Chemical & Process Engineering / Centrifugal Pump Characteristics
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LABORATORY 06 · CHEMICAL & PROCESS ENGINEERING

Centrifugal Slurry Pump Characteristic Curves & Affinity Laws Analysis

Determine head-capacity (H–Q), brake horsepower, and hydraulic efficiency curves of an industrial centrifugal slurry pump, verify pump affinity laws, and evaluate shutoff head H_0 and flow resistance coefficient. Explore interactive transport phenomena, unit operations simulation, and chemical engineering telemetry.

TRANSPORT PHENOMENA · UNIT OPERATIONS · PROCESS CONTROL · REACTION ENGINEERING

Your virtual chemical and process engineering laboratory.

TOTAL DYNAMIC HEAD H—
PROCESS & PILOT PLANT TELEMETRY

Ready to sample with Flow Q = 15.0 m^3/h.

15.0 m^3/h
Process Fluid: Standard industrial test fluid at 20.0 °C

Adjust Flow Q, then execute chemical process trial.

Chemical and process engineering telemetry is evaluated rigorously using 64-bit IEEE 754 precision. Residuals reflect ordinary least-squares regression across successive observations. Continuous data structures support high-fidelity transport phenomena and unit operations modeling.

Process engineering assumptions and boundary condition limits

The transport and thermodynamic models apply within the specified calibrated operating window (5.0 to 30.0 m^3/h). Evaluated using a 2.2 kW single-stage centrifugal slurry pump with backward-curved closed impeller (diameter D = 140 mm) operating at N = 2900 RPM. Regression models dynamic head drop (H_0 - H) as a function of Q^2, where H_0 = 35.00 m.

Process apparatus & industrial sensors.

Industrial Single-Stage Centrifugal Pump Skid

Equipped with 140 mm closed impeller driven by 2.2 kW three-phase induction motor.

Suction & Discharge Bourdon Tube Gauges

Measures suction vacuum pressure P_s and discharge pressure P_d with 0.02 bar accuracy.

Inline Electromagnetic Discharge Flowmeter

Logs volumetric throughput Q from 0 to 40 m^3/h with ±0.2% measurement accuracy.

Precision Digital Optical Tachometer

Continuously verifies shaft rotational speed stable at 2900 ± 5 RPM.

Three-Phase Digital Power Analyzer

Measures electrical input power, motor efficiency, and shaft brake horsepower P_sh.

Discharge Throttling Globe Valve

Provides fine control of system flow resistance to establish discrete operating points.

FOLLOW THE METHOD

A reason behind every step.

Determine head-capacity (H–Q), brake horsepower, and hydraulic efficiency curves of an industrial centrifugal slurry pump, verify pump affinity laws, and evaluate shutoff head H_0 and flow resistance coefficient. Standardized parameter settings: 5.0, 10.0, 15.0, 20.0, 25.0, 30.0 m^3/h.

01

Pump Priming & Suction Verification

Fill the suction line and pump volute completely with water to eliminate all air; verify suction pressure gauge indicates positive flooded head.

02

Shutoff Head Datum Establishment

Close the discharge throttling valve fully (Q = 0 m^3/h), energize the motor at 2900 RPM, and immediately record shutoff head H_0 = 35.0 m before cracking open the valve to avoid overheating.

03

Initial Flow Rate Throttling

Open the discharge valve until flow reaches Q = 5.0 m^3/h; allow flow and motor power to stabilize for 60 seconds.

04

Pressure, Power & Flow Logging

Record suction pressure P_s, discharge pressure P_d, volumetric flow rate Q, and electrical shaft power P_sh.

05

Flow Increment Progression

Increment discharge rate through 10.0, 15.0, 20.0, 25.0, and 30.0 m^3/h, recording complete hydraulic and electrical parameters at each operational point.

06

Characteristic Curve Regression

Calculate total dynamic head H, plot head drop (H_0 - H) versus Q^2, and fit a linear regression through the origin to determine curvature coefficient S.

YOUR NOTEBOOK · 0 OBSERVATIONS

Turn measurements into chemical process engineering insight.

See a complete example report ↗

Points are your recorded observations. The solid regression line validates Centrifugal Pump Characteristics mathematical scaling.

LINEAR REGRESSION FIT · y = mx + b
(H_0 - H) = S · Q^2 = 0.0280 · Q^2
#Volumetric Flow Rate Q (m^3/h)Total Dynamic Head H (m)Square of volumetric flow rate Q^2 (m^6/h^2)Dynamic head drop (H_0 - H) (m)Remove

No readings yet. Execute a process trial and record it.

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CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Explain what the process engineering metrics mean.

According to the pump Affinity Laws, if pump rotational speed N is doubled, the total head H will:

Centrifugal pump cavitation is caused by:

The shutoff head of a centrifugal pump represents:

Hydraulic efficiency of a centrifugal pump is calculated as:

THEORY AND UNIT OPERATIONS CONTEXT

Process engineering background & physical principles.

Centrifugal pumps are the most critical prime movers in the chemical process industries, responsible for circulating raw materials, transferring toxic solvents, pumping viscous slurries, and providing cooling utility flow. Fluid entering the eye of a rotating impeller is accelerated radially outward by centrifugal force; this high kinetic energy is subsequently decelerated in the volute casing or diffuser, converting dynamic velocity head into static pressure head. The relationship between total dynamic head H and volumetric discharge Q defines the fundamental pump characteristic curve: H(Q) = H_0 - S · Q^2, where H_0 is the shutoff head at zero flow and S represents internal hydraulic recirculation and friction resistance. As discharge flow increases, mechanical shaft power P_sh rises while hydraulic efficiency η = (ρ g Q H) / P_sh traverses a characteristic optimum known as the Best Efficiency Point (BEP). Furthermore, when impeller speed N or diameter D varies, pump performance scales according to the fundamental Affinity Laws. In this laboratory experiment, an instrumented centrifugal pump running at constant speed (2900 RPM) is throttled across discharge rates from 5 to 30 m^3/h to map H–Q performance, quantify internal curvature coefficient S, and establish shutoff head H_0.

(H_0 - H) = S · Q^2 = 0.0280 · Q^2

Evaluated using a 2.2 kW single-stage centrifugal slurry pump with backward-curved closed impeller (diameter D = 140 mm) operating at N = 2900 RPM. Regression models dynamic head drop (H_0 - H) as a function of Q^2, where H_0 = 35.00 m.