Objectives

- To construct a set of pump characteristic curves at constant and variable speeds, for the
following pumps:
a) Positive(single cylinder double acting pump) displacement reciprocating pump
b) Centrifugal pump (horizontal)
- To compare the performance characteristics of each pump under identical speed conditions

Introduction & Theory

A pump is a machine that is used to provide energy to a flowing fluid. Examples of
pumps include the piston pump, the centrifugal pump, the diaphragm
pump, and the gear pump.
A piston pump is a type of positive displacement pump where the high-pressure seal
reciprocates with the piston. Piston pumps can be used to move liquids or compress gases, it
provide an excellent solution for many high-pressure hydraulic oil pumping applications.
Centrifugal pumps are a sub-class of dynamic axisymmetric work-absorbing
turbomachinery. Centrifugal pumps are used to transport fluids by the conversion of
rotational kinetic energy to the hydrodynamic energy of the fluid flow. The rotational energy
typically comes from an engine or electric motor. Centrifugal pumps are used in buildings for
pumping the general water supply, as a booster and for domestic water supplies.
A diaphragm pump (also known as a Membrane pump) is a positive displacement pump that
uses a combination of the reciprocating action of a rubber, thermoplastic or teflon diaphragm
and suitable valves on either side of the diaphragm to pump a fluid. They are often used for
dewatering or water removal across many different industries. They are used for filling,
dispensing and metering due to their efficiency and accuracy.
A gear pump is a type of positive displacement (PD) pump. It moves a fluid by repeatedly
enclosing a fixed volume using interlocking cogs or gears, transferring it mechanically using
a cyclic pumping action. They are very commonly used in lubrication pumps for power
transmissions in automobiles, heavy trucks, lawn care equipment, hydraulic lifts, and other
machine tools.
In this experiment, pumps are tested by running the pumps at constant speed and running
different flow rates through the pump and then, the pump performance curves can be plotted.
The calculation of pump characteristic parameters involves the following:
a) Water power (pump power), which represents the rate of energy provided by the
pump to the flowing fluid. It is calculated using the following formula:
Water power = 𝜌𝑔𝑄̇ℎ𝑝 × 10−3 (kW).
where
𝜌 = Density of water (kg/ m3 )
𝑔 = Acceleration due to gravity (m/s²)
𝑄̇ = Volumetric flow rate (m3 /s)
ℎ𝑝 = Head gain in meter of water (the pump head).
In terms of pressure differences ∆P, through the pump, the pump head is given by:
ℎ𝑝 = ∆𝑃 𝑔𝑝 × 10−5
Where ∆P = Delivery pressure (Pd) – suction pressure (Ps) (bar)

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b) Brake power, which represents the power provided by the motor to drive the pump. It
is calculated using the following formula:
Brake power = 𝜔𝑚 ×𝜏 = 2𝜋𝜔𝑚 ×𝐹×𝑅 × 10−3 (kW).
Where
𝜔𝑚 = motor speed (rev/s)
F = Brake load (N) = spring load (kg) x 9.81
R = Torque arm radius (m) = 0.15 m.

𝑂𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟

c) Overall efficiency = =
𝐼𝑛𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟

𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑄̇

d) Volumetric efficiency Ƞ𝑣 = 𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑄̇
𝑐

The calculated volumetric flow 𝑄̇𝑐 rate is calculated as follows:

- For positive displacement reciprocating pump:
*For single acting pump 𝑄̇𝑐 = ApL𝜔𝑝 (m3 / s)
* For a double acting pump 𝑄̇𝑐 = 2ApL𝜔𝑝 (m3/ s)
Where
Ap = total cross sectional area of cylinder (m²) = 15.55 x 10-4 m²
L = stroke of piston (m) = 0.0413 m
𝜔𝑝 = pump speed (rev/s)
𝜔
For the present arrangement, according to the gear ratio : 𝜔𝑝 = 5𝑚

- For centrifugal pump:

0.75
𝑄̇𝑐 = × 10−3 𝜔𝑝 (m3/ s)
12.5
For the present arrangement 𝜔𝑝 = 2𝜔𝑚

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 Apparatus
The apparatus used in this experiment is shown in Figure1. The pump is installed
within a circuit with water in it, supplied from a water reservoir. A graduated tank is
used to measure the volumetric flow rate of water. A release valve is mounted to the
tank to discharge it from the collected water. A DC motor is used to drive the motor,
which is connected to a spring dynamometer, to measure the torque on the shaft
between the motor and the pump. The speed of the motor is controlled by turning a
speed controlling knob, which is located on a control panel. The apparatus is provided
with pressure gauges in order to measure the suction pressure and delivery pressure.

Figure1. Pump testing apparatus

Procedure
- Start-up procedure
1. Open the suction and delivery valves of the pump the would be tested
and close the valves of the other pumps.
2. Check that the reading of motor speed controlling knob is zero volts.
3. Check that the reading of the dynamometer is zero kg.
4. Turn on the power supply to operate the unit.
5. The experiment is ready to be preformed.

- Experiment procedure
a) Constant speed test
1. Rotate the motor speed controlling knob gradually, to increase the voltage
supplied to the motor, until the pump speed reaches 15 rev/s.
2. Adjust the opening of the delivery valve to set the delivery pressure to the
selected values given in the observed data table.

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 3. Record the spring load and the shaft speed.
4. Record the time required to collect 5 kg of water in the graduated tank, in
order to calculate the mass flow rate of the flowing water.

b) Variable speed test

1. Adjust the opening of the delivery valve to set the delivery pressure to 0.4 bar.
2. Gradually increase the speed of the motor to the values given in the observed
data table.
3. For each trial, record the spring load.
4. Record the time required to collect 5 kg of water in the graduated tank, in
order to calculate the mass flow rate of the flowing water.

Data collected

• Centrifugal Pump

Table 1. Data for the centrifugal pump at constant 𝜔𝑚 = 15 rev/s Current :1.5 A
Ps (bar) Pd (bar) Spring load Mass of water Time

(kg) (kg) (s)

0 0.4 1.45 5 17.37

0 0.5 1.45 5 18.68

0 0.6 1.45 5 19.42

0 0.7 1.45 5 20.38

0 0.8 1.45 5 21.66

Table 2. Data for the centrifugal pump for constant Pd = 0.4 bar Current :1.1 A
Ps 𝜔𝑚 Spring load Mass of water Time

(bar) (rev/s) (kg) (kg) (s)

0 10 1 5 32.8

0 12 1.15 5 24.09

0 15 1.45 5 17.37

0 17 1.5 5 14.99

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Data collected

• Reciprocating Pump

Table 3. Data for the reciprocating pump for constant 𝜔𝑚 = 15 rev/s

Ps (bar) Pd (bar) Spring load Mass of water Time Current

(kg) (kg) (s) (A)

0 0.5 0.7 5 13.28 1

0 1.0 0.83 5 13.8 1.15

0 2.0 1.3 5 14.49 1.5

0 3.0 1.63 5 13.95 1.99

0 4.0 2.1 5 14.08 2.3

Table 4. Data for the reciprocating pump for constant Pd = 1.5 bar
𝜔𝑚 (rev/s) Ps (bar) Spring load Mass of water Time Current

(kg) (kg) (s) (A)

10 0 0.95 5 22.44 1.3

12 0 0.9 5 18.34 1.3

14 0 1 5 16.46 1.35

16 0 1 5 13.85 1.35

18 0 1.1 5 12.45 1.2

20 0 1.2 5 10 4.2

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 Results:
• Centrifugal pump
Table 5. Results for the centrifugal pump for constant 𝜔𝑚 = 15 rev/s
Pd 𝑄̇ Brake Water Brake Overall Pump Volumetric
(bar) load power power efficiency head hp efficiency
(m3/s) (m)
F (N) (kW) (kW) 𝜂𝑜 𝜂𝑣

0.4 0.00028785 14.2245 0.0115141 0.20117507 0.05723425 4.07747 0.15991812

0.5 0.00026767 14.2245 0.0133833 0.20117507 0.06652563 5.09684 0.14870331

0.6 0.00025747 14.2245 0.01544799 0.20117507 0.0767888 6.11621 0.14303696

0.7 0.00024534 14.2245 0.0171737 0.20117507 0.08536694 7.13558 0.1362992

0.8 0.00023084 14.2245 0.01846722 0.20117507 0.09179676 8.15494 0.12824459

Table 6. Results for the centrifugal pump for constant Pd = 0.4 bar
𝜔𝑚 𝑄̇ Brake Water Brake Overall Pump Volumetric
load power power efficiency head hp efficiency
(rev/s) (m3/s) (m)
F (N) (kW) (kW) 𝜂𝑜 𝜂𝑣

10 0.00015244 9.81 0.00609756 0.09249429 0.06592365 4.07747 0.12703252

12 0.00020756 11.2815 0.0083022 0.12764211 0.0650428 4.07747 0.14413542

15 0.00028785 14.2245 0.0115141 0.20117507 0.05723425 4.07747 0.15991812

17 0.00033356 14.715 0.01334223 0.23586043 0.05656832 4.07747 0.1635077

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 Results:
• Reciprocating pump
Table 7. Results for the reciprocating pump for constant 𝜔𝑚 = 15 rev/s
Pd (bar) 𝑄̇ Brake Water Brake Overall Pump Volumetric
load power power efficiency head hp efficiency
(m3/s) (m)
F (N) (kW) (kW) 𝜂𝑜 𝜂𝑣

0.4 0.00038 6.867 0.01883 0.09712 0.19384 5.09684 0.20917

0.5 0.00036 8.1423 0.03623 0.11516 0.31463 10.1937 0.20129

0.6 0.00035 12.753 0.06901 0.18036 0.38263 20.3874 0.1917

0.7 0.00036 15.9903 0.10753 0.22615 0.47547 30.581 0.19912

0.8 0.00036 20.601 0.14205 0.29136 0.48753 40.7747 0.19729

Table 8. Results for the centrifugal pump for constant Pd = 1.5 bar
𝜔𝑚 Pd 𝑄̇ Brake Water Brake Overall Pump Volumetric
(bar) load power power efficiency head hp efficiency
(rev/s) (m3/s) (m)
F (N) (kW) (kW) 𝜂𝑜 𝜂𝑣

10 1.5
0.00022 9.3195 0.03342 0.08787 0.38036 15.2905 0.86737
12 1.5
0.00027 8.829 0.04089 0.09989 0.40938 15.2905 0.8844
15 1.5
0.0003 9.81 0.04557 0.13874 0.32842 15.2905 0.84464
17 1.5
0.00036 9.81 0.05415 0.15724 0.34439 15.2905 0.87833
20 1.5
0.0004 10.791 0.06024 0.18314 0.32894 15.2905 0.86854

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Sample of calculations
For centrifugal pump: first trail
𝑚 5
1) Volumetric flow rate (𝑄)̇ : 𝑄̇ = = = 0.00028785 𝑚3 /𝑠
𝜌∆𝑡 1000(17.37)
2) Brake load:
Brake load = spring load* 9.81=1.45*9.81=14.2245 N
∆𝑃 𝑃𝑑 −𝑃𝑠 0.4
3) Pump head (ℎ𝑝 ): ℎ𝑝 = = = = 4.07747 𝑚
𝜌𝑔∗10−5 𝜌𝑔∗10−5 9.81∗10−2
4) Water power: 𝜌𝑔𝑄̇ ℎ𝑝 ∗ 10−3 =1000*9.81*0.00028785*4.07747*10−3=0.0115141
kW
5) Brake power=2𝜋𝜔𝐹𝑅10−3 =2*𝜋*15*14.2245*0.15*10−3 = 0.20117507 kW
𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 0.0115141
6) Overall efficiency: ƞ= = =0.05723425= 5.7%
𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 0.20117507
0.75
7) Calculated volumetric flow rate ̇
(𝑄 𝑐 ) =12.5*10−3*2*15 = 1.8*10−3 𝑚3 /𝑠
𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒(𝑄)̇ 0.00028785
8) Volumetric efficiency ƞ𝑣 = = =15.99%
𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 (𝑄̇ 𝑐) 1.8∗10−3

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Results and discussion
Constant speed tests

1. For both pumps

On the same figure, but using different scales, show the relationship between
water power, brake power, overall efficiency and volumetric efficiency with
output pressure.

Figure2. Plot of the relationship between water power, brake power, overall
efficiency and volumetric efficiency with output pressure for centrifugal pump.

Figure3. Plot of the relationship between water power, brake power, overall
efficiency and volumetric efficiency with output pressure for reciprocating pump.

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2. For centrifugal pump

On the same figure, but using different scales, show the relationship of pump
head, water power, and overall efficiency with volumetric flow rate.

Figure4. Plot of the relationship of pump head, water power, and overall efficiency
with volumetric flow rate.

3. Comment on the most suitable application for these two types of pumps and

on their limitation.

Reciprocating pump: is usually used where a small quantity of liquid to be delivered

with a high pressure. Example: Hand pump.

Limitation: Difficult to pump fluids with high viscosity, and low discharging capacity.

Centrifugal pump: is usually used in factories and petrochemical pumping.

Limitation: high initial and maintenance cost.

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 Variable speed tests

For the positive displacement pump only, and on the same figure, show the
relationship between brake power, input torque and volumetric flow rate with
pump speeds.

Figure5. Plot of the relationship between brake power, input torque and volumetric
flow rate with pump speeds.

References
[1] Engineering Fluid Mechanics, Elger, D. F., Williams, B. C, Crowe, C. T., and Roberson,
J. A., John Wiley and Sons., 10th edition,(SI units)
[2] Fluid Mechanics Lab. manual: The University of Jordan.

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