Basic Pump Fundamentals

Introduction Centrifugal pumps are used to increase pressure in a liquid for the purpose of transporting the liquid through piping and other devices for use in an industrial  process. With the higher pressure, the liquid can be transported in short or long pipelines for delivery to an ultimate destination. Examples include water pipelines, refined petroleum and crude oil pipelines. The pressure generated by the pump is gradually depleted as the liquid flows through the pipeline, due to friction in the pipe, as well as any elevation increase from the point of origin to the destination point. The liquid as it enters the pump has a certain amount of energy, due to its initial pressure (pressure energy), position (potential energy) and its velocity (kinetic energy). The potential energy depends on the location of the liquid from some datum, such as sea level. The kinetic energy is due to the motion of the liquid. The sum of three components is the total energy of the liquid. As the liquid comes out of the pump, energy is imparted by the rotating element (impeller) in the pump and the liquid pressure increases. The velocity of the liquid also changes from that at the pump inlet. In a centrifugal pump, the liquid is accelerated by centrifugal force during its passage through the rotating pump impeller and, finally at the exit, the kinetic energy is converted to pressure energy as it exits the pump volute into the discharge piping.

Introduction Centrifugal pumps basically consist of a stationary pump casing and an impeller mounted on a rotating shaft. The pump casing provides a pressure boundary for the pump and contains channels to properly direct the suction and discharge flow. The pump casing has suction and discharge penetrations for the main flow path of the pump and normally has small drain and vent fittings to remove gases trapped in the pump casing or to drain the pump casing for maintenance. Figure 1 is a simplified diagram of a typical centrifugal pump that shows the relative locations of the pump suction, impeller, volute, and discharge. The pump casing guides the liquid from the suction connection to the center, or eye, of the impeller. The vanes of the rotating impeller impart a radial and rotary motion to the liquid, forcing it to the outer periphery of the pump casing where it is collected in the outer part of the pump casing called the volute. The volute is a region that expands in cross-sectional area as it wraps around the pump casing. The purpose of the volute is to collect the liquid discharged from the periphery of the impeller at high velocity and gradually cause a reduction in fluid velocity by increasing the flow area. This converts the velocity head to static pressure. The fluid is then discharged from the pump through the discharge connection.