Centrifugal Pump Calculation Spreadsheet

Introduction
This spreadsheet can be used to specify centrifugal pumps - including assessing 'Net Positive
Suction Head' (NPSH) and power requirements.

The spreadsheet is split into the following sections

- A "How to Use This Calculation" Worksheet

- The Pump Calculation Worksheet itself.

It is recommended that the user first reads the 'How to Use This Calculation' worksheet before
starting a calculation.

Revision
Rev. 1 Initial issue 12-Oct-09
Rev. 1A Cosmetic changes only (spell checking & revised disclaimer) 15-Dec-09

Disclaimer: This calculation provides an estimate for specifying pumps. We cannot be held responsible for its use. As
with all areas of process engineering, calculations should be checked by a competent engineer.
 www.myChemE.com
Centrifugal Pump Calculation Spreadsheet Revision 1A

HOW TO USE THIS CALCULATION

1.0 Introduction
This spreadsheet can be used to specify centrifugal pumps - in particular the 'Net Positive Suction Head' (NPSH) and
the pump power requirements.

The calculation is split into three worksheet. The key worksheet is the one entitled "Pump Calculation": in addition,
there are two other worksheets which can be used to calculate the suction side and discharge side pressure drops
- although these worksheets do not have to be used. The following colour coding is used in this calculation:

Boxes shaded light green require a user input.

Boxes shaded light blue give a calculated output.

2.0 Pump Calculation Worksheet

2.1 Pump Tag No. / Calculation Description

The spreadsheet leaves space to add an equipment tag number for the pump and a description of the
calculation (or a description of the pump).

Although these items are not strictly necessary, they help describe the calculation - this can be
invaluable it is to be checked by another engineer.

2.2 Pump Details

The user enters the number of pumps operating and the pump speed. The number of pumps operating is
required to calculate the flow per pump. Thus if the flowrate is 100m 3/h and there are two pumps operating,
the flowrate per pump is 50m3/h.

The spreadsheet allows one of two pump speeds to be selected: 1750 rpm and 2900 rpm. This information is
not strictly necessary (it's used to estimate the required NPSH which can be over written anyway).

2.3 Liquid Properties

The user inputs physical property data of the liquid and the operating temperature of the pump.

2.3.1 Viscosity
The user enters the liquid viscosity in Centipoise (Cp). It should be noted that viscosity
changes with temperature - thus the user must ensure that the viscosity value entered
must be at the correct temperature.

2.3.2 Density
The user enters the liquid density in kg/m3. As with viscosity, the user should enter the
density at the pump operating temperature.

2.3.3 Vapour Pressure

The user enters the liquid vapour pressure in bar absolute of the liquid. Again, this data
should be at the pump operating temperature. As the vapour pressure is a strong function
of temperature, it is important that the data is accurate. If in doubt, it is safer to over-estimate
the liquid vapour pressure.

2.4 Flowrates
The user enters the total liquid flowrate in kg per hour. The spreadsheet then calculates the total

Disclaimer: This calculation provides an estimate for specifying pumps. We cannot be held responsible for its use. As with all
areas of process engineering, calculations should be checked by a competent engineer.
 www.myChemE.com
Centrifugal Pump Calculation Spreadsheet Revision 1A

volumetric flowrate (in m3/h and US gallons per minute), and the volumetric flowrate per pump (also in
m3/h and US gallons per minute).

2.5 Suction Side Hydraulics

This section of the worksheet allows the user to enter data on the suction side of the pump. The calculation
assumes that the pump is fed from a vessel upstream. This arrangement is shown in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1: Pump Suction Side Arrangement

Suction Vessel
H2

Pump

H1
Pump Centreline
H3
Grade

2.5.1 Suction Vessel Operating Pressure

The user enters the operating pressure of the Suction Vessel in bar absolute.
For vessels open to the atmosphere, this will be atmospheric pressure (i.e.
1.013 bar(a)). However, the Suction Vessel may also be pressurised or under
vacuum. It is important that the correct pressure is used - especially if the
vessel is under vacuum.

2.5.2 Elevation of Suction Vessel from Grade

The user enters the elevation of the Suction Vessel above grade (or ground
level) in metres - this is designated H1 in Figure 1. If the vessel is below grade,
the value is negative.

2.5.3 Vessel low liquid level

The user enters the Suction Vessel low liquid level in metres - this is designated
H2 in Figure 1. The Low Liquid Level should be the lowest operating liquid level
in the vessel and should usually correspond to the low level trip / alarm, if the
vessel is equipped with this. If not known, set this to zero.

2.5.4 Pump centreline elevation from grade

The user enters the elevation of the Pump Centreline Suction Vessel low liquid
level in metres - this is designated as H3 in Figure 1. This piece of information
depends on the pump design. The spreadsheet provides a typical figure which
can be overwritten if better information is available.

2.5.5 Static Pressure Low Liquid Level to Pump

The spreadsheet calculates the static pressure difference between the Low
Liquid Level and the centreline of the Pump (in metres).

2.5.6 Suction Side Pressure Drop

Disclaimer: This calculation provides an estimate for specifying pumps. We cannot be held responsible for its use. As with all
areas of process engineering, calculations should be checked by a competent engineer.
 www.myChemE.com
Centrifugal Pump Calculation Spreadsheet Revision 1A

The user can enter the line losses between the Suction Vessel and the Pump
(in bar).

2.5.7 Pump Suction Pressure

The spreadsheet calculates the pressure at the pump suction (in bar(a)).

2.6 Discharge Side Hydraulics

This section of the worksheet allows the user to enter data on the discharge side of the pump. The discharge
side arrangement is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Pump Discharge Side Arrangement

Equipment Termination
Item Point

Pump H4

Pump Centreline

Grade

2.6.1 Maximum Termination Pressure

The user enters the Maximum Termination Pressure, in Barg. This is the pressure
at the furthest point of the pumped circuit.

2.6.2 Elevation of Terminal Point

The user enters the elevation of the Termination Point, in metres. This is taken
as the elevation difference between the pump centreline and the termination
point.

N.B. Usually, the pump discharge pressure is set by the pressure difference
between the furthest point in the piped system and the pump. However, some-
times this is not the case. For example, if the termination point is much lower
than other points in the system. The engineer should use their judgement to ensure
that the discharge hydraulics are based on the genuine worst case when specifying
the pump.

2.6.3 Discharge Side Pressure Drop

The user can enter the line losses between the Pump and the Termination Point
(in bar) - this should include pressure drops resulting from pipework, control valves,
equipment and any other restrictions in the system.

2.6.4 Pump Discharge Pressure

The spreadsheet calculates the required pump discharge pressure.

2.7 Pump NPSH

If the pump suction pressure is too low, there is a danger that the liquid will boil. This causes cavitation and
can result in loss of pumping power and possibly damaging the pump. This is avoided by ensuring that there
is sufficient 'Net Positive Suction Head' (NPSH). Calculating the NPSH is a key element when specifying a pump.
A more detailed discussion on pump cavitation and NPSH can be found via the following link.

Pump NPSH

Disclaimer: This calculation provides an estimate for specifying pumps. We cannot be held responsible for its use. As with all
areas of process engineering, calculations should be checked by a competent engineer.
 www.myChemE.com
Centrifugal Pump Calculation Spreadsheet Revision 1A

2.7.1 NPSH Required at the Pump Suction

The NPSH required by the pump at a given flowrate can be obtained from the
pump vendor. The spreadsheet does give an estimate of the NPSH but if vendor
data is available this should be overwritten.

Disclaimer: This calculation provides an estimate for specifying pumps. We cannot be held responsible for its use. As with all
areas of process engineering, calculations should be checked by a competent engineer.
 www.myChemE.com
Centrifugal Pump Calculation Spreadsheet Revision 1A

2.7.2 NPSH Safety Margin

The user enters a safety margin to make allowance for uncertainties in the
calculation. If the pump vendor data and the suction pipe routing is known, a
safety margin of 0.6 metres is acceptable. For preliminary calculations, where
the NPSH at the pump suction is estimated, the safety margin should be increased
to at least 1.0 metres.

2.7.3 Total NPSH Required

This is the sum of the NPSH Required at the Pump Suction and the NPSH Safety
Margin.

2.7.4 Head at Pump Entry

The spreadsheet calculates the head at the pump suction, taking into account the
head at the Suction Vessel, the vessel to pump elevation difference and the suction
side line loss.

2.7.5 NPSH Available

The spreadsheet calculates the NPSH at the pump suction. For the pump design
to work correctly, the NPSH must be a positive number. The spreadsheet displays
a warning if the NPSH is negative. A discussion of what to do if there is
insufficient NPSH is given in Section 3.

2.8 Pump Design Data

2.8.1 Pump Differential Pressure

The Pump Differential Pressure is calculated by the spreadsheet and is the pressure
difference across the pump.

2.8.2 Pump Differential Head

The Pump Differential Head is calculated by the spreadsheet and is the Pump
Differential Pressure expressed as a head.

2.8.3 Estimated Pump Power Required

The shaft power of the pump is affected by the pump efficiency. The pump power
requirements (and the pump efficiency) will be provided by the vendor. However,
during the early stages of the design, it may be necessary for the pump power to
be estimated to provide provisional electrical load data.

2.8.4 Estimated Pump Efficiency

Except for very large pumps, the spreadsheet will provide an estimated pump
efficiency which is used to calculate the pump power requirements. This
value can be overwritten by the user, if more accurate data is known.

3.0 What to do if there is insufficient NPSH

Sometimes, the calculation will result in a negative NPSH - in other words, the design will probably not work. This
is usually the result of a combination of: liquid close to its boiling point, pump suction lines that are too small,
pump located too high relative to the suction vessel and / or specification of a pump will very high NPSH require-
ments.

If there is insufficient NPSH, the following options can be considered:

3.1 Reduce the suction-side pressure drop

Is there an excessive pressure drop between the suction vessel and the pump? Typically, the suction side
pressure drop should be well under 0.5 bar, with fluid velocities of 1m/s or less. If the pressure drop is too

Disclaimer: This calculation provides an estimate for specifying pumps. We cannot be held responsible for its use. As with all
areas of process engineering, calculations should be checked by a competent engineer.
 www.myChemE.com
Centrifugal Pump Calculation Spreadsheet Revision 1A

high, increase the suction line pipe diameter

3.2 Reduce the pump speed

High speed pumps will have a larger NPSH requirement than lower speed pumps. If the pump requires a
NPSH greater than 3 to 4 metres, consider reducing the pump speed. The spreadsheet is set up with two
typical pump speeds: 1750 rpm and 2900 rpm.

3.3 Raise the level of the Suction Vessel / Lower the level of the Pump
By increasing the height of the Suction Vessel relative to the pump, the NPSH available increases. For installed
equipment, it may not be possible to relocate equipment. However, it may be possible to increase the minimum
liquid level in the suction vessel.

Disclaimer: This calculation provides an estimate for specifying pumps. We cannot be held responsible for its use. As with all
areas of process engineering, calculations should be checked by a competent engineer.
 Centrifugal Pump Calculation Spreadsheet
Pump Tag Number P1112
Calculation Description For Pump Sizing
Suction Pipe Size 50.00
Discharge Pipe Size 50.00
Number of Pumps Operating 1.00
Pump Speed rpm 1450.00
Liquid Properties
Liquid Pumped: ACETONE+Water
Temperature degC 45 Operating Deg. F 113
Density kg/m3 1225.00
Viscosity cP 2.2
Vapour Pressure bar(a) 0.05 Vapour pressure at operat Psi a 9.883
Flowrates
Total Mass Flow kg/h 22,000
Total Volumetric Flow m3/h 17.96
Total Volumetric Flow US gpm 79.07
Volumetric Flow (per pump) m3/h 18.0
Volumetric Flow (per pump) US gpm 79.1
Suction Side Hydraulics
Suction Vessel Operating Pressure bar(a) 1.00 V-4113
Elevation of Suction Vessel from Grade m 3.0
Vessel low liquid level m 0.5
Pump centreline elevation from grade m 0.6
Static Pressure Low Liquid Level to Pump bar 0.35
Suction Side Pressure Drop bar 0.13 Line Drop = M Wc 1.36
Pump Suction Pressure bar(a) 1.22
Discharge Side Hydraulics
Maximum Termination Pressure bar(g) 1.01
Elevation of Terminal Point m 13.00 above pump centreline with 1 M head increment
Discharge Side Pressure Drop bar 1.64 Line Drop = M Wc 11.71
Pump Discharge Pressure bar(g) 4.21
Pump NPSH
NPSH Required at the Pump m 0.5
NPSH Safety Margin m 1.0
Total NPSH Required m 1.5
Head at Pump Entry m 10.1
NPSH Available m 9.7 Sufficient NPSH Available
Pump Design Data
Pump Differential Pressure bar 4.01
Pump Differential Head m 33.4
Estimated Pump Efficiency % 60
Estimated Pump Power Required kW 3.33 N.B. This is power required per pump