Course Name: FLUID MECHANICS-II
Course Code: CH-211
Course Teacher: Engr. Ahmed Ullah
Department: Chemical Engineering
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Lecture-4 Topics
•Net Positive Suction Head
Calculations
•Pump Operating Point
Determination
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Net Positive Suction Head
(NPSH) Calculations
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Applying Bernoulli’s Equation between Points (1) and (2):
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Solving above two equations, we get:
Or expressed in terms of heads, the above equation can
be written as:
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Numerical
A centrifugal pump is to be placed above a large, open water tank, as
shown in figure, and is to pump water at a rate of 0.5 ft3/sec. At this flow
rate the required net positive suction head, NPSHR, is 15 ft, as specified
by the pump’s manufacturer. The water temperature is 80 0F and
atmospheric pressure is 14.7 psi. Assume that the major head loss
between the tank and the pump inlet is due to filter at the pipe inlet
having a minor loss coefficient KL = 20. Other losses can be neglected. The
pipe on the suction side of the pump has an inside diameter of 4 inches.
Determine the maximum height that the pump can be located above the
water surface without cavitation.
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Solution
Maximum value for z1 will be when
Since the head loss is the only considered loss
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To determine specific weight and vapour pressure refer to the
following table at 80 0F
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Comment:
The pump should not be located higher than 7.65 ft to prevent
cavitation.
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Numerical
Determine the available NPSHA for the system shown in the figure.
The fluid reservoir is a closed tank with a pressure of -20 kPa above
water at 70°C. The atmospheric pressure is 100.5 kPa. The water
level in the tank is 2.5 m above the pump inlet. The pipe is a DN 40
Schedule 40 steel pipe with a total length of 12 m. The elbow is
standard and the valve is a fully open globe valve. The flow rate is
95 L/min. Then calculate the maximum allowable NPSHR for the
pump in this system.
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Solution
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To determine and vapour
pressure refer to this figure at
700C
Combining these terms
We can compute the maximum NPSH of the pump
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Pump Operating Point
System Characteristic Curve
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Pump Operating Point
Pump's Curve System's Curve
Total Head
OP
hACT
ho =Static head for system
OP =Operating point
QACT =Actual flow rate in system
ho
hACT = Actual total head in system
Flow rate QACT
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Numerical
Water is to be pumped from one large, open tank to a second large, open
tank as shown in the figure. The pipe diameter throughout is 6 inches
and the total length of the pipe between the pipe entrance and the exit
is 200 ft. Minor loss coefficients for the entrance, exit, and the elbow are
shown, and the friction factor for the pipe can be assumed constant and
equal to 0.02. A certain centrifugal pump having the performance
characteristics shown in table below is suggested as a good pump for this
flow system. Find with this pump, what would be the flow rate between
the tanks?
Flow rate
0 400 800 1200 1600 2000
(gal/min)
Head (ft) 88.5 86 80.5 73 64 52.5
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Drawing the pump characteristic curve corresponding to the
given data we get:
Flow rate
0 400 800 1200 1600 2000
(gal/min)
Head (ft) 88.5 86 80.5 73 64 52.5
Pump Performance Curve
100 88.5 86
80.5
80 73
64
60 52.5
Head (ft)
40
20
0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500
Flow rate (gal/min)
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Applying Bernoulli’s equation between points (1) and (2), we get:
Here p1 = p2 = 0,V1 =V2 = 0, z2 - z1= 10 ft
Substituting values we get
“V” can be related to Q as:
Replacing V by Q in Eq.(1) we get
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Where ha is in ft and Q is in ft3/s
Converting the coefficient of Q to accommodate units of flow rate in
gal/min, we finally deduce the equation of the system’s restriction
curve
Now we need to draw the above curve on to the pump characteristic curve
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Flow rate (gal/min) 0 400 800 1200 1600 2000
ha = 10+2.2 x 10-5Q2
10 13.5 24 41.7 66.3 98
(ft)
Determination of Pump Operating Point
Pump's Curve System's Curve
120
98
100 88.5
86
80.5
80 73
64
Head (ft)
60 52.5
41.7 66.3
40
24
20 10 13.5
0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500
Q = 1600 gal/min at an
Flow rate (gal/min)
actual head of
approximately 65 ft. Engr Ahmed Ullah
Specific Speed
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Specific Speed
The speed of an ideal pump geometrically similar
to the actual pump, which when running at this
speed will raise a unit of volume, in a unit of time
through a unit of head.
Formula
N = the speed of the pump
Q = the flow rate
H = the total head
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Usefulness of Specific Speed
•To select the shape of the pump’s curve
•To determine the efficiency of the pump
•To predict N.P.S.H. requirements using Suction Specific
Speed
•To select the lowest cost pump
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