Selection of a low-cost high efficiency centrifugal pump

Abstract

In this work, a selection procedure has been devised for a particular pump having the required minimum volume flow rate (Q) and shaft rotation rate (n), to be chosen from a family of centrifugal pumps having same design and shape, defined by the Impeller diameter (Dp). The pump had to be chosen in such a manner that its cost efficiency, determined by the power consumption of the pump, was enhanced as much as possible. The basic construction and working of different types of pumps and their relative advantages and disadvantages were taken into account. Effect of a range of design parameters on performance and efficiency of the centrifugal pump was analysed on the basis of seminal works on the subject. Accordingly, the control, independent and dependent parameters were chosen for this work. The algorithm was developed for calculation of the dependent parameters and data was generated through iterative method by varying the independent parameters one at a time. The data was analysed and the most cost efficient centrifugal pump was chosen out of a wide range of options on the basis of best results. In the process, the pump selection was generalized based on pump parameters governing the performance of the pump using a simplified technique. The achievement is that now any problem having same setup or scenario can be easily dealt with by using the designed work sheet, where one simply has to plug in the values of different parameters. In turn one gets the power input and cost results without solving numerous equations that govern the working of the centrifugal pump as the calculation part is taken care of by the software.