Pump 2

VAPOR PRESSURE AND CAVITATION
I At a given pressure, the temperature at which a pure substance changes

phase is called the saturation temperature Tsat .
I Likewise, at a given temperature, the pressure at which a pure
substance changes phase is called the saturation pressure Psat .
I At an absolute pressure of 1 standard atmosphere (1 atm or 101.325
kPa), for example, the saturation temperature of water is 100o C.
Conversely, at a temperature of 100o C, the saturation pressure of water
is 1 atm.
I The vapor pressure Pv of a pure substance is defined as the pressure
exerted by its vapor in phase equilibrium with its liquid at a given
temperature.
I Pv is a property of the pure substance, and turns out to be identical to
the saturation pressure Psat of the liquid (Pv = Psat ).
I When the liquid pressure in liquid-flow systems drops below the vapor
pressure at some locations, and that results into unplanned vaporization.
Deepak Maslekar 9404550743

I For example, water at 10o C, may vaporize and form bubbles at
locations (such as the tip regions of impellers or suction sides of pumps)
where the pressure drops below 1.23 kPa
I When pumping liquids, it is possible for the local pressure inside the
pump to fall below the vapor pressure of the liquid, Pv . (Pv is also
called the saturation pressure Psat ) When (P < Pv ), vapor-filled
bubbles called cavitation bubbles appear.
I In other words, the liquid boils locally, typically on the suction side of
the rotating impeller blades where the pressure is lowest.
I After the cavitation bubbles are formed, they are transported through
the pump to regions where the pressure is higher, causing rapid collapse
of the bubbles.
I It is this collapse of the bubbles that is undesirable, since it causes
noise, vibration, reduced efficiency, and most importantly, damage to
the impeller blades.
I Repeated bubble collapse near a blade surface leads to pitting or erosion
of the blade and eventually catastrophic blade failure.
I To avoid cavitation, we must ensure that the local pressure
everywhere inside the pump stays above the vapor pressure.

Danger of Cavitation in a Propeller
The analysis of a propeller that operates in water at 20°C shows that the
pressure at the tips of the propeller drops to 2 kPa at high speeds. Determine
if there is a danger of cavitation for this propeller.
I SOLUTION
The minimum pressure in a propeller is given. It is to be determined if
there is a danger of cavitation.
I Properties : The vapor pressure of water at 20o C is 2.34 kPa (Table
above).
I Analysis : To avoid cavitation, the pressure everywhere in the flow
should remain above the vapor (or saturation) pressure at the given
temperature, which is
Pv = Psat@20°C =2.34 kPa
The pressure at the tip of the propeller is 2 kPa, which is less than the
vapor pressure. Therefore, there is a danger of cavitation for this
propeller.
Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH)
I Pressure is most easily measured (or estimated) at the inlet of the
pump, cavitation criteria are typically specified at the pump inlet.
I A new flow parameter called net positive suction head (NPSH) is
defined and defined as the difference between the pump’s inlet
stagnation pressure head and the vapor pressure head
V2

P Pv
NPSH = + −
ρg 2g pump inlet ρg
I Pump manufacturers test their pumps for cavitation in a pump test
facility by varying the volume flow rate and inlet pressure in a
controlled manner.
I Specifically, at a given flow rate and liquid temperature, the pressure at
the pump inlet is slowly lowered until cavitation occurs somewhere
inside the pump.
I The value of NPSH is calculated using above equation and is recorded
at this operating condition

Required Net Positive Suction Head
I The process is repeated at several other flow rates, and the pump
manufacturer then publishes a performance parameter called the
required net positive suction head (NPSHrequired )
I NPSHrequired defined as the minimum NPSH necessary to avoid
cavitation in the pump.
I The measured value of NPSHrequired varies with volume flow rate, and
therefore NPSHrequired is often plotted on the same pump performance
curve as net head
Required Net Positive Suction Head
I In order to ensure that a pump does not cavitate, the actual or

available NPSH must be greater than NPSHrequired .

Pumps in Series and Parallel
I When faced with the need to increase volume flow rate or pressure rise
by a small amount, you might consider adding an additional smaller
pump in series or in parallel with the original pump.
I While series or parallel arrangement is acceptable for some applications,
arranging dissimilar pumps in series or in parallel may lead to problems,
especially if one pump is much larger than the other

I A better course of action is to increase the original pump’s speed and/or

input power (larger electric motor), replace the impeller with a larger
one, or replace the entire pump with a larger one.
I Arranging dissimilar pumps in series may create problems because the
volume flow rate through each pump must be the same, but the overall
pressure rise is equal to the pressure rise of one pump plus that of the
other.
I When operated in series, the combined net head is simply the sum of
the net heads of each pump (at a given volume flow rate)
Combined net head for n pumps in series:
n
X
Hcombined = Hi
i=1

I When two or more identical (or similar) pumps are operated in parallel,
their individual volume flow rates (rather than net heads) are summed,
Combined capacity for n pumps in parallel:
n
X
V̇combined = V̇i
i=1
I As an example, consider the same three pumps, but arranged in parallel

rather than in series. The combined pump performance curve is shown
in figure below. The free delivery of the three combined pumps is equal
to the sum of the free delivery of each individual pump.
For low values of net head, the capacity of the three pumps in parallel is
equal to V̇1 + V̇2 + V̇3

I Pump performance curve (dark blue) for three pumps in parallel. At a
low value of net head, the combined capacity is equal to the sum of the
capacity of each pump by itself. However, to avoid pump damage and
loss of combined capacity, any individual pump should be shut off at net
heads larger than that pump’s shutoff head, as indicated by the
horizontal dashed gray lines. That pump’s branch should also be
blocked with a valve to avoid reverse flow.

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VAPOR PRESSURE AND CAVITATION

I At a given pressure, the temperature at which a pure substance changes

Deepak Maslekar 9404550743

Deepak Maslekar 9404550743

Deepak Maslekar 9404550743

I In order to ensure that a pump does not cavitate, the actual or

Deepak Maslekar 9404550743

Deepak Maslekar 9404550743

I A better course of action is to increase the original pump’s speed and/or

Deepak Maslekar 9404550743

I As an example, consider the same three pumps, but arranged in parallel

Deepak Maslekar 9404550743

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