ME-352L Fluid Mechanics Lab II IST-MECH-PTB-EXP05/01
LAB DEMONSTRATION
Title SERIES AND PARALLEL PUMP
Made by Muhammad Omer Amjad
Awais Ahmed
Adnan Sattar
Raja Irtaza-ur-Rahman
Moeen Riaz
Salman Arshad
Submitted to Ma’am Samia
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
INSTITUTE OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY
ISLAMABAD
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ME-352L Fluid Mechanics Lab II IST-MECH-PTB-EXP05/01
Table of Contents
LAB DEMONSTRATION..............................................................................................................1
SERIES AND PARALLEL PUMP.................................................................................................1
ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
1.1. Specifications....................................................................................................................4
1.2. General requirements........................................................................................................4
THEORY.........................................................................................................................................5
Dynamic Pumps...........................................................................................................................5
Horizontal Single Stage Centrifugal Pump..................................................................................5
Pump Head versus Flow rate Curves for Centrifugal Pumps......................................................6
Centrifugal Pump Connected in Parallel.....................................................................................7
Centrifugal Pump Connected in Series........................................................................................8
Impeller Types.............................................................................................................................8
Backward-curved Blades.............................................................................................................8
Forward-curved Blades................................................................................................................9
Formula for Calculation of Variables..........................................................................................9
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE................................................................................................10
General start-up procedures.......................................................................................................10
Experiment 1: Characteristics of pump-in-series operation......................................................11
Aim............................................................................................................................................11
Experiment 2: Characteristics of pump-in-parallel operation...................................................11
Aim............................................................................................................................................11
Equipment Set Up......................................................................................................................11
Procedures..................................................................................................................................11
OBSERVATION & CALCULATION..........................................................................................12
ERRORSAND PRECAUTIONS...................................................................................................13
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................13
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS....................................................................................................13
Work Contribution.........................................................................................................................13
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ME-352L Fluid Mechanics Lab II IST-MECH-PTB-EXP05/01
ABSTRACT
Pump is a mechanical device using suction or pressure to raise or move liquids, compress gases,
or force air into inflatable objects such as tires. In this lab we will learn about the functioning of
two types of installation of pumps and their effects which are series and parallel. Two different
experiments are performed for both series and parallel pump configurations. Different
parameters are set for both processes and the findings of these experiments are used to compare
the changes in pressure head and volumetric discharge rate. Finally the results are displayed in
the form of a plot of discharge versus pressure head for series and parallel pump configurations.
Pumps are used significantly in daily life and industries thus it is very important to understand
their functioning with respect to different conditions.
INTRODUCTION
Pump has a huge effect on the pressure thus on the flow rate of the fluid passing through it.
Pumps are used everywhere from a house where water is passed from one place to another or at
the Gas station distributing gas to different houses. Centrifugal pump is one of the most widely
used pumps for transferring liquids. This is for a number of reasons. Centrifugal pumps are very
quiet in comparison to other pumps. They have a relatively low operating and maintenance costs.
Centrifugal pumps take up little floor space and create a uniform and non-pulsating flow.
The Test Rig is specially designed to demonstrate to students the operating characteristics of
centrifugal pump in series or parallel. This training unit
operates in close loop. This equipment will explore the
relationship between pressure head and flow rate of a
single pump and of two identical pumps that are run in
series or in parallel. When identical pumps are run in
series, the pressure head is doubled but the flow rate
remains the same. When pumps are run in parallel the flow
is increased but the pressure head produced is
approximately the same as a single pump. This equipment
also allows the study of efficiency of a pump. The energy
in this experiment is put through two transformations.
First, the electrical energy, which is the energy put into the
system, is transferred to mechanical energy, which is the
energy required to move the shaft and impeller. Second,
the mechanical energy is transferred into energy of the
fluid. This is accomplished through the pump rotation,
which transfers the velocity energy of the water to
pressure energy. The overall efficiency is the product of
the mechanical (shaft) efficiency and the thermodynamics
efficiency.
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Figure 19: Process Diagram
1.1.Specifications
Before operation, students must familiarize themselves with the unit. Please refer to Figure 1 to
understand the process. The unit consists of the followings:
a) Pumps
Two units of Horizontal Single Stage Centrifugal Pump (P1) and (P2)
b) Circulation Tank
A stainless steel water tank is provided to supply water to P1 and P2.
c) Flow rate and pump head indicators.
d) Process piping
The process piping is made of industrial PVC pipes. Valves used are ball valves.
e) ON/OFF switch
Two On/Off switches allows the selection of system operates either with 1 pump or 2 pumps
(series/parallel).
Flow indicator: Indicated value is in Liters Per Minute (LPM).
Pressure Indicator: Indicated value is in bar.
Pressure Gauge 1 (PT1) -1 to 3 bar
Pressure Gauge 2 (PT2) 0 to 6 bar
Pressure Gauge 3 (PT3) 0 to 16 bar
Table 1: Pressure Ranges
1.2.General requirements
Electrical : 240 VAC, 1-phase, 50Hz
Water : Laboratory main supply
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ME-352L Fluid Mechanics Lab II IST-MECH-PTB-EXP05/01
THEORY
Pumps are devices that transfer mechanical energy from a prime mover into fluid energy to
produce the flow of liquids. There are two broad classifications of pumps: positive displacement
and dynamic.
Dynamic Pumps
Dynamic pumps add energy to the fluid by the action of rotating blade, which increases the
velocity of the fluid. Figure 2 shows the construction features of a centrifugal pump, the most
commonly used type of dynamic pumps.
Figure 20: Construction Features of a Centrifugal Pump.
Horizontal Single Stage Centrifugal Pump
Centrifugal pumps have two major components:
1. The impeller consists of a number of curved blades (also called vanes) attached in a
regular pattern to one side of a circular hub plate that is connected to the rotating
driveshaft.
2. The housing (also called casing) is a stationary shell that enclosed the impeller and
supports the rotating drive shaft via a bearing.
A centrifugal pump operates as follows. When the prime mover rotates the driveshaft, the
impeller fluid is drawn in axially through the center opening (called the eye) of the housing. The
fluid then makes a 900 turn and flows radially outward. As energy is added to the fluid by the
rotating blades (centrifugal action and actual blade force), the pressure and velocity increase until
the fluid reaches the outer tip of the impeller. The fluid then enters the volute-shaped housing
whose increased flow area causes the velocity to decrease. This action results in a decrease in
kinetic energy and an accompanying increase in pressure.
The volute-shaped housing also provides a continuous increase in flow area in the direction of
flow to produce a uniform velocity as the fluid travels around the outer portion of housing and
discharge opening. Although centrifugal pumps provide smooth and continuous flow, their flow
rate output (also called discharge) is reducing as the external resistance is increase. In fact, by
closing a system valve (thereby creating theoretically infinite external system resistance) even
while the pump is running at design speed, it is possible to stop pump output flow completely. In
such a case, no harm occurs to the pump unless this no-flow condition occurs over extended
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period with resulting excessive fluid temperature build up. Thus pressure relief valves are not
needed. The tips of the impeller blade merely shear through the liquid, and the rotational speed
maintains a fluid pressure corresponding to the centrifugal force established. Figure 3 shows the
cutaway of a centrifugal pump.
Figure 21: The Cutaway of a Centrifugal Pump.
Pump Head versus Flow rate Curves for Centrifugal Pumps
Figure 20 shows pump head versus flow rate curves for a centrifugal pump. The solid curve is
for water, whereas the dashed curve is for a more viscous fluid such as oil. Most published
performance curves for centrifugal pumps are for pumping water. Notice from Figure 4 that
using a fluid having a higher viscosity than water results in a smaller flow rate at a given pump
head. If the fluid has a viscosity greater than 300 times that of water, the performance of a
centrifugal pump deteriorates enough that a positive displacement pump is usually
recommended.
Figure 22: Pump Performance Curve
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The maximum head produced by a centrifugal pump is called pump shutoff head because an
external system valve is closed and there is no flow. Notice from Figure 4 that as the external
system resistance decrease (which occurs when a system valve is opened more), the flow rate
increases at the expense of reduced pump head. Because the output flow rate changes
significantly with external system resistance, centrifugal pumps are rarely used in fluid power
systems. Zero pump head exists if the pump discharge port were opened to the atmosphere, such
as when filling nearby open tank with water. The open tank represents essentially zero resistance
to flow for the pump. Figure 20 shows why centrifugal pumps are desirable for pumping stations
used for delivery water to homes and factories. The demand for water may go to near zero during
the evening and reach a peak during the daytime, but a centrifugal pump can readily handle these
large changes in water demand. Since there is a great deal of clearance between the impeller and
housing, centrifugal pumps are not self-priming, unlike positive displacement pumps. Thus if a
liquid being pumped from a reservoir located below a centrifugal pump, priming is required.
Priming is the prefilling of the pump housing and inlet pipe with the liquid so that the pump can
initially draw the liquid. Priming is required because there is too much clearance between the
pump inlet and outlet ports to seal against atmospheric pressure. Thus the displacement of a
centrifugal pump is not positive where the same volume of liquid would be delivered per
revolution of the driveshaft.
The lack of positive internal seal against leakage means that the centrifugal pump is not forced to
produce flow when there is a very large system resistance to flow. As system resistance
decreases, less fluid at the discharge port slips back into the clearance spaces between the
impeller and housing, resulting in an increase in flow. Slippage occurs because the fluid follows
the path of least resistance.
Centrifugal Pump Connected in Parallel
If a single pump does not provide enough flow rates for a given application, connecting two
pumps in parallel, as shown in Figure 23, can rectify the problem. The effective two-pump
performance curve is obtained by adding the flow rates of each pump at the same head. As
shown, when two pumps are connected in parallel, the operating points shift from A to B,
providing not only increased flow rate as required but also greater head. Figure 23 shows the
characteristics of two identical pumps, but the pumps do not have to be the same.
Figure23: Centrifugal Pumps in parallel
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Centrifugal Pump Connected in Series
On the other hand, if a single pump does not provide enough head for a given application, two
pumps connected in series, as shown in Figure 24 , can be a remedy. The effective two-pump
performance curve is obtained by adding the head of each pump at the same flowrate. The
operating point shifts from A to B, thereby providing not only increased head as required but
also greater flow. Figure 6 shows the characteristics of two identical pumps, but the pumps do
not have to be the same.
Figure 24: Two centrifugal pumps connected in series
Impeller Types
An impeller is a rotating component of a centrifugal pump which transfers energy from the
motor that drives the pump to the fluid being pumped by accelerating the fluid outwards from the
centre of rotation. The velocity achieved by the impeller transfers into pressure when the
outward movement of the fluid is confined by the pump casing. Impellers are usually short
cylinders with an open inlet (called an eye) to accept incoming fluid, vanes to push the fluid
radially, and a splined, keyed or threaded bore to accept a driveshaft.
Backward-curved Blades
Backward-curved blades use blades that curve against the direction of the pump impeller's
rotation. Centrifugal pumps with backward-curved blades yield higher efficiency compare to the
forward-curved blades because the fluid flows into and out of the blade passages with the least
amount of turning. Sometimes the blades are air foil shaped, yielding similar performance but
even higher efficiency. The pressure rise is intermediate between radial and forward-curved
blades. Backward-curved pumps are preferred for applications where one needs to provide
volume flow rate and pressure rise within a narrow range of values. Backward curved pumps can
have a high range of specific speeds but are most often used for medium specific speed
applications-- high pressure, medium flow applications.
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Forward-curved Blades
Forward curved blades, which curve toward the direction of pump impeller’s rotation.
Centrifugal pumps with forward-curved blades produce pressure rise that is nearly constant,
albeit lower than that of radial and backward-curved blades, over a wide range of volume flow
rates. Centrifugal pumps with forward-curved blades generally have a lower maximum
efficiency. Forward-curved pumps are for high flow, low pressure applications.
Formula for Calculation of
Variables
Figure 24: Forward and backward-curved blades
Overall Efficiency
Power (fluid)
Gravitational
Acceleration
Volumetric flow rate
Pump Head
Pressure unit [P1,P2] is Pascal
Unit conversion : 1 bar = 100000 Pascal
Water Density
Table 10: Formula for calculations
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EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
General start-up procedures
Before conducting any experiment, it is necessary to do the following checking to avoid any
misused and malfunction of equipment.
1. The circulation tank is filled with water.
2. Make sure V5 is in fully close position.
3. Switch on the main power supply.
4. Check for the following valve position.
Pump Operation Running Pump Fully Open Valve Fully Close Valve
Series Both Pump, P1 & P2 V2 V1, V3
Parallel Both Pump, P1 & P2 V1, V3 V2
5. Turn on the pumps and slowly open V4 until maximum flow rate is achieved. Follow the
experiment procedures to determine the desired flow rate.
6. Close V4 accordingly to get desired flow rate.
7. Note down flow rate and pressures.
Table 2: Start up Procedures.
General shut-down procedures
1. Turn off the pump.
2. Make sure valve V4 is in fully close position.
3. Turn off the pump switches on the panel.
4. Switch off the main power supply.
Experiment 1: Characteristics of pump-in-series operation
Aim
To study the characteristics of pump-in-series operation with variable flow rate.
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Equipment Set Up
Fully Close Fully Open Variable
Pump ON
Valve Valve Parameter
V1 & V3 V2 V4 Both Pump
Experiment 2: Characteristics of pump-in-parallel operation
Aim
To study the characteristics of pump-in-parallel operation with variable flow rate.
Equipment Set Up
Fully Close Fully Open Variable
Pump ON
Valve Valve Parameter
V2 V1 & V3 V4 Both Pump
Procedures
1) Follow the basic procedure as written in previous section.
2) Ensure that all setting follows the equipment set up.
3) Test the pump characteristics by changing the flow rate from V4.
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OBSERVATION & CALCULATION
Pressure Pressure Mass Flow
Volume Time 1 2 Q Rate
0.005 10.92 0.075 0.1 0.000458 0.456959707
0.005 13.31 0.24 0.25 0.000376 0.374906086
0.005 21.56 0.48 0.48 0.000232 0.231447124
0.001 32.64 0.64 0.64 3.06E-05 0.03057598
Table: Readings of pump-in-series operation
Pressure Pressure Mass Flow
Volume Time 1 2 Q Rate
0.005 9.87 0.075 0 0.000507 0.505572442
0.005 10.75 0.11 0 0.000465 0.464186047
0.005 16.45 0.5 0.15 0.000304 0.303343465
0.005 74.53 1.18 0.6 6.71E-05 0.066952905
Table: Readings of pump-in-parallel operation
Graph: Plot of Discharge vs Pressure head for series and parallel tests
Discharge vs Head
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
Pressure (bar)
Parallel Test
0.3 Series Test
0.2
0.1
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
-0.1
Mass Flow Rate (kg/s)
ERRORS AND PRECAUTIONS
Following are the sources of error which can occur while experimenting
1. For each experiment refill the water tank and after experiment empty it.
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2. Do not operate pump above and below its limit.
3. Never operate the pumps when there is no liquid in the pipeline. It will cause serious
damage to the pumps. (Water Level must be checked from the manometer at the front of
tank.)
CONCLUSION
When the pumps were connected in series, meaning both pumps were connected to the same
pipe, an increase in pressure was observed that caused a decrease in mass flow rate. The parallel
setup displayed a much lower pressure, allowing for more liquid to flow. This is due to the fluid
having a lower velocity therefore causing les friction with the piping wall due to viscosity. We
can conclude that if we want to minimize losses in a pump system, we must choose a parallel
setup. If we are to pump a fluid against gravity, the high pressure of the series setup will perform
better.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Pumps are used in almost all aspects of industry and engineering from feeds to reactors and
distillation columns in chemical engineering to pumping storm water in civil and environmental.
They are an integral part of engineering. Mechanical pumps serve in a wide range of applications
such as pumping water from wells, aquarium filtering, pond filtering and aeration, in the car
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industry for water-cooling and fuel injection, in the energy industry for pumping oil and natural
gas or for operating cooling towers. In the medical industry, pumps are used for biochemical
processes in developing and manufacturing medicine, and as artificial replacements for body
parts, in particular the artificial heart.
WORK CONTRIBUTION
Name Work Contribution
Adnan sattar Introduction
Awais Ahmed Observations and Calculations
Omer Amjad Observations and Calculations, Layout
Raja Irtaza Conclusion
Moeen Riaz Precautions
Salman Arshad Abstract
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