Confused with pump terminology? Not sure which pump to choose your industrial needs? Finding the right pump that best fits your application can be time consuming. Worry not! As one of the best pump dealers in India, our pump experts here at Sintech are here to ease the burden from your shoulders. We provide you with this handy guide to find the right pumps for your needs.
When it comes to pump sizing, you have to consider three key factors:
1. The flow rate – This is your basic requirement. It’s the speed and volume at which you want the pumped liquid to flow.
2. Pressure – This is the pressure required to move the liquid to a specific height at the desired flow rate.
3. Friction Loss – This is the loss associated with moving the liquid through the pump’s pipes, valves and other components.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these three factors:
1. Flow
The pump’s flow is generally measured in gpm (gallons per minute). To efficiently maintain the pump system, you have to determine the maximum instantaneous flow that enters the pump’s basin. Typically, the installation engineer, system operator will provide the design flow. They use various formulae to calculate the flow.
The flow calculation varies from one process to another. For example, in a sewage system, the flow is calculated using the fixture unit. This method assigns a specific value to each plumbing fixture in the system. The next step is to determine the type and number of fixtures that receive water. Then, the total number of fixture units is calculated. This number is then converted to a corresponding flow rate using the pump capacity vs fixture unit chart.
At the end of this calculations, the installation engineer will be able to determine the flow rate for the system.
2. Pressure
The second factor in determining the right pump size is the system pressure. The system pressure is the amount of pressure required to move the liquid at the design flow rate. The pressure in a pump system is commonly known as the TDH (Total Dynamic Head). The TDH is usually measured in feet.
Generally, the TDH has one major factor: the static head. Static head is the height of the water column above a specific reference point. For example, if you want to determine the suction static head, then it’s the height of water above the pump’s inlet. Discharge static head, on the other hand, is the height of water above the pump’s discharge outlet.
The total static head is the difference between discharge static head and the suction static head. This is the minimum height up to which the water has to reach. The pressure you choose for the pump system has to take the water at least up to the total static head.
3. Friction Loss
When the liquid flows through the pump system, friction occurs between the pipe walls and the liquid. This friction introduces back pressure into the pump system.
While selecting the pump size, you also have to account for the loss in height and pressure due to internal friction. Calculating friction loss can be cumbersome as it depends on the pump fitting materials, and other individual factors. Several factors determine friction loss like: pipe length, pressure rating, pipe material, pipe diameter, pipe age, type and number of fittings.
The best pump dealers in India make your task easy by providing you with standard friction loss values for different materials. You can use this number to determine the value adjustments considering the friction loss.
Besides these three factors, another critical factor that plays a role in pump sizing is water velocity. The velocity of the pumped liquid matters more especially in applications using highly viscous liquids like the wastewater industry. Here, you have to ensure that there is enough flow and velocity to prevent the accumulation of solids along the pipe’s interiors. Sufficient velocity is a must to prevent pump clogging and buildup.
Key Takeaways:
Finding the right pump size is a must to get the maximum out of your pump system – high efficiency, low downtime and reduced electricity consumption. If you have any queries on pump sizing, reach out to our pump experts. We’ll walk you through the challenges of your application and help you find the best pumps in India that match your specific needs.
Get in touch with our team to know more.