INTRODUCTION TO PUMP
CHARACTERISTICS
Fluid Mechanics Laboratory
Mechanical Engineering TU822-2
Student Name:
Ross Coatsworth, C22790005, Group A
I hereby certify that this material, which I now submit for assessment is entirely my own work
and has not been submitted for assessment for any other academic purpose.
Date of Laboratory Session: 30/11/23
Date of Laboratory Submission: 22/12/23
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Abstract............................................................................................................................... 2
2. Introduction......................................................................................................................... 2
3. Methodology....................................................................................................................... 2
3.1 Description of Apparatus............................................................................................. 2
3.2 Experimental Procedure................................................................................................ 3
4. Results................................................................................................................................. 4
5. Discussion........................................................................................................................... 8
6. Conclusion.......................................................................................................................... 8
List of Figures
Figure 1: FM51 Series and Parallel Pump Demonstration Unit......................................................
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Figure 2: Plot of head loss against flow rate................................................................................... 7
Figure 3: Plot of pump power against flow rate............................................................................ 7
Figure 4: Plot of efficiency against flow rate.................................................................................. 7
List of Tables
Table 1: Results Group A………………………………………....................................................
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1
ABSTRACT
The use of pumps is a major aspect of fluids in industry. The objective of this experiment was to
investigate the relationship between flow rate and a variety of factors such as pump power, head
and efficiency. The calculations for this experiment were don using Matlab to use the results and
calculate the required variables as efficiently as possible. The use of Matlab is a superior way to
calculating the variables by hand as it speeds up the process by being able to take in a wide range
of data and calculate at a time. It can also be a more accurate way of calculating the required
variables as if the equations are input correctly there is very little chance of errors when
calculating. The corresponding graphs were then created and analysed using Matlab to allow for
a clear image of the relationships that were investigated in this experiment.
INTRODUCTION
Pumps fall into two main categories. These categories are positive displacement pumps and
rotodynamic pumps. In positive displacement pumps a fixed volume of fluid is forced from one
chamber to another by reducing the volume. In contrast rotodynamic pumps generate momentum
in a fluid in order to propel the fluid into the other chamber or outlet.
The FM51 pump used in the experiment is a rotodynamic pump and an example of a twin
centrifugal pump. This pump is best suited where there is no debris in the liquid and only a small
head change is required. The energy supplied from the motor of a centrifugal pump is first
converted to kinetic energy and then into potential energy.
During the experiment, properties such as head, flow rate and pump power were investigated.
The intention was to explore the relationships between these variables by varying the flow rate of
the system. The data collected from this experiment was analysed using Matlab to gain insight
into the efficiency and behaviour of the pump whilst the configurations varied.
METHODOLOGY
Description of apparatus:
The apparatus contains a tank and pipes that run to and from two identical pumps. The contains a variety
of sensors which measure the variables for the experiment. These sensors then send signals to a computer
where the data will be logged for calculations.
This piece of equipment allows the user to vary the outlet pressure and hence the flow rate in the system
and also allows the user to change the pump speed so that data can be collected for a wider range of
parameters. This system also allows for a variety of operations including single pump, series pump and
parallel pump operations. An image of the pump used in this experiment can be found below:
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Procedure:
Set up apparatus and using the associated software, set pump 1 to 80%.
Allow the water to circulate in the system until all the air has been flushed from the system.
Close the gate valve to give a flow rate of zero.
Record the sensor readings and pump settings on the results table in the software.
Give a low flow rate by opening the gate valve then allow the flow to stabilise before recording
the data.
Continue to open the gate valve in small increments, allowing the flow to stabilise before
recording the data.
Reduce the pump speed to 0% using the software before saving the results to an excel file.
Import the results from excel to Matlab and use them to calculate and plot the results.
RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
Import Data from Table
opts = spreadsheetImportOptions("NumVariables", 11);
% Specify sheet and range
[Link] = "Run 1";
[Link] = "A2:K10";
% Specify column names and types
[Link] = ["x", "SampleNumber", "PumpSettingS___", "PumpSpeedN_rpm_",
"WaterTemperatureT__C_", "InletPressureP0_kPa_", "Pump1PressureP1_kPa_",
"Motor1TorqueT_Nm_", "FlowRateQ_l_s_", "OperatingMode", "DensityOfWaterRho_kg_m__"];
[Link] = ["SampleNumber", "PumpSettingS___", "PumpSpeedN_rpm_",
"WaterTemperatureT__C_", "InletPressureP0_kPa_", "Pump1PressureP1_kPa_",
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"Motor1TorqueT_Nm_", "FlowRateQ_l_s_", "OperatingMode", "DensityOfWaterRho_kg_m__"];
[Link] = ["char", "string", "double", "double", "double", "double", "double", "double",
"double", "categorical", "double"];
% Specify variable properties
opts = setvaropts(opts, ["x", "SampleNumber"], "WhitespaceRule", "preserve");
opts = setvaropts(opts, ["x", "SampleNumber", "OperatingMode"], "EmptyFieldRule", "auto");
% Import the data
Results_Group_A = readtable("/MATLAB Drive/Results_Group_A.xlsx", opts, "UseExcel", false)
Results_Group_A = 9x10 table
Sample Pump Pump Water Inlet Pump1 Motor1 Flow Operating Density
Number Setting Speed Temperature Pressure Pressure Torque Rate Mode Of Water
1 "1" 100 1800 22.4000 2.8273 96.4579 0.6307 0 Single 997.6428
2 "2" 100 1800 22.7000 2.4739 91.3838 0.6771 0.2307 Single 997.5756
3 "3" 100 1800 22.8500 2.6254 89.3138 0.7281 0.4999 Single 997.5416
4 "4" 100 1800 22.7500 2.4234 86.1078 0.8456 0.7691 Single 997.5643
5 "5" 100 1800 22.8500 2.2720 86.8651 0.8131 0.7884 Single 997.5416
6 "6" 100 1800 22.6000 1.9690 81.0589 0.8642 0.9807 Single 997.5981
7 "7" 100 1800 22.3500 2.4739 76.8432 0.9445 1.2114 Single 997.6539
8 "8" 100 1800 22.5000 1.2117 62.3530 1.0157 1.4421 Single 997.6205
9 "9" 100 1800 22.5500 1.9690 57.4557 1.0497 1.6921 Single 997.6093
Clear Variables and Initialise Units
clear opts
u = symunit;
System Parameters
g = 9.81*(u.m/u.s^2);
Inlet_Diameter = 23.5*[Link];
Outlet_Diameter = 17.5*[Link];
Inlet_Z = 0.0*u.m;
Outlet_Z = 0.075*u.m;
Inlet_Diameter_SI = unitConvert(Inlet_Diameter,"SI");
Outlet_Diameter_SI = unitConvert(Outlet_Diameter,"SI");
Collected Data
Inlet_Pressure = Results_Group_A.InletPressureP0_kPa_*[Link];
Outlet_Pressure = Results_Group_A.Pump1PressureP1_kPa_*[Link];
Motor_Torque = Results_Group_A.Motor1TorqueT_Nm_*(u.N*u.m);
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Motor_Speed = Results_Group_A.PumpSpeedN_rpm_*([Link]);
Flow_Rate = Results_Group_A.FlowRateQ_l_s_*([Link]/u.s);
rho = Results_Group_A.DensityOfWaterRho_kg_m__*([Link]/u.m^3);
Flow_Rate_SI = unitConvert(Flow_Rate,"SI");
Motor_Speed_SI = unitConvert(Motor_Speed,"SI");
Calculated Results
Inlet_Area = (pi*Inlet_Diameter_SI^2)/4;
Outlet_Area = (pi*Outlet_Diameter_SI^2)/4;
Inlet_Velocity = vpa(Flow_Rate_SI/Inlet_Area,4);
Outlet_Velocity = vpa(Flow_Rate_SI/Outlet_Area,4);
Inlet Head
H_inlet = vpa(unitConvert(Inlet_Pressure./(rho*g) + Inlet_Velocity.^2/(2.*g) + Inlet_Z,"SI"),4);
Outlet Head
H_outlet = vpa(unitConvert(Outlet_Pressure./(rho*g) + Outlet_Velocity.^2/(2*g) + Outlet_Z,"SI"),4);
Pump Head
H_Pump = vpa(H_outlet -H_inlet,4);
Mechanical Power
Power_Mechanical = vpa(unitConvert(Motor_Torque .* Motor_Speed_SI,"SI",'derived')/[Link],4);
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Hydraulic Power
Power_Hydraulic = vpa(unitConvert(rho.*g.*H_Pump.*Flow_Rate_SI,"SI",'derived'),4);
Pump Efficiency
Efficiency = vpa((Power_Hydraulic./Power_Mechanical)*100,4);
Separate Results
[Flow_Rate_data,Flow_Rate_units] = separateUnits(Flow_Rate);
[H_Pump_data,H_Pump_units] = separateUnits(H_Pump);
[Power_Mechanical_data,Power_Mechanical_units] = separateUnits(Power_Mechanical);
Plot Results
tiledlayout(5,1);
nexttile([3,1])
plot(Flow_Rate_data, H_Pump_data,'*-');
grid
xlabel('Flow Rate (L/s)')
ylabel('Flow Rate (m)')
xticks(0:0.1:1.8)
yticks(7:0.5:10)
nexttile
plot(Flow_Rate_data, Power_Mechanical_data,'s-')
grid
xlabel('Flow Rate (L/s)')
ylabel({'Pump Power','(W)'})
xticks(0:0.1:1.8)
yticks(7:0.5:10)
nexttile
plot(Flow_Rate_data, Efficiency,'-')
grid
xlabel('Flow Rate (L/s)')
ylabel('Efficiency')
xticks(0:0.1:1.8)
yticks(7:0.5:10)
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Plots
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DISCUSSION
Matlab was an effective way to calculate the required data from the results table. Using Matlab it would
be possible to use a lot more data to calculate results with greater accuracy and it is also a far more
efficient method than calculating the results by hand. From the results, calculations and plots, insight into
the pump’s behaviour and relationships could be seen. The aim of this procedure was to understand the
behavior of the pump while varying the conditions of the pump. It was mainly focused on conditions like
flow rate, head, power and efficiency. The relationships that were seen from performing this experiment
can be seen below.
Relationship between flow rate and head loss - The plot of flow rate against head loss gave us
greater insight into the performance and behaviour of the pump. It was seen that when the flow
rate was increased, it resulted in an increase in head loss. This relationship was expected as an
increase in flow rate will result in greater energy losses. These losses can be caused by a variety
of factors such as friction.
Relationship between pump power and flow rate - The plot of pump power against flow rate
indicated how the power required by the pump changed as the flow rate was altered. The straight
line in the plot shows that the relationship between pump power and flow rate is proportional.
Relationship between efficiency and flow rate - The efficiency against flow rate plot shows the
relationship between efficiency and flow rate. From the plot it can be seen that efficiency
increases as the flow rate increases.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion the investigation of pump characteristics has given a greater understanding of the
performance and behaviour of a pump while altering conditions such as the flow rate. This
laboratory experiment led to a better understanding of aspects like flow rate, head, efficiency,
and power consumption.
This experiment holds value in industry as the efficiency and head loss are important factors in
relation to fluids. The key errors that could be made during this experiment are human errors
when calculating the code as small mistakes can be hard to find and resulted in a false graph.
Overall, this experiment was completed to an appropriate standard with results found to be
accurate.