jtIntroduction

Centrifugal pump is the most common pump used for pumping water in industrial applications.0. It is
used in many industries such as chemical plants and refineries for pumping water, acids, combustible
liquids, caustics, and other fluids. They also play a vital role in wastewater treatment systems for
irrigation purposes, flood protection services and gas systems.0. This type of pump is economical and
easy to operate. Centrifugal pumps consist of an impeller, casing, casing cover, and bearings. [Link] fluid
is fed on the suction side of an impeller rotating at high speeds. The rotating impeller converts kinetic
energy into pressure or velocity required to pump the fluid. The rotating impeller forces the fluid to
move radically outward with an aid of a stationary diffuser. The rigid housing directs around the impeller
directs the fluid around the inside of the housing and out of the pump through the discharge side. The
operation of a centrifugal pump is based on centrifugal force, which is a force that pushes fluid away
from the center of a pump in a tangential direction.

The rigid housing (volute) is designed to convert the velocity head of the liquid into pressure head. [Link]
rotating impeller converts electrical energy into mechanical rotational energy, to supply torque to the
pump shaft. However, not all electrical energy is translated to mechanical energy, this is due to the losses
in the motor. Also, not all mechanical energy is translated into fluid pressure head, this is due to the
losses in the pump. The strength of a centrifugal pump is determined by its efficiency. Pump efficiency is
defined as the ration of useful hydraulic power delivered to the fluid to the power input at the drive
shaft. Centrifugal pumps are not 100% efficient, this is due to the friction in the casing.

0.A practical was conducted using a centrifugal pump to determine the pump characteristic curves for a
centrifugal pump running at a speed of 1450 rpm for two different impeller diameters (128 mm and 140
mm). The head curves and pump efficiency curves must be determined for the two impeller sizes and
also the impact of changing impeller sizing.

This presentation is divided into 4 sections namely, introduction which I have already covered, theory
which would be covered by …, results and discussion which would be covered by …, and lastly I would be
back to conclude on everything covered. Over to you Mr.

A brief discussion of the working principle of the centrifugal pump was discussed in the introduction by
Mr... This section will however look at the working principle of centrifugal pump into more detail. Figure
1 here shows the inside of a centrifugal pump. The fluid enters the suction side into the impeller eye.
The opposite side impeller of the eye is fused through a drive shaft and is rotated at high speeds. The
rotating impeller accelerates the fluid out through the impeller vanes into the pump casing (volute
casing). The rotating impeller converts kinetic energy into pressure or velocity required to pump the
fluid. The rigid housing around the impeller directs the fluid around the inside of the housing and out of
the pump through the discharge side.

The purpose of the volute casing is to control the discharge flow of the fluids. To ensure that the flow is
controlled, the volute is curved with an increasing surface area towards the pump discharge. This thus
increases the fluid pressure. The increased fluid pressure will increase the pressure head which will in
turn increase the velocity of the fluid. With high pressure and velocity, the fluid is thus discharged from
the pump outlet into the desired location.
We will now look at Factors affecting the performance of centrifugal pump.

The performance of centrifugal pumps is affected by several factors such as:

• Pump speed – Increasing the pump speed, increases the pumps efficiency resulting in a good
performing pump.

• Impeller diameter – A bigger impeller diameter will result in a high rotational speed pump. This
will in turn increase the head of the pump and increases the efficiency of the pump.

• Fluid viscosity – a larger fluid viscosity will reduce the pumps efficiency by lowering the pump
head and the flowrate.

The performance of a centrifugal pump is determined by pump characteristic curves. The pump
characteristics curves are the head curve, the power curve, and the efficiency curve. Figure 2 here
depicts the theoretical pump characteristics curves.

The head curve depicts the relationship between head created by the pump and the volume of the fluid
per unit time. Ideally, the pump head decreases with an increase in the volumetric flowrate of the fluid.
However, the head of the pump depends on the speed. For radial flow impellers, the head reduces
slowly and drops quickly as the discharge increases from zero.

The power curve depicts the relationship between the shaft power and the volumetric flowrate of the
fluid. The power curve depends on the speed and impeller design. The power increases continuously
with an increase in the fluid flow.

The pump efficiency curve shows the relation between the pump efficiency and the volume of fluid per
unit time. Pump efficiency gradually increases with an increase in the volumetric flowrate of the fluid
from zero, then decreases with a further increase in the volumetric flowrate of the fluid.

The relationship between the variables involved in pump performance (speed, impeller diameter) are
expressed by the affinity laws. Affinity laws are used to predict what effect speed or impeller diameter
changes have on centrifugal pump. Affinity laws state that for the same impeller diameter, if the pump
speed is changed, flow rate is directly proportional to the speed, whereas the head is directly
proportional to the square of the speed.

May we now look at Major equations used.

To determine the head of the pump, the following equation was used:

∆H = (P_d-P_s)/ρg Eqn 1

Where ∆H = head of the pump (m)

ρ = density of the fluid (1000 kg/m3)

Pd = discharge pressure (Pa)

Ps = suction pressure (Pa)

The electrical power was found using the equation below:

Pe = I × V Eqn 2

Where Pe = electrical power (W)

I = current (A)

V = potential difference (V)

The shaft power was calculated using the following equation:

Ps = Pe - ML Eqn 3

Where Ps = shaft power (W)

Pe = electrical power (W)

ML = motor loss (W)

The motor efficiency was determined using the following equation:

η = P_s/P_e Eqn 4

Where η = motor efficiency

Ps = shaft power (W)

Pe = electrical power (W)

I will now call upon Mr… to show us the results obtained.

The head curve on figure 3 here depicts the relation between the pump head (m) and the volumetric
flowrate (m3/hr) at a pump speed of 1450 rpm on pump 1 and 2 with impeller diameters of 140 mm and
128 mm, respectively. It is observed from the graphs that the fluids volumetric flowrate increases with a
decrease in the pump head. This trend is observed on both graphs for pump 1 and 2. For pump 1 (140
mm), when the volumetric flowrate increased from 1.5 to 3 m3/hr, the pump head decreased from 8.15
to 7.95 m. For pump 2 (128 mm), when the volumetric flowrate increased from 4.5 to 6 m3/hr, the pump
head decreased from 6.32 to 6.01 m. Therefore, the pump head is inversely proportional to the
volumetric flowrate.

The pump head of pump 1 which has an impeller diameter of 140 mm is greater than the pump head of
pump 2 which has an impeller diameter of 128 mm at the same pump speed of 1450 rpm. This is due to
the difference in the impeller diameters. The greater the impeller diameter, the greater the distance the
fluid can travel. Increasing the impeller diameter results in an increase in the pump head.
An increase in the impeller diameter of a pump leads to an increase in the rotational speed of the pump.
Ideally, pump 1 has a higher rotational speed than pump 2 due to the difference in impeller diameters.
This is according to the Affinity laws stated in the theory section by Mr …. An increase in the pumps
rotational speed will result in a pump with a greater head compared to a pump with a low speed.
Therefore, pump speed is directly proportional to pump head. The results obtained are according to
theory, since it is evident from the graphs that the pump with a greater impeller diameter will produce a
bigger head. This is in line with what was anticipated from the theory section.

Let us now look at Figure 4 The efficiency curve here depicts the relation between the pump efficiency
(%) and the volumetric flowrate (m3/hr) at a pump speed of 1450 rpm for pump 1 and 2 with impeller
diameters of 140 mm and 128 mm, respectively. From the curve above, it is observed when the
volumetric flowrate increased, the pump efficiency increased also Therefore, pump efficiency is directly
proportional to pump speed. But when the volumetric flowrate was 9 m3/s the pump efficiency for both
pump 1 and 2 decreased. Going from 76,44 to 69.65% for pump 1 and from 67,47 to 48,27% for pump 2.
Theoretically, increasing the impeller diameter results in an increase in the pump efficiency. This is
because the bigger the impeller diameter, the higher the rotational speed therefore the greater the shaft
power which results in high efficiency. Pump 1 is expected to have a greater efficiency compared to
pump 2 due to it having a bigger diameter. However, when the volumetric flowrate reaches 9 m3/s the
efficiency tends to start decreasing to lower values.

An increase in pump speed results in an increase in pump efficiency. The bigger the impeller diameter,
the higher the rotational speed, the greater the efficiency. Therefor this data is in line with what was
anticipated in the theory.

Mr… will then wrap up everything.

On the centrifugal pump practical conducted to determine the pump characteristic curve for two
centrifugal pumps running at 1450rpm at two different impeller sizes. The head curves and efficiency
curves were determined. For the head curves, all the results obtained were according to theory. Pump 1
had a high head compared to pump 2. That proved that an increase in pump diameter will result in a
greater pump head. And for the efficiency curve, the results obtained were also according to theory.
Pump 1 reached a higher efficiency compared to pump 2 but much higher flowrate caused a decrease in
efficiency, so it is wise to control your flowrate to obtain the point of best efficiency. This proved that an
increase in pump diameter will results in greater pump efficiency. To increase the accuracy of the results,
maintenance should be conducted on the units as rusty pump benches pose a great friction towards the
fluid due to the rusts in the unit.