Centrifugal Pumps Basics

Review centrifugal pumps basics before you select products
By Ydalia Tolentino Centrifugal pumps are very simple devices designed to move fluids. These pumps work by converting mechanical energy into kinetic energy and then to pressure. These energy conversions occur in the two main pump components, the impeller and the stationary involute. There are three categories used to classify centrifugal pumps based on the type of flow they produce. These are axial flow, mixed flow and radial flow.

Centrifugal pump manufacturers can design products for different applications such as marine, water, low flow irrigation and industrial. There are also different types of products like a self-priming or a vertical centrifugal pump. These versatile pumps are relatively simple in construction, inexpensive and require low maintenance. However, they can be inefficient under certain conditions. For an efficient pumping system, a good centrifugal pump design is very important.

Before selecting centrifugal pumps, you should consider the following:

1. Review factors like fluid flow rate, pump size, head requirements, and pump performance curves to choose energy-efficient centrifugal pumps.

2. Find the right centrifugal pump for an application.

3. Compare products from different centrifugal pump distributors.

Find a centrifugal pump manufacturer that offers good technical information or resources

Knowing centrifugal pumps basics is important to select a proper pump product. Because the impeller component is a main consideration in the design of this type pump, manufacturers can offer pumps with different impeller designs that can perform efficiently under different conditions like high flow rate with low head. A centrifugal pump manufacturer should provide charts and performance curves for different pump models. Before selecting a product, check out the performance curve, which shows the efficiency, capacity and the total head of the pump model.
Try:  Sethco Division offers corrosion-resistant vertical centrifugal pumps designed to pump acids, caustics and seawater. You can get performance curves, drawings and specifications for these pumps. At Myers, you can find different types of this product. Download the product manual to see the performance data. For more information on how to select energy-efficient centrifugal pumps, go to Pump Systems Matter, an educational initiative created by the Hydraulic Institute.

Know the type of centrifugal pumps you require for an application

Different applications/media require different types of pumps. You can find some distributors that offer only marine centrifugal pumps. Other manufacturers may carry wider selections of products like centrifugal industrial pumps, centrifugal water pumps and priming centrifugal pumps. For a marine or industrial application, the pump may be NiAl bronze, which is a good material choice because of its corrosion resistance properties.
Try:  Ampco Pumps offers marine and industrial pumps in stainless steel and nickel aluminum bronze. This vendor also provides good information on products, a reference sheet on NiAl bronze and pump performance curves. For Goulds centrifugal water pumps, go to American Tank. Different types of water pumps offered by this vendor are multi-stage vertical and end-suction pumps. Gorman-Rupp carries standard, self-priming and priming assisted pumps.

Buy centrifugal pumps from vendor that offer quality products and good prices

Many distributors or vendors provide online catalogs of centrifugal pumps. By browsing through online catalogs from different vendors and comparing centrifugal pump prices, you can narrow down your selection of products and find some good deals.
Try:  PumpBiz is a distributor of pumps with a huge selection of products that offers online shopping. Look through the different type brands of centrifugal pump products and compare prices. Grainger also offers a good inventory of this product including self-priming pumps.

• A high-pressure centrifugal pump is a good choice for applications that require high discharge pressures and flows. These pumps can discharge at a rate of 100 gallons per minute and can produce heads well over 200 feet.