13.1. INTAKES, SUCTION PIPING, AND STRAINERS WILSON L. DORNAUS CHARLES C, HEALD RONALD J. H. DUKERS ‘The suction approach, or inlet, is the most critical part of a system involving pumps, whether in the form of piping or open pit. Improper design of the suction intake or piping can influence pump performance through efficiency and head loss, vibration, and cavitation, A centrifugal pump that lacks proper pressure or flow pattems at its inlet will not respond properly or perform to its maximum capability. The negative impact of improper flow at the pump inlet generally increases with the specific speed of the pump. Flow control and the uniformity of flow to the point of pumped fluid contact with the impeller inlet vanes are tk most important, Part of this may be controlled by proper pump design, but changes in flow direction, obstacles and changes in the geometry in the suetion pit or suction piping are often main causes of improper flow quality at the pump inlet, In this respect the pit designer and suction piping designer have also definite responsibilities 1 achieve satisfactory pump operation. In open suction pit (wet-well) designs, the fluid flow must be as uniform as possible right up to contact with the pump suction bell or suction pipe, preferably without a change in direction or velocity. Examples of dry-pit and ‘wet-pit centrifugal pumps connected to open suction pits are shown in Figure 1. In dry-pit pumping, the pipe leading to the pump suction flange should not include elbows close to the pump in any plane, Also, any other fittings that change flow direction and velocity and which may impart a spinning affect to the flow should be avoided within five to eight pipe diameters of the pump suction flange. Centrifugal pumps not designed for prerotation of the fluid entering the impeller, either dry or wet pit, may suffer loss of efficiency and an increase in noise if a spinning inlet flow occurs. Fluid rotation with the direction of impeller rotation can result in a decrease in pump-developed head. Fluid rotation against the direction of impeller rotatio can result in an increase in pump-developed head and required power, possibly overloading the driver as well a drastically affecting the pump curve shape and performance in the system. If the total system is to operate efficiently and with minimum maintenance, close attention to the suction environment of the pumps is requiredw w eqn om Os o o Figure I. Pump suction connections: (a-d) vertical dry-pit pumps. (a) Suction bell diameter and distance from bottom, side, and back walls designed to provide radial inflow, equal velocity distribution, and minimum entrance loss. Proper spacing of bell and vertical baffle required to prevent underwater eddies and rotation at inlet. (b) To minimize excavation under pump, decreasing-type suction elbow, or formed suction intake can be formed in the foundation. (c) Width of suction inlet under pump minimized by use of turning vanes. (d) Smaller pumps provided with integral suction elbows and can be connected to wet well with commercial piping. Flared suction elbow is turned downward to obtain maximun submergence at inlet. Wet well sloped to suction inlet to prevent deposition of solids. (e-i) Horizontal dry-pit pumps. (¢) Pump suction connected to larger pipe with eccentric reducer (double-suction pumps only).Wet-well connection should be bell mouth of a size to provide minimum required velocity. (f) Flared suction elbow turned downward for maximum submergence over inlet. Wet-well floor may be slaned taward inlet if salids are nresent (01 Vertical suctian nine with hell inlet adeanately suhmeroed tahottom-suction pump. Bell sized and shaped as in Figures 1a, g, andj. (i) Design used for drainage over levees. Suction pipe designed to require minimum submergence and excavation. (j-m) Vertical wet-pit pumps. j) Distance from bottom, side, and back walls designed to provide equal velocity distribution, with splitter to prevent vortexing. (k) Width of inlet minimized by use of turning vanes. (I) Canned suction pump with either above- or below-ground suction connection. Can length to suit NPSH required. Vertical installation minimizes excavation area. (m) Deep-well pump takes suction from underground water source. 13.1.1, INTAKE STRUCTURES Intake structures are used when the liquid to the pump comes directly from fluid bodies with free liquid surface Their function is to provide a good flow quality, in terms of pressure and flow patterns, to the suction bell inlet of the pump. The quality of the flow at the impeller inlet determines to which extend the maximum performance of the pump can be obtained. Improper design influences pump performance through efficiency and head loss, vibrations and/or the occurrence of cavitation, These effects can be caused by phenomena such as formation of subvortice nonuniform velocity profiles at impeller inlet, and recirculation-and flow separation zones in the suetion intake. In order to guarantee smooth pumping operation standard performance criteria have been defined to which a suction intake has to comply. The inlet part of the impeller vanes are normally designed assuming a uniform velocity field that is free of rotation. In a well-designed suction intake the fluid enters the impeller inlet with variations of the velocity, that is, the flow distribution, less than 5% with respect to the averaged velocity, In this case also the time fluctuatior of the velocities have to be limited. The presence of swirl at any point in the flow just before the impeller inlet indicates that the fluid velocity consists of an axial component u and a tangential component x. Swirl angle is defined as the angle between the resultant velocity and the axial direction. The amount of swirl at the impeller inlet should be limited, with a required swirl angle less than 4 degrees. The swirl angle can be measured with a neutrally pitched four bladed swirl- or vortimeter (Figure 6, Section 13.2). The allowable maximum number of revolutions per minute of this meter should be less than 1.7 Q/D ; § (see Reference 1, Hydraulic Institute Standards, Section 9.8.5.5), Free-surface vortices (Eigure 5, Section 13,2) are caused by improper intake design and/or insufficient submergence. Together with subsurface vortices, which may emanate from the floor, the ceiling and the back and side walls, they are only allowed when of low magnitude (see Section 13.2), Insufficient submergence can also lead to failure at start up (when the impeller inlet is not filled with liquid), inadmissible amount of cavitation or the entrainment of air or gas bubbles in the pump. A pump may have adequate submergence from a pressure standpoint and still be lacking in sufficient depth of cover above the