WHAT IS CENTRIFUGAL

PUMP?
WORKING MECHANISM OF A
CENTRIFUGAL PUMP
ADVANTEGAES AND
DISADVANTAGES OF
CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS
 Centrifugal pump works on the
principle that when a certain mass of
liquid is made to rotate along the impeller
from the central axis of rotation, it
impresses a centrifugal head. It causes the
water to move radially outwards at higher
velocity and causes the water to rise to a
higher level. The motion of water is
restricted by casing of pump, it result into
pressure build up. In addition , the change
in angular momentum of liquid during its
fiow reults into increase in pressure head.

The steps involved in operation of

centrifugal pump are as follows :

1.The delivery valve is closed.

2.The priming of the pump is carried out.

Priming involves the filling the liquid in
suction pipe and casing upto the level of
delivery valve so that no air pockets are
left in the system.
if any air or gas pockets are left in this
portion of pump, it may result into no
delivery of liquid by the pump.
3. The pump shaft and impeller is now
rotated with the help of an external
source of power like a motor or any
other prime mover.
The rotation of impeller inside a
casing full of liquid produces a forced
vortex which is responsible in
imparting the centrifugal head to the
liquid. It creates a vaccum at the eye
of impeller and causes liquid to rise
into suction pipe from the sump.

4. The speed of impeller should be

sufficient to produce the centrifugal
head such that it can initiate
discharge from delivery pipe.

5. Now the delivery valve is opened and

the liquid is lifted and discharge
through the delivery pipe due to its
high pressure.
Thus the liquid is continously
sucked from the sump to impeller eye
and it is delivered from the casing of
pump through the delivery pipe.

6. Before stopping the pump, it is

:- The operation of filling the
casing , impeller and suction pipe
and the portion of delivery pump
upto delivery valve is called
priming.

:- In case the priming of

pump is not done and the pump is
not done and the pump is not under
the operation, the water present in
the pump and suction pipe will flow
back to the sump. The space
occupied by water will be filled by air.
:- If the pump is now started,
the air pockets inside the impeller
may give rise to vortices and cause
the discontinuity of flow. Under
these condition, the flow of fluid
does not commence and the pump
runs dry. It causes the rubbing and
seizing of the wearing rings,
increases noise level and vibrations
and finally may cause the serious
damage to pump.

:- The priming in resiprocating

pumps is not required since the
pumping is done by positively
moving the fluid out of the cylinder
by the piston. Hence, the air will be
displaced from the casing when the
pump starts and it will get a suction
pressure which will draw the fluid
from the sump.
Priming for small pumps is
done by hand

:- A foot valve is essential at

the bottom of suction pipe
:- A funnel or priming cup is
provided to fill the water by
hand. An air vent is provided
in the casing of pump. When
the water is filled, the air
escapes through the air vent.
It is closed once the priming
is completed
 Convert the mechanical
energy into hydraulic
energy by centrifugal
force on the liquid
 Constitute the most
common type of
pumping machinery
 Used to move liquids
through a piping system
 Has two main
components:
1. Stationary
componets, casing,
casing cover and
bearings
2. Rotating components,
impeller and shaft
 Classified into three
categories ; Radial Flow,
Mixed Flow, Axial Flow
 Simplest piece of
equipment in any
process plant
 Energy changes
occur by virtue of
impeller and volute
 Liquid is fed into the
pump at the center of
a rotating impeller
and thrown outward
by centrifugal force
 The conversion of
kinetic energy into
pressure energy
supplies the pressure
difference between Liquid flow path
the suction side and inside a
delivery side of the centrifugal pump
pump
Advantages

 Simple in construction and cheap

 Handle liquid with large amounts
of solids
 No metal to metal fits
 No valves involved in pump
operation
 Maintenance costs are lower
Disadvantages

 Cannot handle highly viscous fluids

efficiently
 Cannot be operated at high heads
 Maximum efficiency holds over a
narrow range of conditions
 •The power supplied to the pump:

…………(1)

Where m=mass flow rate, kg/s

H= total discharge head,
N.m/kg
=efficiency
•The power delivered to the fluid:

…………(2)

•From equations (1) and (2) efficiency:

 Q
n q n  3 4
H
nq is the specific speed for a unit machine that
is geometric similar to a machine with the head
Hq = 1 m and flow rate Q = 1 m3/s

ns 51,55 nq
Three basic
components:
Volute,
casing, body
 or Diffuser
Impeller
 or impellers
Driver
(motor)
 Direction of
rotation

Vanes

Centrifugal Pumps
Single suction impeller

Centrifugal Pumps
• Open
• Semi-open
• Closed
- Single suction
- Double suction
• Non-clogging
• Axial flow
• Mixed flow

Centrifugal Pumps
Maximum efficiency lies in the
range:
2000<NS<3000
High head, low capacity
pumps:
500<NS<1000
Low head, large capacity
pumps:
NS>15000
 V
V
s
r
Vt

Vr = Radial Velocity

Rotation Vt = Tangential Velocity

Vs = Vector Sum Velocity

Impeller

Blades
Centrifugal Pumps
Arrows represent the
direction of water flow Discharge
Nozzle

Cutwater

Suction Eye

Centrifugal Pumps
 • 26 sizes
– To 4400 gpm
– To 520 ft TDH
– To 150 HP To
8”x10”
– General
Purpose
Motor

Series
Series1510
1510

Centrifugal Pumps
 – 37 sizes
– To 12500 gpm
– To 840 ft TDH
– To 1000 HP
– To 14”x18”
– General
Purpose Motor

Bell
Bell&&Gossett
Gossett
Series
SeriesHSC
HSC

Centrifugal Pumps
Typical Split Case Pump-
Section View

Centrifugal Pumps
Series
SeriesVSC
VSC

– 17 sizes Series
SeriesVSC
VS
– To 8000 gpm
– To 400 ft TDH
– To 600 HP
– To 12”x14”
– General Purpose
Motor

Centrifugal Pumps
Standard construction, any
impeller
Mechanical seal
Internally flushed, seal
cavity
Variety of seal materials
Stuffing box construction, any
impeller
External flush lines
Compression packing
rings
Single flushed
mechanical seal
Centrifugal Pumps
Standard construction, any
impeller
 Mechanical seal
 Internally flushed, seal cavity
 Variety of seal materials

Centrifugal Pumps
Temperature of the flushing
water.
 225ºF to 250ºF
System pH.
 7 to 9 for ceramic seals
 up to 11 for tungsten carbide seals
Concentration of dissolved solids.
 TDS less than 1000 ppm
Concentration of suspended
solids.
 Less than 20 ppm
 Silica, less than 10 ppm

Centrifugal Pumps
 Stuffing box construction,
any impeller
 External flush lines
Internal or External Fluid
 Compression packing rings
 Single flushed mechanical seal

Centrifugal Pumps
 Impeller
 Single suction or double
suction.
Volutes
 Base mounted or in-line.
Internally flushed or
stuffing box.
Single stage or multi
stage.
Packing, seal or wet rotor.

Centrifugal Pumps
 5 dia.

RIGHT WRONG

1. Pipe supported 1. Pipe weight

2. Length of hangs on
suction piping pump flange.
allows even 2. Short suction
impeller pipe results in
loading uneven
impeller
Centrifugal Pumps
loading.
Single Suction
Impeller

Centrifugal Pumps
The amount of fluid

The properties of the fluid

Type of power supply

Cost and mechanical efficiency of the

pump