Centrifugal Pumps – What Is Piping: All about Piping Engineering

A centrifugal pump is a mechanical turbomachine that converts the mechanical energy into hydraulic energy through centrifugal activity and used for transporting liquids. The fluid enters through the centrifugal pump suction, and the centrifugal force of the rotating impeller increases the pressure and velocity of the liquid. Centrifugal pumps are the most widely used pumps in the industry as they are suitable to handle both viscous and non-viscous liquids with high efficiency. Use of Centrifugal Pumps Centrifugal pumps are found in various industries for liquid transfer like Power PlantsRefineries, Chemical, and Petrochemical Plants.Oil and Gas Industries.Chemical and Mining Industry.Pharmaceutical Industries.AgriculturalWater Treatment PlantsFire Protection Industries, etc. Components of a Centrifugal Pump A centrifugal pump consists of the following major parts. Impeller,Casing,Suction and Discharge Nozzles,ShaftBearings Centrifugal Pump Impeller An impeller is a wheel or rotor with a series of backward curved blades or vanes. It is the key component of a centrifugal pump and mounded on the shaft. An external energy source (motor) forces the impeller to rotate at high speed. Liquid enters at the eye of the impeller and the rotational motion accelerates it through the impeller vanes into the pump casing.There are three types of Pump Impellers; Open ImpellerSemi-enclosed Impeller (One Side open and other side backed by a single disc)Enclosed Impeller (Impeller is sandwiched between two discs) Fig. 1: Impeller Types Centrifugal Pump Casing The centrifugal pump casing seals the pump-inside from the atmosphere. It is an air-tight boundary that retains the pressure and converts the impeller velocity into a stable flow. In centrifugal pumps, the casing surrounds the pump rotor. The casing converts the velocity head into pressure head. It guides the flow to the discharge nozzle. Industrial Centrifugal Pumps use three types of pump-casing. They are Volute Casing or Spiral CasingVortex Casing andCasing with Guide Blades or Diffuser Casing The diffuser casing is the highly efficient casing in centrifugal pumps. Fig. 2: Pump Casing Types Suction and Discharge Nozzles of Centrifugal Pump Suction and Discharge Nozzles are provided in a centrifugal pump for fluid intake and pumping outside respectively. The suction nozzle has an axis corresponding to the impeller's rotational axis. The discharge nozzle has a normal axis to the impeller axis. Centrifugal Pump Shaft The pump shaft is the central component and it transmits the driving torque to the impellers. The shaft connects the impeller to the motor. It carries the impellers, the shaft sleeves, and bearings. It is designed to center the rotating components within the pump casing. Fig. 3: Main Components of a Centrifugal Pump Bearings Bearings in centrifugal pumps support all the loads imposed on the pump. Through pump bearings, the loads are transmitted to the foundation. Bearings keep the shaft deflections within acceptable limits. Types of Centrifugal Pumps Depending on Various parameters, centrifugal pumps can be grouped into the following types: Centrifugal Pump Types based on the number of impellers in the pumpSingle-stage pump (Fig. 4)Double-stage pump, andMulti-stage pumpBased on the orientation of case-splitAxial split Pump andRadial split PumpPump types based on the type of impeller designSingle suction Pump andDouble suction PumpBased on the basis of compliance with industry codes and standardsANSI pump – (American National Standards Institute)API pump – (American Petroleum Institute)DIN pump – DIN 24256 specificationsISO pump – ISO 2858, 5199 specifications andNuclear pumpsBased on the type of voluteSingle volute PumpDouble volute PumpBased on where the pump bearing supportOverhung PumpsBetween-bearing PumpsBased on the orientation of the pump shaftHorizontal Pump andVertical Pump Fig. 4: Centrifugal Pump Types: Single-Stage Double-Stage vs Multi-Stage Pumps Centrifugal Pump Working The fluid enters through the pump suction nozzle (Fig. 5) at the center of the impeller. Rotating Impeller imparts energy and the fluid gets accelerated till the impeller edge. Finally, it drains into the pump casing where the liquid is slowed down due to the gradual increasing section. The kinetic energy of the fluid is converted into pressure energy. Fig. 5: Working of Centrifugal Pumps Normally, There are four stages of a centrifugal pump operation. Priming of the Pump, andSwitching the motor for rotating the impellerLiquid enters through the suction nozzle.Impeller Rotates and the centrifugal force acts on the liquid to increase the velocity and pressure A video tutorial explaining more details of the centrifugal pump operating principle is provided at the end of this article. Advantages of Centrifugal Pump A centrifugal pump offers the following advantages Handle viscous and non-viscous fluidsFewer PartsSimple construction and mechanismLess frictional LossHighly EfficientEconomical, Less Maintenance CostUniform pressure, no shock, or pulsation.Compact size, comparatively low space requirementUniform torque.Easy Installation.Less NoisySeparate pump and motor causing negligible heat transfer Disadvantages of Centrifugal Pump Below-mentioned are a few of the limitations of a centrifugal pump Less suction power is less as impeller rotation drives the liquid suction. Hence, priming is necessary.Magnetic resistance can be generated in the coupling causing energy losses.With an increase in fluid viscosity, efficiency reduces.Centrifugal Pump failure can happen during low-flow conditions due to overheating of the pump.Not suitable for high head applications.Cavitation occurs if not properly designed and selected. Centrifugal Pump Standards Some widely used centrifugal pump standards are: API 610ISO 5199 and ISO 2858ASME B73.1 and B 73.2BS 5257 Out of the above, API 610 is the most widely used centrifugal pump standard and it governs the design of centrifugal pumps for general refinery services. Their design is robust and performance is highly satisfactory. They are also known as API Pumps. Difference between Centrifugal Pump and Centrifugal Compressor The Basic Difference between a centrifugal pump and a centrifugal compressor is that pumps handle mainly liquids but compressors compress gases.There is no fluid volume change in a pump but in compressor the gas volume reduces. Video Tutorial for Centrifugal Pump Working Principle The following video tutorial by the Learn Engineering group explains the working of centrifugal pumps with animation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaEHVpKc-1Q