- 1 - -Dr. N. Y. Sharma & Dr. K. V.

Karanth, MIT Manipal

Dimensional Analysis and Similitude Analysis
Assignment No. 1

1. A radial flow hydraulic Turbine is required to be designed to produce 32 MW
under a Head of 15 m at a Speed of 100 RPM. A geometrically similar Model
with an output of 40 kW and a Head of 4.8 m is to be tested under dynamically
similar conditions. At what speed the model is run? What is the scale ratio of
the model to the prototype and discharge through the model, if its efficiency is
assumed to be 90%.


2. A pump with an available driven speed of 900 RPM is required to overcome a
2.3 m head, while pumping a discharge of 0.24m
3
/s. What type of pump is
required and what is the power required?


3. A reservoir has a head of 42 m and a channel leading from the dam permits the
flow rate of 36 m
3
/s. If the rotational speed of the rotor is 180 RPM, what is the
most suitable type turbine required?


4. A customer approaches a salesman with a particular pump requirement and is
quoted for an axial flow pump of impeller diameter 154 mm. running at a
speed of 920 RPM. The machine is said to deliver 0.32 m
3
/s of water against a
head of 10.5 m at an efficiency of 86%. Are the claims of the salesman realistic?


5. In a proposed hydraulic power Plant site, the available discharge in the river is
72 m
3
/s under a net head of 16 m. Assuming a turbine efficiency of 90 % and
the Speed as 100 RPM, compare the following two proposals, both of the same
size in so far as the number of turbines are concerned.

(i) Francis turbines with a specific speed of 150.
(ii) Kaplan Turbines with a specific speed of 360.

6. A single stage centrifugal pump lifts 50 liters/s of water at 1800 RPM. The
diameter of the impeller is 250 mm and power required to run the same is 20
kW. Determine diameter of each impeller of multistage pump which has
dynamically similar impellers and which delivers 75 liters/s of water running at
1200 RPM. Determine the number of stages required of the multistage pump if
the total head developed by this pump is 155 m.


7. An axial flow compressor is designed to run at 4500 RPM, when ambient
atmosphere conditions are 101.3 kPa and 15
0
C with mass flow rate of 65 kg/s.
On the day when the performance characteristics are obtained the atmospheric
- 2 - -Dr. N. Y. Sharma & Dr. K. V. Karanth, MIT Manipal
temperature is 28
0
C. What is the correct speed at which the compressor must
be run? If the entry pressure is change to 60 kPa, compute the mass flow rate
obtained in the test. Assume given conditions correspond to stagnation
conditions.


8. A large centrifugal pump contains a liquid whose kinetic viscosity is 6 times
that of water. The dimensionless specific speed of the pump is 0.183 and it is
to discharge 2 m
3
/s of liquid against a total head of 15 m. Determine the test
speed and head for a one quarter scale investigation model of the full size
pump, if the model uses water.

9. A Pelton turbine produces 10 MW of power while working under a head of
500 m. The speed is 300 RPM. Assuming the turbine efficiency to be 80%
compute the values of Unit quantities. If the head on the turbine falls to 350 m
find the new discharge, power and speed for efficiency to remain same.
10. A multi stage Centrifugal Pump is required to lift 1.8 m
3
/ min of water from a
mine, the total head including friction being 750 m. If the speed of the pump is
2900 RPM, find the least number of stages if the specific speed per stage is not
to be less than 150.

11. A multi stage centrifugal pump having six stages with 225 mm diameters
impellers develop a head of 120 m when running at 1500 RPM and discharging
5.45 m
3
/min. Four geometrically similar stages 300 mm diameter is used to
build a multi stage pump, which I s to run at 1000 RPM. Assuming that each
stage in each pump operates under dynamically similar conditions, find

(a) The quantity of discharge
(b) Head that will be developed by this pump.


12. The specifications for an axial flow coolant pump for a pressurized nuclear
reactor are:
1, Head = 85 m.
2. FloW rate =20,000 m
3
/ hr.
3. Speed = 1490 RPM.
4. Diameter 1200 mm.
5 Power = 4 MW.
The manufacturer plans to build the model. The test conditions are:
- Available electric power = 500 kW,
- Flow rate = 0.5 m
3
/ s of cold water.
If the model and the prototype efficiencies are assumed equal, find the
head, speed and scale ratio of the model. Calculate the dimensionless
specific speed of the prototype