CHAPTER 9-PUMPING OF FLUID / GASES

 The main features considered in this chapter are;

A) An understanding of the criteria for pump
selection.
B) The positioning of pumps in relation to pipe
systems.
C) The determination of size and power
requirements.
THE POSITIONING OF PUMPS IN RELATION TO PIPE SYSTEMS

 Pumps may be arranged so that the inlet is under a suction

head or the pump may be fed from a tank. These two
systems alter the duty point curves as shown in Figure 8.27. In
developing such curves, the normal range of liquid velocities is
1.5 to 3 m/s.

a) Suction head- if the water to be pumped has its surface

ABOVE the center of the pump

systems with friction losses

THE POSITIONING OF PUMPS IN RELATION TO PIPE SYSTEMS

Duty (the job the pump has to do) point-

Intersection of pump H(head)-Q (flowrate) curve and the actual
system H-Q curve

The duty point should be chosen as close as possible to the point of optimum
efficiency.
THE POSITIONING OF PUMPS IN RELATION TO PIPE SYSTEMS

a) Suction lift- If the liquid level is BELOW the pump

datum, as that is additional elevation that the water has
to lifted up to the pump zero level.

Systems with suction lift and friction.

THE POSITIONING OF PUMPS IN RELATION TO PIPE SYSTEMS

How do pump
operates??
 THE POSITIONING OF PUMPS IN RELATION TO PIPE SYSTEMS

- fluid moves from high P to low P

thus pump operates by creating low P at the
- inlet which allows the liquid to be pushed into the
pump by atmospheric pressure or head
pressure (the limits)
THE POSITIONING OF PUMPS IN RELATION TO PIPE SYSTEMS

What if P at inlet is as low as vapour

pressure??

WHAT is vapour pressure??

THE POSITIONING OF PUMPS IN RELATION TO PIPE SYSTEMS

Vapour pressure is the

pressure required to boil a
liquid at a given
temperature…
THE POSITIONING OF PUMPS IN RELATION TO PIPE SYSTEMS

 With the arrangement shown in Figure 8.27, there can be

problems in priming the pump (process of segregate the gas
phase from liquid phase) and it may be necessary to use a
self-priming centrifugal pump.

 For any pump, the manufacturers specify the minimum

value of the net positive suction head (NPSH) which must
exist at the suction point of the pump.

 The NPSH (Z) is the amount by which the pressure at the

suction point of the pump, expressed as a head of the liquid
to be pumped, must exceed the vapour pressure of the
liquid. For any installation this must be calculated, taking
into account the absolute pressure of the liquid, the
level of the pump, and the velocity and friction heads
in the suction line.
 The NPSH must allow for the fall in pressure occasioned by
the further acceleration of the liquid as it flows on to the
impeller and for irregularities in the flow pattern in the
pump.

 If the required value of NPSH (Z) is not obtained, partial

vaporisation or liberation of dissolved gas is liable to
occur, with the result that both suction head and
delivery head may be reduced. The loss of suction head
is the more important because it may cause the pump to be
starved of liquid.
Based on figure above write up the NPSH available for both cases:
CAVITATION

 Moreover, if the liquid contains gases, these may come

out of solution giving rise to pockets of gas. This
phenomenon is known as cavitation and may result in
mechanical damage to the pump as the bubbles
collapse.

 The tendency for cavitation to occur is accentuated by

any sudden changes in the magnitude or direction of
the velocity of the liquid in the pump. The onset of
cavitation is accompanied by a marked increase in noise
and vibration as the vapour bubbles collapse, and also a
loss of head.
CAVITATION

 In designing any installation in which a centrifugal pump

is used, careful attention must be paid to check the
minimum pressure which will arise at any point.

 If this pressure is less than the vapour pressure at the

pumping temperature, vaporisation will occur and the
pump may not be capable of developing the required
suction head.
CAVITATION
EXAMPLE 8.2

 A centrifugal pump is required to circulate a liquid of density 800

kg/m3 and viscosity 0.5 x 10-3 Ns/m2 from the reboiler of a
distillation column through a vaporiser at the rate of 0.004 m3/s,
and to introduce the superheated vapour above the vapour space
in the reboiler which contains a 0.07 m depth of liquid. If smooth-
bore 25 mm diameter pipe is to be used, the pressure of vapour in
the reboiler is 1 kN/m2 and the Net Positive Suction Head
required by the pump is 2 m of liquid, what is the minimum
height required between the liquid level in the reboiler and the
pump?
PUMPING EQUIPMENT FOR GASES-NEXT CLASS

 Essentially the same types of mechanical equipment

are used for handling gases and liquids, though the
details of the construction are different in the two cases.

 Over the normal range of operating pressures, the density

of a gas is considerably less than that of a liquid with
the result that higher speeds of operation can be employed
and lighter valves fitted to the delivery and suction
lines.

 Because of the lower viscosity of a gas there is a greater

tendency for leakage to occur, and therefore gas
compressors are designed with smaller clearances
between the moving parts.

 Fans, Blowers and compressors are used to increase

pressure and to cause the flow of air and other gases in
ducts and piping systems.
 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FANS, BLOWERS AND COMPRESSORS

 A fan is a gas pump with relatively low pressure

rise and high flow rate. Common examples
of fans are window fans, ceiling fans,
fans in computers and other electronics
equipment, radiator fans in cars.

 A blower is a gas pump with relatively moderate to high

pressure rise and moderate to high flow rate.
Common examples of blowers are leaf blowers, hair
dryers, air blowers in furnaces and automobile
ventilation systems.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FANS, BLOWERS AND COMPRESSORS

 A compressor is a gas pump designed to deliver a very

high pressure rise, typically at low to moderate flow
rates. Common examples of compressors are tire pumps,
refrigerator and air conditioner compressors.
Fans and rotary compressors
 Fans are used for the supply of gases at relatively low
pressures (<3.5 kN/m2), often at very high flowrates.

 They may be of the axial flow type in which the curved blades
directly impart an axial motion to the gas, or of the centrifugal
type.

 Centrifugal fans, which operate on the same principle as

centrifugal pumps for liquids, depend upon the conversion of
the kinetic energy of the gas into pressure energy and are capable
of developing somewhat higher pressures.
Fans and rotary compressors

 Rotary blowers are of the positive displacement type, and a

typical lobe-type of machine is shown in Figure 8.34.

 Machines of this type are capable of developing pressure

differentials of up to 100 kN/m2; they are made in a wide
range of sizes, with maximum throughputs of up to 20,000-
30,000 m3 /hr.
CENTRIFUGAL AND TURBOCOMPRESSORS

 These depend on the conversion of kinetic energy into

pressure energy. Fans are used for low pressures, and can
be made to handle very large quantities of gases.
 For the higher pressure ratios now in demand, multistage
centrifugal compressors are mainly used, particularly for
the requirements of high capacity chemical plants.
Figure 8.37: Multistage centrifugal compressor
 THE RECIPROCATING PISTON COMPRESSOR

 This type of compressor is the only one capable of developing very

high pressures, such as the pressure of 35 MN/m2 required in
the production of polyethylene.

 Compressors may be either single-stage, or multiple-stage where

very high pressures are required.

 A single stage two-cylinder unit is illustrated in Figure 8.38. The

cylinders are fitted with jackets through which cooling water is
circulated, and inter stage coolers are provided on multistage
compressors which may consist of anything from 2 to 12 stages.
THE RECIPROCATING PISTON COMPRESSOR

 Cooling is essential to avoid the effects of excessively

high temperatures on the mechanical operation of the
compressor, and in order to reduce the power requirements.

 The calculation of the power required for compression,

and how this is affected by clearance volume, is
considered in Section 8.3.4. With recent developments in
rotary compressors, the use of piston-type compressors
is generally restricted to applications where very high
pressures are required.
 In practice, it is not possible to expel the whole of the gas from the
cylinder at the end of the compression; the volume remaining in
the cylinder after the forward stroke of the piston is termed the
clearance volume. This clearance will have a significant effect on
the work done per cycle.

 The volume displaced by the piston is termed the swept

volume.

 Therefore the total volume of the cylinder is made up of the

clearance volume plus the swept volume.

 The clearance c is defined as the ratio of the clearance volume to the

swept volume.
COMPRESSION OF GASES- SINGLE STAGE COMPRESSION CYCLE- NO CLEARANCE.

POINT 1: The initial condition of the gas (P1, V1)

Line 1-2: The compression of gas to pressure P2, V2
Line 2-3: The expulsion of the gas at a constant P2
Line 3-4: A sudden reduction in the pressure in the
cylinder from P2 to P1, As the whole of the gas has been
expelled, this can be regarded as taking place instantaneously
Line 4-1: The suction stroke of the piston, during which volume V1
admitted at constant pressure P1

The work done by the compressor during each phase are given by:
TOTAL WORK DONE ON FLUID PER CYCLE- ideal Gas
COMPRESSION OF GASES-SINGLE STAGE COMPRESSION CYCLE-WITH CLEARANCE

Point 1: The initial condition of the gas (P1, V1)

Line 1-2: The compression of the gas to a pressure
P2 and volume V2
Line 2-3: Expulsion of gas at constant pressure P2,
so that the volume remaining in the
cylinder is V3
Line 3-4: An expansion of this residual gas to
the lower pressure P1 and volume V4
during the return stroke
Line 4-1: The introduction of fresh gas into the
the cylinder at constant pressure P1 The work done by the compressor during each
phase are given by:
 COMPRESSION OF GASES.

The work done per cycle is therefore;

TOTAL VOLUME

Where,
Vs= volume swept
C= clearance percentages/ratio
= isentropic ratio

TOTAL WORK DONE ON FLUID PER CYCLE

The factor known as theoretical volumetric efficiency and is a measure of

the effect of the clearance on an isentropic compression. Can be neglect since
gas is frequently cooled during compression, work done is less than calculated.
EXAMPLE 8.3

 A single-acting air compressor supplies 0.1 m3/s of air

measured at, 273 K and 101.3 kN/m2 which is compressed to
380 kN/m2 from 101.3 kN/m2. If the suction temperature is
289 K, the stroke is 0.25 m, and the speed is 4.0 Hz, what is
the cylinder diameter?

Assuming the cylinder clearance is 4 per cent and

compression and re-expansion are isentropic (y = 1.4), what
are the theoretical power requirements for the compression?