A basic introduction to the aspects of hydraulics that apply to pumping

1. INTRO TO PUMP HYDRAULICS
Brian Gongol
DJ Gongol & Associates, Inc.
November 2, 2023
Nebraska Section AWWA Joint Fall Conference
Kearney, Nebraska

2. Pump: A machine for adding energy to fluid

3. ...causing it to defy gravity

4. It's a conversion (but not a religious one)

5. Atmospheric pressure into something useful

6. Energy in • Pressure and flow out

7. Trade-off: Your thumb over a garden hose

8. Main pump types
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Positive displacement
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Pushers
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Centrifugal
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Spinners

9. Positive displacement physically pushes the water

10. High, consistent pressures & specific volumes

11. Diaphragm pumps

12. Peristaltic pumps

13. Progressive cavity pumps

14. Gear pumps

15. Good with thick fluids that don't like to flow

16. Centrifugal pumps create pressure differential

17. Low pressure at eye, high pressure at discharge

18. Most collection system pumps are centrifugal

19. Impeller versus propeller

20. Containing the action of an impeller

21. Wearplate, impeller, shaft, sealplate, & seal

22. Three primary styles of centrifugal pump

23. Flooded suction

24. Submersible

25. Self-priming

26. Create a low-pressure area

27. Atmospheric pressure pushes into the low

28. Discharge to higher pressure

29. Science of atmospheric pressure

30. Weight of a column of air above you

31. Forces that offset its effects

32. Vapor pressure

33. Losses on the way to the low

34. Friction en route to the impeller eye

35. Includes piping and losses inside the pump

36. Static elevation differences

37. Also important: A sensible safety factor

38. A hurricane is one way to think of it...

39. ...but so is a tire on a wet or muddy road

40. Pressure and flow as a production frontier

41. A pump performs where the system allows it

42. Figuring system head curves

43. Two pairs of things to consider

44. Pair 1: Static head and friction head

45. Pair 2: Suction head and discharge head

46. The moving target is usually discharge piping

47. Pipe roughness

48. Solids buildup (settling and sedimentation)

49. Mineral deposits and tuberculation

50. Scouring velocity is important but not enough

51. Pockets of air can restrict flow, too

52. Valves and appurtenances: Equivalent length

53. Plotting today's head curve vs. tomorrow's

54. Plotting multiple pump speeds

55. VFDs are no magic bullet

56. Static heads determine VFD usefulness

57. Very little about pumping is linear

58. Opening or closing valves is rarely linear

59. Pipe diameters and flow rates aren't linear

60. Friction losses aren't linear

61. Multiple-pump operation isn't linear, either

62. Pumps in series increase heads

63. Pumps in parallel increase flows

64. Know what you're getting in advance

65. Parallel operation on a flat system head curve

66. Parallel ops on a rising system head curve

67. Parallel-series operation

68. Parallel-series operation on a curve

69. Pumps don't suck, but cavitation does

70. Discharge-side cavitation

71. Suction-side cavitation

72. Always use the safest available pump

73. Safety matters: Deadly gases

74. Safety matters: Falls

75. Safety matters: Electrocution

76. Where a flooded suction makes sense

77. Where submersibles make sense

78. Where self-priming pumps make sense

79. Questions?
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Thank you for coming! 
Brian Gongol
DJ Gongol & Associates
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515-223-4144
info@djgongol.com
www.gongol.net
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Facebool, Twitter, or
LinkedIn: @djgongol
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Call or email anytime

80. References and credits
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Catalog images of pumps courtesy AMT Pump Co.
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Hurricane imagery from NOAA (public domain)
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http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/index.cgi?
page=items&ser=112503&large=1
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Propeller image from the US Navy (public domain)
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http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-g/ap126-d.htm
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Wildly incorrect isometric image of a purported progressive-cavity
pump generated by Bing AI
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Lift station sample diagram and pump cutaway photo courtesy The
Gorman-Rupp Co.
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All other photos are original work of and copyright reserved by Brian
Gongol