CHAPTER 4

Centrifugal and Axial

Pumps
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 Definition
• Water pumps are devices designed to convert
mechanical energy to hydraulic energy.
• They are used to move water from lower
points to higher points with a required
discharge and pressure head.
• This chapter will deal with the basic hydraulic
concepts of water pumps

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 Pump Classification
• Turbo-hydraulic (kinetic) pumps
Centrifugal pumps (radial-flow pumps)
Propeller pumps (axial-flow pumps)
Jet pumps (mixed-flow pumps)
• Positive-displacement pumps
Screw pumps
Reciprocating pumps

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• Radial Flow - a pump in which the pressure is
developed wholly by centrifugal force.

• Mixed Flow - a pump in which the pressure is

developed partly by centrifugal force and partly by the
lift of the vanes of the impeller on the liquid.

• Axial Flow – a pump in which the pressure is

developed by the propelling or lifting action of the
vanes of the impeller on the liquid.

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Schematic diagram of basic
elements of centrifugal
pump

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 Schematic diagram of axial-flow
5/7/2015 pump arranged in vertical operation 6
 Screw pumps.
• In the screw pump a revolving shaft fitted with
blades rotates in an inclined trough and pushes the
water up the trough.

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 Reciprocating pumps.
• In the reciprocating pump a piston sucks the
fluid into a cylinder then pushes it up causing
the water to rise.

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 4.1: Centrifugal Pump
• Broad range of applicable flows and heads
• Higher heads can be achieved by increasing the
diameter or the rotational speed of the impeller

Flow Expansion
Discharge
Casing
Suction Eye Impeller
Impeller
Vanes

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 4.1 Centrifugal Pumps
(Cont…)

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 Main Parts of Centrifugal Pumps
1. Impeller:

• which is the rotating part of

the centrifugal pump.
• It consists of a series of
backwards curved vanes
(blades).
• The impeller is driven by a
shaft which is connected to the
shaft of an electric motor.

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 Main Parts of Centrifugal Pumps
2. Casing

• Which is an air-tight
passage surrounding the
impeller
• Designed to direct the
liquid to the impeller
and lead it away
• Volute casing: It is of
spiral type in which the
area of the flow
increases
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gradually. 12
3. Suction Pipe: inlet pipe
4. Delivery Pipe: out let pipe
5. The Shaft: which is the bar by which the
power is transmitted from the motor drive to
the impeller.
6. The driving motor: which is responsible for
rotating the shaft. It can be mounted directly
on the pump, above it, or adjacent to it.

N.B: centrifugal pump can be either submersible

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(wet) or dry. 13
Hydraulic Analysis of Pumps and Piping
Systems
• Pump can be placed in two possible position in
reference to the water levels in the reservoirs.
• We begin our study by defining all the
different terms used to describe the pump
performance in the piping system.

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 Hydraulic Analysis of Pumps and Piping Systems

Case 1

hfd
H md
H stat

Ht
hd
fs
h
hs

Datum pump
center line
H ms

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Case 2

hf d
H md

hd
H stat

Ht
Datum pump
center line
hs

H ms

hf s

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 The following terms can be defined
• hs (static suction head): it is the difference in
elevation between the suction liquid level and the
centerline of the pump impeller.
• hd (static discharge head): it is the difference in
elevation between the discharge liquid level and
the centerline of the pump impeller.
• Hstat (static head): it is the difference (or sum) in
elevation between the static discharge and the
static suction heads: H  h  h
stat d s

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• Hms (manometric suction head): it is the suction
gage reading (if a manometer is installed just at the
inlet of the pump, then Hms is the height to which
the water will rise in the manometer).
• Hmd (manometric discharge head): it is the
discharge gage reading (if a manometer is installed
just at the outlet of the pump, then Hmd is the
height to which the water will rise in the
manometer).
• Hm (manometric head): it is the increase of
pressure head generated by the pump:

H m  H md  H m s
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• Ht (total dynamic head): it is the total head
delivered by the pump:
Vd2 Vs2
Ht  Hm d   ( Hm s  ) Case 1 Eq.(1)
2g 2g

Vd2 Vs2
Ht  Hm d   ( Hm s  ) Case 2 Eq.(2)
2g 2g

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• Ht can be written in another form as follows:

H m d  hd  h f d   hm d
Vs2
H m s  hs  h f s   hm s  Case 1
2g
Vs2
H m s  hs  h f s   hm s  Case 2
2g
Substitute into eq. (1)
Vd2  Vs2 Vs2 
H t  hd  h f d   hmd   hs  h f s   hm s   
2 g  2 g 2 g 
but
H stat  hd  hs
V d2 Eq.(3)
H t  H stat  h f d   hm d  h f s   hm s 
2g Case 1
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• Equation (3) can be applied to Case 2 with the
exception that : H stat  hd  hs

In the above equations; we define:

hfs : is the friction losses in the suction pipe.
hfd : is the friction losses in the discharge (delivery) pipe.
hms : is the minor losses in the suction pipe.
hmd: is the minor losses in the discharge (delivery) pipe.

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 Cavitation of Pumps and NPSH
• In general, cavitation occurs when the liquid pressure
at a given location is reduced to the vapor pressure of
the liquid.
• For a piping system that includes a pump, cavitation
occurs when the absolute pressure at the inlet falls
below the vapor pressure of the water.
• This phenomenon may occur at the inlet to a pump and
on the impeller blades, particularly if the pump is
mounted above the level in the suction reservoir.

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• Under this condition, vapor bubbles form (water
starts to boil) at the impeller inlet and when these
bubbles are carried into a zone of higher pressure,
they collapse abruptly and hit the vanes of the
impeller (near the tips of the impeller vanes). causing:

• Damage to the pump (pump impeller)

• Violet vibrations (and noise).
• Reduce pump capacity.
• Reduce pump efficiency

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How we avoid Cavitation ??

• To avoid cavitation, the pressure head at the inlet should not fall
below a certain minimum which is influenced by the further
reduction in pressure within the pump impeller.
• To accomplish this, we use the difference between the total head
2
at the inlet P  V , and the water vapor pressure head
s s

Pvapor  2g

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 Where we take the datum through the centerline of the pump
impeller inlet (eye). This difference is called the Net Positive
Suction Head (NPSH), so that
2 Pvapor
Ps Vs
NPSH   
 2g 
There are two values of NPSH of interest. The first is the required NPSH,
denoted (NPSH)R , that must be maintained or exceeded so that cavitation
will not occur and usually determined experimentally and provided by the
manufacturer.

The second value for NPSH of concern is the available NPSH, denoted
(NPSH)A , which represents the head that actually occurs for the particular
piping system. This value can be determined experimentally, or calculated if
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the system parameters are known.
How we avoid Cavitation ??

• For proper pump operation (no cavitation) :

(NPSH)A > (NPSH)R

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Determination of datum
(NPSH)A hs

applying the energy equation between

point (1) and (2), datum at pump
center line
Patm PS VS2
 hS     hL
 air  2g
PS VS2 Patm
   hS   hL
 2 g  air
PS VS2 PVapor Patm PVapor
    hS   hL 
 2 g  Vapor  air  Vapor
Patm PVapor
( NPSH ) A   hS   hL 
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 Patm Pvapor
( NPSH ) A   hs  h f s   hm s  
 

Note that (+) is used if hs is above the pump centerline (datum).

o
at T  20
Patm  10 . 14 kN / m 2
2
PVapor  2 . 335 kN / m
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Thoma’s cavitation constant

The cavitation constant: is the ratio of (NPSH)R to

the total dynamic head (Ht) is known as the Thoma’s
cavitation constant ( )

( NPSH )R

Ht

Note: If the cavitation constant is given, we can find the

maximum allowable elevation of the pump inlet (eye)
above the surface of the supply (suction) reservoir.
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 Selection of A Pump
It has been seen that the efficiency of a pump depends on the discharge,
head, and power requirement of the pump. The approximate ranges of
application of each type of pump are indicated in the following Figure.

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 Multiple-Pump Operation

• To install a pumping station that can be effectively

operated over a large range of fluctuations in both
discharge and pressure head, it may be advantageous
to install several identical pumps at the station.

Pumps in Parallel Pumps in Series

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 (a) Parallel Operation
• Pumping stations frequently contain several (two or
more) pumps in a parallel arrangement.
Manifold

Qtotal

Qtotal =Q1+Q2+Q3
Pump Pump Pump

Q1 Q2 Q3
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• In this configuration any number of the pumps can be
operated simultaneously.
• The objective being to deliver a range of discharges,
i.e.; the discharge is increased but the pressure head
remains the same as with a single pump.
• This is a common feature of sewage pumping stations
where the inflow rate varies during the day.
• By automatic switching according to the level in the
suction reservoir any number of the pumps can be
brought into operation.

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 How to draw the pump curve for pumps in
parallel???
• The manufacturer gives the pump curve for a single
pump operation only.
• If two or pumps are in operation, the pumps curve
should be calculated and drawn using the single pump
curve.
• For pumps in parallel, the curve of two pumps, for
example, is produced by adding the discharges of the
two pumps at the same head (assuming identical
pumps).

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 Parallel Operation

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 (b) Series Operation
• The series configuration which is used whenever we
need to increase the pressure head and keep the
discharge approximately the same as that of a single
pump
• This configuration is the basis of multistage pumps; the
discharge from the first pump (or stage) is delivered to
the inlet of the second pump, and so on.
• The same discharge passes through each pump
receiving a pressure boost in doing so

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 Pump Pump Pump
Q

Q Htotal =H1+H2+H3

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 How to draw the pump curve for pumps in
series???
• the manufacturer gives the pump curve for a single
pump operation only.
• For pumps in series, the curve of two pumps, for
example, is produced by adding the heads of the two
pumps at the same discharge.
• Note that, of course, all pumps in a series system
must be operating simultaneously

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 H

3H1
Three pumps
in series
H1
2H1 Two pumps
in series
H1
H1
Single pump

H1
Q
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Q1 56
 Constant- and Variable-Speed Pumps

• The speed of the pump is specified by the angular

speed of the impeller which is measured in
revolution per minutes (rpm).
• Based on this speed, N , pumps can be divided into
two types:
• Constant-speed pumps
• Variable-speed pumps

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 Constant-speed pumps

• For this type, the angular speed , N , is constant.

• There is only one pump curve which represents the
performance of the pump

NPSH - m
6
4
N PSH 2
0
70 P u m p C u rv e 80%
60 70%

Efficiency %
50 60%
H (m)

cy
ci en

40 50%
ef f i

40%
30
20
10

0 100 200 300 400

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 Variable-speed pumps

• For this type, the angular

speed , N , is variable, i.e.;
pump can operate at
different speeds.
• The pump performance is
presented by several pump
curves, one for each speed
• Each curve is used to suit
certain operating
requirements of the system.

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 (a) Change in pump speed
(constant size)

• If a pump delivers a discharge Q1 at a head H1

when running at speed N1, the corresponding
values when the same pump is running at speed N2
are given by the similarity (affinity) laws:
2 3
Q2 N 2 H2  N 2  Pi 2  N 2 
    
Q1 N1 H1  N1  Pi1  N1 

where Q = discharge (m3/s, or l/s).

H = pump head (m).
N = pump rotational speed (rpm).
Pi = power input (HP, or kw).
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• Therefore, if the pump
curve for speed N1 is
given, we can construct N1
the pump curve for the
speed N2 using previous
relationships. N2

Effect of speed change on pump

characteristic curves.

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 (b) Change in pump size
(constant speed)

• A change in pump size and therefore, impeller

diameter (D), results in a new set of characteristic
curves using the following similarity (affinity) laws:
3 2 5
Q2  D2  H2  D2  Pi 2  D2 
     
Q1  D1  H1  D1  Pi1  D1 

where D = impeller diameter (m, cm).

Note : D indicated the size of the pump

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Problem 4

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 Solution

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 Specific Speed

• Pump types may be more explicitly defined by the

parameter called specific speed (Ns) expressed by:

N Q
Ns  3
H 4

Where: Q = discharge (m3/s, or l/s).

H = pump total head (m).
N = rotational speed (rpm).

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• This expression is derived from dynamical similarity
considerations and may be interpreted as the speed in
rev/min at which a geometrically scaled model would have
to operate to deliver unit discharge (1 l/s) when generating
unit head (1 m).
• The given table shows the range of Ns values for the turbo-
hydraulic pumps:

Pump type Ns range (Q - l/s, H-m)

centrifugal up to 2600
mixed flow 2600 to 5000
axial flow 5000 to 10 000

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