curve

NPSH Curve

Net Positive Suction Head Required (NPSHr) can be

plotted against the flow rate. NPSHr curve is a flat
curve until the BEP of the pump and then rises
sharply beyond the BEP. We define also the Net
Positive Suction Head Available (NPSHa) which
must be greater than the NPSHr, to avoid cavitation
of the pump. NPSHa is calculated based on the
friction losses in the system while NPSHr is specified
by a pump manufacturer.
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Centrifugal Pump Characteristic Curve

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École Nationale des Sciences et Technologies Avancées à Borj Cédria
Centrifugal Pump Characteristic Curve