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Revision Rev. 1 Initial issue Rev. 1A Cosmetic changes only (spell checking & revised disclaimer)
12-Oct-09 15-Dec-09
Disclaimer: This calculation provides an estimate for specifying pumps. We cannot be held responsible for its use. As with all areas of process engineering, calculations should be checked by a competent engineer.
www.myChemE.com
Revision 1A
This spreadsheet can be used to specify centrifugal pumps - in particular the 'Net Positive Suction Head' (NPSH) and the pump power requirements. The calculation is split into three worksheet. The key worksheet is the one entitled "Pump Calculation": in addition, there are two other worksheets which can be used to calculate the suction side and discharge side pressure drops - although these worksheets do not have to be used. The following colour coding is used in this calculation: Boxes shaded light green require a user input. Boxes shaded light blue give a calculated output.
2.0
2.1
2.2
Pump Details
The user enters the number of pumps operating and the pump speed. The number of pumps operating is 3 required to calculate the flow per pump. Thus if the flowrate is 100m /h and there are two pumps operating, 3 the flowrate per pump is 50m /h. The spreadsheet allows one of two pump speeds to be selected: 1750 rpm and 2900 rpm. This information is not strictly necessary (it's used to estimate the required NPSH which can be over written anyway).
2.3
Liquid Properties
The user inputs physical property data of the liquid and the operating temperature of the pump. 2.3.1 Viscosity The user enters the liquid viscosity in Centipoise (Cp). It should be noted that viscosity changes with temperature - thus the user must ensure that the viscosity value entered must be at the correct temperature. Density The user enters the liquid density in kg/m3. As with viscosity, the user should enter the density at the pump operating temperature. Vapour Pressure The user enters the liquid vapour pressure in bar absolute of the liquid. Again, this data should be at the pump operating temperature. As the vapour pressure is a strong function of temperature, it is important that the data is accurate. If in doubt, it is safer to over-estimate the liquid vapour pressure.
2.3.2
2.3.3
2.4
Flowrates
The user enters the total liquid flowrate in kg per hour. The spreadsheet then calculates the total volumetric flowrate (in m3/h and US gallons per minute), and the volumetric flowrate per pump (also in m3/h and US gallons per minute).
Disclaimer: This calculation provides an estimate for specifying pumps. We cannot be held responsible for its use. As with all areas of process engineering, calculations should be checked by a competent engineer.
www.myChemE.com
Revision 1A
This section of the worksheet allows the user to enter data on the suction side of the pump. The calculation assumes that the pump is fed from a vessel upstream. This arrangement is shown in Figure 1 below.
Suction Vessel H2
2.5.1
Suction Vessel Operating Pressure The user enters the operating pressure of the Suction Vessel in bar absolute. For vessels open to the atmosphere, this will be atmospheric pressure (i.e. 1.013 bar(a)). However, the Suction Vessel may also be pressurised or under vacuum. It is important that the correct pressure is used - especially if the vessel is under vacuum. Elevation of Suction Vessel from Grade The user enters the elevation of the Suction Vessel above grade (or ground level) in metres - this is designated H1 in Figure 1. If the vessel is below grade, the value is negative. Vessel low liquid level The user enters the Suction Vessel low liquid level in metres - this is designated H2 in Figure 1. The Low Liquid Level should be the lowest operating liquid level in the vessel and should usually correspond to the low level trip / alarm, if the vessel is equipped with this. If not known, set this to zero. Pump centreline elevation from grade The user enters the elevation of the Pump Centreline Suction Vessel low liquid level in metres - this is designated as H3 in Figure 1. This piece of information depends on the pump design. The spreadsheet provides a typical figure which can be overwritten if better information is available. Static Pressure Low Liquid Level to Pump The spreadsheet calculates the static pressure difference between the Low Liquid Level and the centreline of the Pump (in metres). Suction Side Pressure Drop The user can enter the line losses between the Suction Vessel and the Pump (in bar). Pump Suction Pressure The spreadsheet calculates the pressure at the pump suction (in bar(a)).
2.5.2
2.5.3
2.5.4
2.5.5
2.5.6
2.5.7
Disclaimer: This calculation provides an estimate for specifying pumps. We cannot be held responsible for its use. As with all areas of process engineering, calculations should be checked by a competent engineer.
www.myChemE.com
Revision 1A
This section of the worksheet allows the user to enter data on the discharge side of the pump. The discharge side arrangement is shown in Figure 2.
Termination Point
2.6.1
Maximum Termination Pressure The user enters the Maximum Termination Pressure, in Barg. This is the pressure at the furthest point of the pumped circuit. Elevation of Terminal Point The user enters the elevation of the Termination Point, in metres. This is taken as the elevation difference between the pump centreline and the termination point. N.B. Usually, the pump discharge pressure is set by the pressure difference between the furthest point in the piped system and the pump. However, sometimes this is not the case. For example, if the termination point is much lower than other points in the system. The engineer should use their judgement to ensure that the discharge hydraulics are based on the genuine worst case when specifying the pump.
2.6.2
2.6.3
Discharge Side Pressure Drop The user can enter the line losses between the Pump and the Termination Point (in bar) - this should include pressure drops resulting from pipework, control valves, equipment and any other restrictions in the system. Pump Discharge Pressure The spreadsheet calculates the required pump discharge pressure.
2.6.4
2.7
Pump NPSH
If the pump suction pressure is too low, there is a danger that the liquid will boil. This causes cavitation and can result in loss of pumping power and possibly damaging the pump. This is avoided by ensuring that there is sufficient 'Net Positive Suction Head' (NPSH). Calculating the NPSH is a key element when specifying a pump. A more detailed discussion on pump cavitation and NPSH can be found via the following link. Pump NPSH
2.7.1
NPSH Required at the Pump Suction The NPSH required by the pump at a given flowrate can be obtained from the pump vendor. The spreadsheet does give an estimate of the NPSH but if vendor data is available this should be overwritten.
Disclaimer: This calculation provides an estimate for specifying pumps. We cannot be held responsible for its use. As with all areas of process engineering, calculations should be checked by a competent engineer.
www.myChemE.com
Revision 1A
NPSH Safety Margin The user enters a safety margin to make allowance for uncertainties in the calculation. If the pump vendor data and the suction pipe routing is known, a safety margin of 0.6 metres is acceptable. For preliminary calculations, where the NPSH at the pump suction is estimated, the safety margin should be increased to at least 1.0 metres. Total NPSH Required This is the sum of the NPSH Required at the Pump Suction and the NPSH Safety Margin. Head at Pump Entry The spreadsheet calculates the head at the pump suction, taking into account the head at the Suction Vessel, the vessel to pump elevation difference and the suction side line loss. NPSH Available The spreadsheet calculates the NPSH at the pump suction. For the pump design to work correctly, the NPSH must be a positive number. The spreadsheet displays a warning if the NPSH is negative. A discussion of what to do if there is insufficient NPSH is given in Section 3.
2.7.3
2.7.4
2.7.5
2.8
2.8.2
2.8.3
2.8.4
3.0
3.1
Disclaimer: This calculation provides an estimate for specifying pumps. We cannot be held responsible for its use. As with all areas of process engineering, calculations should be checked by a competent engineer.
www.myChemE.com
Revision 1A
High speed pumps will have a larger NPSH requirement than lower speed pumps. If the pump requires a NPSH greater than 3 to 4 metres, consider reducing the pump speed. The spreadsheet is set up with two typical pump speeds: 1750 rpm and 2900 rpm.
3.3
Raise the level of the Suction Vessel / Lower the level of the Pump
By increasing the height of the Suction Vessel relative to the pump, the NPSH available increases. For installed equipment, it may not be possible to relocate equipment. However, it may be possible to increase the minimum liquid level in the suction vessel.
Disclaimer: This calculation provides an estimate for specifying pumps. We cannot be held responsible for its use. As with all areas of process engineering, calculations should be checked by a competent engineer.
www.myChemE.com
rpm
2 2900
degC kg/m3 cP bar(a) kg/h m3/h US gpm m3/h US gpm bar(a) m m m bar bar bar(a) bar(g) m bar bar(g) m m m m m bar m % kW
20 996.00 0.9 0.02 Vapour pressure at operating temperature 300,000 301.20 1326.16 150.6 663.1 1.01 1.3 0.0 0.7 0.06 0.00 1.07 1.00 22.1 - above pump centreline 0.00 3.16 5.1 1.0 6.1 10.9 10.8 Sufficient NPSH Available 3.10 31.8 69 18.92 N.B. This is power required per pump
Disclaimer: This calculation provides an estimate for specifying pumps. We cannot be held responsible for its use. As with all areas of process engineering, calculations should be checked by a competent engineer.