Net Positive

Suction Head
&
Cavitation
• Engr. Kshirod Mohan Bose
• Executive Engineer
• Ghorashal Power Station
• Mobile: 01711076856
• [email protected]
Boiling point
~ Altitude
• When altitude increases,
pressure decreases, and
water may boil at
temperature below
100°C.
• On every 27mmHg of
atmospheric pressure
increase, the boiling
point of water will
decrease 1°C.
 T (°C) Ps (ata) Ps (kPa)
Vapor Pressure 0 0.0062 0.6113
5 0.0089 0.8726
Water vaporizing is
related to the 10 0.0125 1.2281
temperature and also 15 0.0174 1.7056
pressure. 20 0.0238 2.3388
25 0.0323 3.1690
30 0.0432 4.2455
40 0.0752 7.3814
Note: 80 0.4829 47.3730
1 ata = 10,0 m H2O 100 1.0332 101.3200
1 kPa = 101.97 mm H2O
120 2.0245
160 6.302
 ABSOLUTE PRESSURE VS BOILING POINT OF WATER
140

121
120 114
109
106
100 102
100
89

80
Boiling Point (oC)

80
67

60
52

40
40
27

18
20

0
0
0 50 100 150 200 250
Absolute Pressure (kPa)
Pump engineer always have to consider
NPSHr and NPSHa
The low pressure at the suction side of a pump can encounter the
fluid to start boiling with
• reduced efficiency
• cavitation
• damage
of the pump as a result. Boiling starts when the pressure in the
liquid is reduced to the vapor pressure of the fluid at the actual
temperature.
Pressure Drops
on The Impeller
 PG
Pressure

PG

Eye

Suction Discharge
Available Vapor Pressure
NPSH Suction Head

Position
 PG

H PG
1

Suction Discharge
Eye
Calculation for Energy of suction side
• Static Head
• Pressre at suction side, 𝑃 = 𝐻𝜌𝑔
𝑃
• Head, 𝐻 =
𝜌𝑔
𝑃𝑎
• Atmospheric Head, 𝐻𝑎 =
𝜌𝑔
H
1 𝑉2
• Velocity Head, 𝐻𝑉 =
2𝑔
𝑃 𝑃𝑎 𝑉2
• Absolute Head, 𝐻𝐴 = + +
𝜌𝑔 𝜌𝑔 2𝑔
 𝑃 𝑃𝑎 𝑉2
• Absolute Head, 𝐻𝐴 = + +
𝜌𝑔 𝜌𝑔 2𝑔
𝑃𝑣
• Vapor Pressure, 𝐻𝑣 =
𝜌𝑔
• To avoid cavitation, suction head must be above Vapor Pressure
𝑃 𝑃𝑎 𝑉2 𝑃𝑣
So, + + − >0
𝜌𝑔 𝜌𝑔 2𝑔 𝜌𝑔
𝑃 𝑃𝑎 𝑉2 𝑃𝑣
Or, + + >
𝜌𝑔 𝜌𝑔 2𝑔 𝜌𝑔
NPSHR
Delivery valve full Open
PG

H 2

PG
1

Suction
Throttled by Suction Discharge
valve by closing Eye
 PG
Pressure

PG

Eye

Suction Discharge
Available Vapor Pressure
Suction Head

Position
• It is determined at factory
• Tested up to 3% decrease of Total delivery
Cavitation and Implosion
NPSH Term
• NPSHr : Required net positive suction head to avoid
pump performance drop caused by cavitation.
• NPSHa : Available net positive suction head at
reference level of impeller inlet calculated by that total
suction head minus absolute vapor pressure of the
liquid.
• When NPSHR becomes larger than NPSHA, cavitation
occurs. The cavitation affects badly to pump and
pipings as shown before.

By this, the engineer should know how much

margin before the liquid becomes vapor.
NPSH3 = NPSHr when the total head of pump
1 stage drops 3%
st
 Calculate the NPSHa @ 25°C
Vapor Pressure 0.3m @ 25°C

NPSHa
= 10.3 – 0.3 – 1 – 5
=4m
Atm.
Press.
1 atm =
10.3 m H2O Losses 1m
Reference
Line
Suction Lift
- 5m
 Calculate the NPSHa @ 80°C

Vapor Pressure 4.8m @ 80°C

Atm. NPSHa
Press. = 10.3 – 4.8 – 1 – 1
1 atm = = 3.5 m
10.3 m H2O
Losses 1m
Reference
Line
Suction Lift
- 1m
 Calculate the NPSHa @ 25°C
Positive Suction & Pressurized Tank
Vapor Pressure @ 80°C
4.8m
Pressure Tank
2 bar = 20.4m H2O NPSHa
= 20.4 + 3 – 4.8 – 2
= 16.6m

Height of water
Surface Losses
3m 2m
Reference
Line
 Calculate the NPSHa @ 120°C
Suction Tank in which Saturated Vapor Pressure Acts

Pressure acts Vapor Pressure

On liquid surface 21.47m
21.47m

Height of water NPSHa

Surface 8m = 8 +21.47 – 21.47 – 3
=5m

Losses
3m
Thank You