Arthur Williams - The Performance of Centrifugal Pumps As Turbines and Influence of Pump Geometry

The Performance of Centrifugal
Pumps as Turbines
and Influence of Pump Geometry
Arthur Williams University of Nottingham (School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering)
Arnaldo Rodrigues Flowserve Pumps, Newark, UK
Pump as Turbine (PaT) range
For Medium head Micro hydro, use either: Crossflow or
Pump as Turbine
Photo: Energy for Sustainable Development
For Pico size (< 5 kW) e.g. 22 m head, 22 l/s :
Photo: Border Green Energy Thailand
a pump is much more compact than a crossflow turbine, which needs either belt-drive or 8-pole generator
Typical pump and PaT curves

18 16 14 12 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 4 2 0 0 10 20 30 Flow (litre/s) 40 50 60 1000 0
PaT Head Pump best efficiency: 72%
10 8 6
PaT Power
End-suction centrifugal pump with 4-pole motor
Turbine power (W)
Head (m)
Typical pump and PaT curves

16 14 12 10 80 70 60 50
Head (m)
8 6 4 2 0 0 10 20 30 Flow (l/s) 40
PaT best efficiency: 72% Pump best efficiency: 72%
40 30 20 10 0
50
60
Efficiency (%)
PaT efficiencies can be as good as pump mode but not always

1.15 1.1 1.05
PAT:Pump efficiency ratio
1 0.95 0.9 0.85
+/- 5%
>2% lower efficiency +/- 2% efficiency >2% higher efficiency Double suction pumps
0.8 0.75 10 100
Cylindrical volute pump
1000
Pump Specific Speed (Nq - metric units - logarithmic scale)
Examples of PaT applications

Rural Electrification:
Kinko, Tanzania (10 kW) ->
Sahyadri Energy Systems
Photos: Pico Energy Ltd.
^ Thima, Kenya (2.2 kW) ->
Examples of PAT applications
Water In
To drinking water tank
PAT
Gearbox
Multi-stage Pump
^ PATs for water pumping:

Cave system in Java, Indonesia (45 kW each set)
Diagram adapted from KSB Pumps
Zones for PAT loss study (CFD)
Plane vi-vii
Plane v-vi
Zone vi
Measurement plane for suction head

Zone vii
Pump Centreline
Zone vi Zone v Zone iv
Impeller
Draft Tube
Zone iii
Zone ii Zone i
Churning region Volute
CFD was checked against tests

No leakage Simplification of pump geometry changes CFD predictions
Full model
No churning volume
V-shaped interface
- OK for pump mode - not acceptable for turbine modelling
PAT with constricted impeller eye
CFD streamlines: Turbine mode
Modification to impeller = material removed
Enlarging suction eye reduces head
24 20
hhyd curves
80 70
Overload region begins
gH/N D
2 2
60 50 40 30 20 10 0
gH/N2D2
16 12
No load line
8 4 0 0.04
0.08
Non-Modified
End of part load region
0.12
Modified-Eye
Q/ND3
Efficiency (%)
Enlarging suction eye reduces head, but not power
2.0 1.6
hhyd curves Phyd/N D
3 5
80 70
1.2 0.8
End of part Overload region
50 40 30 20 10 0
0.4 0.0 0.04
No load line
0.08
Non-Modified
0.12
Modified-Eye
Q/ND3
Efficiency (%)
60
Phyd/N3D5
Loss (m)
0 8
No load
12 16 20
End of part load
Discharge (l/s)
24 28 32
BEP Overload region
PaT selection
Double suction pump with ribs to prevent pre-swirl
End suction pump with Cylindrical Volute
Examples of pumps NOT suitable for turbine application
Estimating PaT match for Thima site
25
80 70
20 60 15 50
Efficiency (%)
Head (m)
Predicted operating point

Pump head Net site head Estimated Turbine Pump eff (%)
40 30 20 10 0
10
0 0 5 10 15 20 Flow (l/s) 25 30 35 40 45
Correcting PaT match at Thima

40 35 30 25 80
Cut down impeller
70 60
Head (m)
Full size impeller
50 40 30 20 10 0
20 15 10 5 0 15 20 25 Flow (l/s) 30 35
A reduction in impeller diameter improved PaT efficiency at this site
Efficiency (%)
Conclusions
Pumps as Turbines (PaTs): Are suitable for medium-head micro & pico hydro Have acceptable efficiency for fixed flow operation May need modification to improve efficiency
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD): Gives useful insight into hydraulic losses Needs to use appropriate geometrical models
Indicates some pump geometries not suitable for micro-hydro
Acknowledgements
where most of the research was done where much of testing was done (Prof Franz Nestmann & Dr Punit Singh)
funded most of Arnaldos PhD
funded research exchange with Karlsruhe

funded my travel to Hidroenergia 2008

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The Performance of Centrifugal

Pump as Turbine (PaT) range

For Medium head Micro hydro, use either: Crossflow or

For Pico size (< 5 kW) e.g. 22 m head, 22 l/s :

Photo: Border Green Energy Thailand

Typical pump and PaT curves

PaT Head Pump best efficiency: 72%

End-suction centrifugal pump with 4-pole motor

Turbine power (W)

Typical pump and PaT curves

PaT best efficiency: 72% Pump best efficiency: 72%

PaT efficiencies can be as good as pump mode but not always

1 0.95 0.9 0.85

0.8 0.75 10 100

Cylindrical volute pump

Pump Specific Speed (Nq - metric units - logarithmic scale)

Examples of PaT applications

Kinko, Tanzania (10 kW) ->

Sahyadri Energy Systems

Photos: Pico Energy Ltd.

^ Thima, Kenya (2.2 kW) ->

Examples of PAT applications

^ PATs for water pumping:

Zones for PAT loss study (CFD)

Measurement plane for suction head

Churning region Volute

CFD was checked against tests

PAT with constricted impeller eye

CFD streamlines: Turbine mode

Modification to impeller = material removed

Enlarging suction eye reduces head

End of part load region

Enlarging suction eye reduces head, but not power

0.4 0.0 0.04

BEP Overload region

Double suction pump with ribs to prevent pre-swirl

End suction pump with Cylindrical Volute

Examples of pumps NOT suitable for turbine application

Estimating PaT match for Thima site

Predicted operating point

Correcting PaT match at Thima

Cut down impeller

Full size impeller

A reduction in impeller diameter improved PaT efficiency at this site

Indicates some pump geometries not suitable for micro-hydro

funded most of Arnaldos PhD

funded research exchange with Karlsruhe

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