Engr. M. Shafqat.

Reciprocating Pumps
11.1. Introduction :

Pumps are used to increase the energy level of water by virtue of which it can be
raised to a higher level. This task can be accomplished either by dynamic pressure pumps
(chapter 10) or by reciprocating pumps. The working principle of a reciprocating pump is
altogether different from that of a centrifugal pump.
Reciprocating pumps are positive
displacement pumps, i.e. initially, a small quantity of liquid is taken into a chamber and is
physically displaced and forced out with pressure by a moving mechanical elements. The moving
mechanical elements may be a gear system rotating in housing, or a piston moving in a cylinder
with the help of external power. Thus, if the chamber is alternately filled by drawing in the liquid
to be pumped and emptied by forcing it out, the liquid from the sump can be raised to the
required height. Since the volume of liquid would depend upon the speed with which the
chamber is filled and emptied, the discharge will be proportional to the speed of the moving
elements. This chapter is devoted to the study of reciprocating pumps only.

There are pumps which raise the liquid by suction only and are known as suction pumps. These
can be used to raise the liquid through small heights only as the maximum height to which the
liquid can be raised will be equal to the barometric reading i.e. 10 m for water. There are other
types of pumps that lift the liquid by means of pressure and known as force pumps. These are
used to produce very high pressure. Reciprocating pumps usually mean force pumps.
However, the use of reciprocating pumps is being limited these
days and being replaced by centrifugal pumps. For industrial purposes, they have become almost
obsolete due to their high initial and maintenance cost as compared to centrifugal pups. For small
purposes they are still widely used, for example, as well pumps, Kerosene pumps, pumps used in
milk shops, in pneumatic pressure system etc. These are also useful where high heads are
required with small discharge, as in oil drilling.

11.2 Main Components:

A reciprocation pumps consists of a piston that moves forward and backward inside a cylinder
with the help of a connecting rod and a crank. The crank is rotated by an external source of
power.

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Engr. M. Shafqat.

The cylinder is connected to the sump by a suction pipe and to the delivery tank by a delivery
pipe. At the cylinder ends of these pipes, non-return valves are provided. A non-return valve
allows the liquid to pass in only one direction. Through suction valve, liquid can only be
admitted into the cylinder and through the delivery valve, liquid can only be discharged into the
delivery pipe.
As the crank moves fro zero degree to the 1800 position, the piston moves from left extreme to
the right extreme. During the latter half rotation of the crank from 1800 to 3600, the position of
the crank constitutes two strokes.

11.3 Working of Reciprocating Pump.

When the piston moves from the left to the right, a suction pressure is produced in the cylinder.
If the pump is started for the first time or after a long period, air from the suction pipe is sucked
during the suction stroke, while the delivery valve is closed. Liquid rises into the suction pipe by
a small height due to atmospheric pressure on the sump liquid. During the delivery stroke, air in
the cylinder is pushed out into the delivery pipe by the thrust of the piston, while the suction
valve is closed. When all the air from the suction pipe has been exhausted, the liquid from the
sump is able to rise and enter the cylinder. During the delivery stroke it is displaced into the
delivery pipe. Thus the liquid is delivered into the delivery tank intermittently, i.e. during the
delivery stroke only. Later on, it will be observed that the pressure and velocity inside cylinder
are not uniform throughout a stroke of the piston.
It may be noted that theoretical height of the suction pipe cannot be greater than the
corresponding atmospheric pressure head on the sump.

11.4 Classification of Reciprocating pumps:

Following are the main types of reciprocating pumps:

1. According to use of piston sides:
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A pump can be either a single-acting or a double-acting.

(a) Single-acting Reciprocating Pump:

If there is only one suction and one delivery pipe and the liquid is filled only on one side of the
piston, it is called a single-acting reciprocating pump.
(b) Double-acting Reciprocating Pump:
A double-acting reciprocating pump has two suction and two delivery pipes, Liquid is receiving
on both sides of the piston in the cylinder and is delivered into the respective delivery
pipes.When one side of the piston acts as suction side, the other becomes pressure side.

Another alternative arrangement for a double-acting reciprocating pump has been shown in fig.
11.3. It has one suction and one delivery pipe. Each pipe is connected to the two ends of the
cylinder.

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2. According to Number of Cylinders:

Reciprocating pumps having more than one cylinder are called multi-cylinder reciprocating
pumps.
(a) Single-cylinder pump.
A single-cylinder pump can be either single or double acting, as mentioned above.
(b) Double-Cylinder Pump.
A double cylinder or two throw pump consist of two cylinders connected to the same shaft. Each
cylinder had its own suction and delivery pipes as shown in Fig 11.4. Each piston is connected
by cranks which are set at 1800 to each other. Thus when there is suction stroke in one pump, in
the delivery stroke. In this way liquid is delivered to the delivery pipe during each stroke of the
piston.

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Engr. M. Shafqat.

(c) Triple-cylinder pump.

A triple-cylinder pump or three throw pump has three cylinders, the cranks of which are set at
1200 to one another. Each cylinder is provided with its own suction pipe delivery pipe and piston.

There can be four-cylinder and five cylinder pumps also, the cranks of which are arranged
accordingly.

11.4 Discharge Through a Reciprocating Pump:

Let
A = Area of cross-section of cylinder.
L = Stroke length.
N = rpm of the crank.
Discharge through pump/ second = Area  stroke length  rpm/60.
A L  N
Qth = ------------- (11.1)
60

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This will be the discharge when the pump is single acting. In case of double acting pump
(Fig. 11.6).

 ALN A  A LN 
Discharge / Second =   
 60 60 

 ALN A  A LN 
QH =   
 60 60 

QH
2 A  A LN

= ------------------- (11.2)
60

A = Area of cross-section of piston rod.

However, if area of the piston rod is neglected.

2ALN
Discharge / second = ---------------- (11.3)
60
Thus discharge of a double-acting reciprocating pump is twice than that of a single-acting pump.
Owing to leakage losses and time delay in closing the valves, actual discharge Qa usually lesser
than the theoretical discharge Qth.

11.6 Slip:

Slip of a reciprocating pump is defined as the difference between the theoretical and the actual
discharge.
i.e. Slip = Theoretical discharge - Actual discharge
= Qth. - Qa -------------- (11.4)
Slip can also be expressed in terms of percentage.

Qth. -
Qa
Percentage Slip = 100
Qth.
 Qa 
= 1    100
 Qth. 
= (1 – Cd) 100 ---------- (11.5)
Where Cd is known as co-efficient of discharge and is defined as the ratio of the actual discharge
to the theoretical discharge.

Qa
Cd = ---------- (11.6)
Qth.
Value of Cd when expressed in percentage is known as volumetric efficiency of the pump. Its
value ranges between 95---98 %. Percentage slip is of the order of 2% for pumps in good
conditions.
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Negative Slip.
It is not always that the actual discharge is lesser than the theoretical discharge. In case of a
reciprocating pump with long suction pipe, short delivery pipe and running at high speed, inertia
force in the suction pipe becomes large as compared to the pressure force on the outside of
delivery valve. This opens the delivery valve even before the piston has completed its suction
stroke. Thus some of the water is pushed into the delivery pipe before the delivery stroke is
actually commenced. This way the actual discharge becomes more than the theoretical discharge.
Thus co-efficient of discharge increases from one and the slip becomes negative.

11.7 Power Input:

Consider a single acting reciprocating pump.
Let
h s = Suction head or difference in level between centre line of cylinder and the pump.

h d = Delivery head or difference in between centre line of cylinder and the outlet of delivery
pipe.
H s t = Total static head

= hs +h d

Theoratical work done by the pump

= Qth gH st

 ALN 
=    g (h s + h d )
 60 

: Power input to the pump

 ALN 
=    g (h s + h d ) ----------- (11.7)
 60 
However, due to the leakage and frictional losses, actual power input will be more than the
theoretical power.
Let  = Efficiency of the pump.

Then actual power input to the pump

1  ALN 
=   g (h s + h d ) --------(11.8)
  60 

Example. 11.1 A single-acting reciprocating pump discharges 0.018 m3 of water per second
when running at 60 rpm. Stroke length is 50 cm and the diameter for the piston is 22 cm. If the
total lift is 15 m, determine:

(a) Theoratical discharge of the pump

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(b) Slip and percentage slip of the pump

(c) Co-efficient of discharge
(d) Power required running the pump.

SOL.
L = 0.5 m Qa = 0.01m3 /s
D = 0.22 m N = 60 rpm
Hst = 15 m

(a)
 ALN    2  LN
Qth =  = D 
 60   4  60
  0.5  60
=    0.22  
2

4 60
3
= 0.019 m /s
(b)
Slip = Qth. - Qa = 0.019 – 0.018
= 0.001 m3 /s
Percentage slip
Qth. - Qa 0.019  0.018
= =
Qth 0.019
= 0.0526 or 5.26%

(c)
Qa 0.018
Cd = 
Qth 0.019
= 0.947
(d) Power Input
= Qth gH st (Neglecting Losses)
= 1000  0.019  9.81  15
=2796 w or 2.796 kW

Example 11.2 A three-throw reciprocating pump delivering 0.1 m3 /s of water against a head
of 100 m. Diameter and stroke of the cylinder are 25 cm and 50 cm respectively. Friction losses
amount to 1 m in the suction pipe and 16 m in the delivery pipe. If the velocity of water in the
delivery pipe is 1.4 m/s, pump efficiency 90% and slip 2%, determine the pump and the power
required.

Sol.
Hst = 100 m Qa = 0.1 m3 /s
D = 0.25 m L = 0.5 m

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 h  0.9
h fs  1m vd  1.4m / s s = 0.02
h fd  16m

3ALN
Qth =
60
We know that,
Qth - Qa
=
Qth
Qa
0.02=1-
Qth
Qa
= 0.98
Qth
Qa
Qth =
0.98
Qa 3  2
  D  L N
0.98 60 4
0.1 3 
  0.25  0.5 
N

2

0.98 60 4 60
N = 83.15 rpm.
Total head generated
2
vd
H = H st  H fd  H fs 
2g
= 100+1+16+0.1= 117.1 m
1
Power required =    Qth  gH
h
1 0.1
=  1000   9.81  117.1
0.9 0.98

= 130.21 10 3 w 
= 130.21 KW.

11.9 Effects of Piston Acceleration:

In case of reciprocating motion under consideration, the velocity of piston does not remain
uniform for the entire stroke. The piston accelerates during the first half of the stroke and retards
during the later half. So supply of flow is not uniform.

When the crank moves from the inner-dead centre, the velocity of the piston increases from the
value of zero. As the angle of crank increase, velocity of the piston increases till the angle of the
crank is 900 where the velocity becomes maximum. Then retardation of the piston starts and
velocity reduces to zero as the crank traverses an angel of 1800or reaches at the outer dead
centre. Similarly, during the reverse stroke, initially velocity of the piston increases up to 2700 of

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the crank and then decelerates to zero value at 3600 of the crank. Thus during the first half of
each stroke, when the velocity of the piston increases, there is acceleration of the piston and
during the latter half of the each stroke, when the velocity decreases, there is retardation.

11.17 Air Vessels

Discharge Vs. Crank angle curves discussed in the last article show that the supply of flow is
intermittent in case of single-acting reciprocating pumps, which can be made uniform by
employing multi-cylinder pumps. However, the same purpose may be served if an air vessel of
sufficient capacity is fitted on the delivery pipe, as near to the pump as possible. The air vessel
contains compressed air which is further compressed when the water flows into the vessel, and
expands when the water flows out.

In case of a single-acting-reciprocating pump, the supply of water into the delivery is more than
the average during the middle of the delivery stroke. This extra discharge goes into the air vessel
and is stored there for the time being, whereas normal or average supply of water is maintained
in the delivery pipe. At the beginning and the end of the delivery stroke, when the supply from
the cylinder is lesser than the average, supply in the delivery pipe is maintained by the water
from the air vessel. Thus, the rate of flow of water in the delivery pipe, beyond the air vessel
remains constant throughout the working of the pump. However, the discharge of the velocity in
the delivery pipe will be constant only if an air vessel of sufficient capacity is fitted

Similarly when an air vessel is fitted to the suction side of the pump, it
smoothness the flow in the suction pipe. In the middle of the suction stroke, cylinder needs more
supply of water than the average. The extra supply will be provided by the air vessel whereas the
average supply is made by the suction pipe. In the beginning or the end of the suction stroke,

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when no supply needed by the cylinder, supply will be made to the air vessel, keeping the
discharge and velocity in the suction pipe (below the air vessel) constant throughout.

Air vessel van also is fitted to double-acting-reciprocating pumps, where it

functions in a similar way.

11.18 Comparison of Centrifugal and Reciprocating Pumps.

Centrifugal Pumps Reciprocating Pumps

1. Steady and even flow 1. Intermittent and pulsating flow

2. For large discharge, small heads 2. For small discharge, high heads.

3. Can be used for viscous fluids e.g. oils, 3. Can handle pure water or less viscous liquids
paper pulps, muddy water only otherwise valves give frequent trouble.

4. Low initial cost 4. High initial cost.

5. Can run at high speed. Can be coupled 5. Low speed due to separation trouble. Belt
directly to electric motor. drive necessary.
6. Low maintenance cost. Periodic check up 6. High maintenance cost. Frequent
sufficient. replacement of parts.
7. Compact and less floor space required. 7. Needs 6-7 times more area than for
centrifugal pumps.
8. Low head pumps have high efficiency 8. Efficiency of low head pump is as low as 40
per cent due to the energy losses.
9. Simple constructions. Less number of spare 9. Complicated construction. More number of
parts needed spare parts needed.

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