E18-217 Mandatory Y N X

Rev. No. 1 Date: 8/27/03

Approvals & Date:
Originator & Date: DEB 8/03

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PUMPS

1.0 PUMPS
Table 1 denotes the selection of pump appropriate for a specific application. As shown,
selection depends on the flow rate, discharge head, viscosity of the fluid, are solids
present, temperature, and net positive suction head available. Figure 1 provides
sizing and selection recommendations graphically based upon the discharge head and
the capacity of the pump.

2.0 CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS

Centrifugal pumps can have one or two suction inlets. Centrifugal pumps can either be
single or multistage. In recent years, pump manufacturers have begun offering pumps
with circular volutes. The advantage of the circular volute is high head at low flow.
Circular volutes centrifugal pumps may be an alternative to using a positive
displacement pump or to using a typical ANSI centrifugal pump with a minimum flow
orifice for low flow rate application. Centrifugal pumps can either be horizontal or
vertical in orientation.

Wichita commonly uses centrifugal pumps with mechanical seals, single suction, single
stage, and horizontal orientation for most applications. Wichita typically specifies
centrifugal pumps, manufactured according to ANSI standards. ANSI pumps of a given
size from different manufacturers can be interchanged without modifications to the
suction and discharge piping.

For centrifugal pumps to function correctly it is essential that the adequate net positive
suction head (NPSH)a is available. This is defined with equation 1.

 
 Suction  Vapor Pes ure   
      2.31 
Cavitation which can cause damage to the pump impeller and casing will occur with

(1)NPSHa14.7Pres ure(PSIA)ofliqud *
inadequate (NPSH)a. The required net suction head, (NPSH) r of any pump selected
should be at least 2 feet less than the (NPSH) a at the temperature of the fluid in the
pump itself.

Specif Gravity
 (PSIG)  atpumpingtemp  
Pump curves for centrifugal pumps give the discharge head, the (NPSH) r, pump

 ofLiqud@FT
efficiency, and horsepower required (based on water) for each specific pump casing
size, motor speed, and impeller size. The impellers for centrifugal pumps can be

 
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machined down to adjust the head and capacity of a specific pump to the process
needs.

For variable speed pump applications defining the relationship between total delivered
head, impeller speed must be defined with pump curves to allow operations to know
how a pump is performing. Any two of these parameters will fix the third as shown in
Figure 2. As the speed of the pump increases the discharge head increases
dramatically. Figure 3 shows pump efficiency as a function of pump speed while
holding impeller diameter constant. Figure 3 also shows the effect of capacity and
pump speed on (NPSH)r. These changes in discharge head and capacity due to
changes motor speed can be calculated by the affinity laws given in the literature.

The design flow rate for centrifugal pumps should be 15-25% greater than the normal
flow rate depending upon the service. Centrifugal pumps normally need a minimum
flow orifice to keep the pump from overheating during dead heading conditions.
Typically the pump manufacturer will specify the quantity of fluid that must be recycled
through the minimum flow loop.

Pump head capacity curves are based on water. However, a centrifugal pump with a
given impeller diameter and drive motor speed will develop the same total head in feet
regardless of the liquid specific gravity. Liquid specific gravity will affect suction and
discharge pressures and pump driver horsepower requirements. These can be
calculated by using equations 2, 3, and 5. The horsepower ratings shown on pump
curves are for water. The horsepower required is proportional to the specific gravity.
That is the horsepower required for a liquid with a specific gravity of “2” would be twice
the horsepower required for a liquid with specific gravity of “1”. The design discharge
head of the pump must take into account all pressure drops within the pump loop.
These include the difference in operating pressure between the suction and discharge,
the difference in height between suction and discharge, frictional loss in piping,
pressure drop across control valves, as well as pressure drop across heat exchangers,
filters, and other process equipment between suction and discharge.

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Pump  Presu  Height(f)  SpecifGravty

         Presu
Discharge (PSIG)of betwn  ofLiqud@FT   
(2)     Drops 
Presu Recivng pumand 2.31   
         (PSIG) 
(PSIG)  Vesl  InletoVsel   
       
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Pump  Presu  Height(f) SpecifGravty

       Presu
Suction  (PSIG)of betwn ofLiqud@FT  
(3)   *  Drops 
Presu Exitng  pumand 2.31    
       (PSIG)
(PSIG)  Vesl inletovsel  
      
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Figure 1. Pump Selection Chart

Pump coverage chart based on normal ranges of operation of commercially available
types. Solid lines: use ordinate, head scale. Broken lines use right ordinate pressure
scale. To convert gallons per minute to cubic meters per hour, multiply by .2271 to
convert feet to meters, multiply by .3048, and to convert pounds-force per square inch
to kilopascals multiply by 6.895

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Table 1. Pump Characteristics
(Principles of Unit Operations, 2 nd edition, Foust, Wenzel, Clump, Maus and Anderson, Wiley:NY, p. 595, 1980)

Centrifugal Positive Displacement

Standard Turbine Propeller Rotary Reciprocating
(Radial flow) (Mixed Flow) (Axial flow) (Gear or Screw) (Piston, Plunger or Diaphragm)

High, single
Head stage- up to
Intermediate, Intermediate, up to
(Discharge 300psi; Low, up to 60ft Highest available up to 100,000psi
up to 200ft 600psi
Pressure) multistage up to
6000psi

Capacity Low (100GPM) to Intermediate,

High, up to Low (1 GPM) to
(Delivered Flow very high up to 16,000 Intermediate up to 500GPM
100,000 GPM intermediate (500GPM)
Rate) (20,000GPM) GPM

Can handle High viscosity

Liquids High solids
Clean or Dirty abrasive (> 1000cp); Clean; no solids
Handled content
Liquids nonabrasive

Metering or
Flow Control No No No Yes Yes
Capability

Reduced performance when handling viscous fluids;

Pressure relief must be provided on the discharge side of the pump;
Disadvantages Loss of prime with small amounts of air/vapor present in
high (NPSH) r; inefficient with abrasive liquids
liquid.

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Figure 2.

Figure 3.

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
Discharge Suction   
Total       2.31 
(4) PresurePresure*
H ead(ft)     Specif Gravity
(PSIG) (PSIG)   
    ofLiqud@FT

Pump  GPMDesignFlowPumpDischarge-PumpSuctionpsi
(5 )   
Motr(hp) 174PumpEficeny
Approximate Pump Efficiencies
Note: 60% for centrifugal pumps
More exact efficiencies are 50% for positive displacement pumps
available from pump manufacturers 30% for sealless pumps (canned pumps)

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The most commonly used pump motor speeds are 1,750 and 3,500 rpm. Occasionally
an 1180 rpm motor will be used to drive a pump when the (NPSH) a available is very low.
The higher the rpm at which the pump is operated, the higher the (NPSH) r for that
pump. For a given application, a 1,750 rpm pump will be more expensive to purchase
than a 3,500 rpm pump. But generally a 1,750 rpm pump will be quieter and have
lower maintenance costs than a 3,500 rpm pump. Unless a specific overriding reason
exists (i.e. high discharge pressure requirement, etc), a 1,750 rpm motor should be
specified. If a variable speed drive is to be used it is imperative to note the maximum
required speed and, if known, the maximum horsepower requirements as well as the
type of variable speed drive on the specification sheet. The plant operations and
maintenance personnel should also be contacted regarding preferences for variable
speed controls and drives (i.e. SCR, AC, DC, mechanical, etc).

An ANSI centrifugal pump will be identified with four number designations as follows:

X x Y x Z – A.
Where:
X is the nominal discharge nozzle flange size in inches,
Y is the nominal suction nozzle flange size in inches,
Z is the nominal maximum size impeller for the pump casing in inch
A is the actual impeller size in inches.

The suction piping to a centrifugal pump must be carefully designed to ensure no gas
pockets in the piping and ensure minimization of pressure drop between the suction
vessel and pump. In most instances it will be necessary to specify the suction piping in
a larger size than the pump suction flange.

The suction piping to positive displacement pumps must also be designed to eliminate
vapor pockets. In addition to the usual pressure drop considerations, the suction and
discharge on these pumps must be sized according to the acceleration head of the
pump. The pump manufacturer should be consulted when sizing process lines.
Improperly sized lines could cause the acceleration head to overpressure and damage
the pump.

3.0 POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT

Precise pressure control in a rotary positive displacement pump’s discharge line
requires the use of a liquids pressure regulator on a recycle line returning fluid to the
vessel providing suction fluid to the pump. The pressure relief valve supplied with the
pump will not provide a constant discharge pressure. The valve will lift at a specified
pressure and will seat at a much lower pressure. For example the relief valve may lift
at 50 psig and reset at 40 psig, causing the pressure in the pump’s discharge line to
rapidly fluctuate between 40 and 50 psig. This pressure fluctuation could adversely

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affect process control down stream of the positive displacement pump. For this reason
an external recycle loop with a separate relieving valve should be noted on the P&ID’s
and included in the process design when using these pumps.

Flow control with reciprocating positive displacement pumps can be accomplished by

using a variable speed driver for the pump, similar to those described for centrifugal
pumps. The discharge flow rate for reciprocating positive displacement pumps can
also be controlled by adjusting the percent stroke. The stroke adjustment can be made
manually or by pneumatic, or electronic devices. Pneumatic or electronic stroke
adjustment can be automated to respond to some process feedback signal.

Pulsation dampers can be used on the discharge and suction of reciprocating positive
displacement pumps to remove the oscillations that occur due to the nature of the
pump. Installing multiple pumps or pump heads in parallel will reduce the magnitude of
the pressure oscillations.

4.0 SEALS
For centrifugal pumps the four principal sealing systems on the pump shaft are: 1)
packing gland, 2) mechanical seal, 3) magnetic drive, 4) canned pump motor. The
packing gland is used by Wichita the least as it allows too high a rate of emissions from
the process. Mechanical seals are commonly used by Wichita and are typically
grouped into two broad classes: 1) single mechanical seal and 2) double mechanical
seal. Double mechanical seals with a purge fluid between seals are used where
emissions from the process must be tightly controlled. The process engineer should
consult with plant maintenance and operating departments to determine which type of
mechanical seal is used and kept in stock by the plant when specifying new equipment.
Magnetically coupled pumps make use of magnets to transfer power from the motor to
the sealed pump end and have no mechanical seals.

The canned pump also has no mechanical seals. The drive motor is sealed in a
corrosion resistant “can”, integral to the pump construction. When the bearings fail it is
possible for the “can” to be breached and for process fluids to come in contact with the
motor. Some manufactures use aluminum for the windings of the electric motors in
canned pumps. Some process fluids (methyl chloride) react violently with aluminum.
No aluminum should be used in canned pumps (wetted or non-wetted parts) in methyl
chloride service.

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5.0 References

Books and Catalogs

(1) Compressor Handbook, Hydrocarbon Processing Reprint

(2) Applied Process Design for Chemical and Petrochemical Plants, Ludwig

(3) Goulds Pump Manual (Fifth Edition), Goulds Pumps Inc.

(4) Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology (Fourth Edition), Kroschwitz ed.

(5) Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook (Seventh Edition), Perry and Green Ed.

(6) ANSIMAG Centrifugal Pumps Manual KF, ANSIMAG, INC.

Articles
(7) W. V. Adams, “Stop Leaks Economically with Advanced Mechanical Seals,” Chemical
Engineering Progress, June 1994, p.24.

(8) E. H. Livingston, “Build Your Working Knowledge of Process Compressors”,

Chemical Engineering Progress, February 1993, p.27.

(9) F.S. Chapman, F. A. Holland, “Centrifugal Pumps,” Chemical Engineering, July 4, 1966,
p. 91.

(10) C. Thurlow, “Pumps and the Chemical Plant,” Chemical Engineering, May 24, 1965, p.
117.

(11) H. Younger, J. L. Ruiter, “Selecting Pumps and Compressors,” Chemical Engineering,

June 26, 1961, p. 117.

(12) T. L. Magliozzi, “Control System Prevents Surging in Centrifugal-Flow Compressors,”

Chemical Engineering, May 8, 1967, p. 137

(13) H. M. Pollack, “How to Select Centrifugal Pumps”, Chemical Engineering, February 4,

1963, p. 81.

(14) S. A. Bresler, J. H. Smith, “Guide to Trouble-Free Compressors,” Chemical Engineering,

June 1, 1970, p. 161.

(15) R. F. Neerken, “ Compressor Selection for the Chemical Process Industries,” Chemical
Engineering, January 20, 1975, p. 78.

(16) S. Z. Akhtar, “Sizing Pumps for Slurries,” Hydrocarbon Processing, November 1996, p.
161.

(17) “Handling Compressible Fluids”, Chemical Engineering, June 1956, p. 178-240.

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