Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Ibrahim Sezai
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Eastern Mediterranean University

Fall 2005-2006

Objectives

Identify various types of pumps and

turbines, and understand how they work
Apply dimensional analysis to design
new pumps or turbines that are
geometrically similar to existing pumps or
turbines
Perform basic vector analysis of the flow
into and out of pumps and turbines
Use specific speed for preliminary design
and selection of pumps and turbines

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 2 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

1
 Categories

Pump: adds energy to

a fluid, resulting in an
increase in pressure
across the pump.

Turbine: extracts
energy from the fluid,
resulting in a
decrease in pressure
across the turbine.
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 3 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Categories
For gases, pumps are further broken down into
Fans: Low pressure gradient, High volume flow rate.
Examples include ceiling fans and propellers.

Blower: Medium pressure gradient, Medium volume

flow rate. Examples include centrifugal and squirrel-
cage blowers found in furnaces, leaf blowers, and
hair dryers.

Compressor: High pressure gradient, Low volume

flow rate. Examples include air compressors for air
tools, refrigerant compressors for refrigerators and air
conditioners.

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 4 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

2
 Machines that Move Gases

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 5 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Categories

Positive-displacement machines
Closed volume is used to squeeze or suck fluid.
Pump: human heart
Turbine: home water meter
Dynamic machines
No closed volume. Instead, rotating blades supply or
extract energy.
Enclosed/Ducted Pumps: torpedo propulsor
Open Pumps: propeller or helicopter rotor
Enclosed Turbines: hydroturbine
Open Turbines: wind turbine

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 6 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

3
 Human heart is an example of a positive displacement
pump; blood is pumped by expansion and contraction of
heart chambers called ventrices.
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 7 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

A wind turbine is a good

example of a dynamic
machine of the open type; air
turns the blades, and the
output shaft drives an electric
generator.

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 8 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

4
 Pump Head

Net Head

Water horsepower

Brake horsepower

Pump efficiency

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 9 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Matching a Pump to a Piping System

Pump-performance
curves for a centrifugal
pump
BEP: best efficiency
point
H*, bhp*, V* correspond
to BEP
Shutoff head: achieved
by closing outlet (V=0)
Free delivery: no load on
system (Hrequired = 0)

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 10 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

5
 Matching a Pump to a Piping System

Steady operating
point:

Energy equation:

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 11 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 12 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

6
Typical pump performance curves for a family of centrifugal
pumps of the same casing diameter but different impeller
diameters.
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 13 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Manufacturer Performance Plot

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 14 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

7
 Pump Cavitation and NPSH
Cavitation should be avoided due
to erosion damage and noise.
Cavitation occurs when P < Pv
Pv = Vapor pressure = Psat

Net positive suction head

NPSHrequired curves are created

through systematic testing over a
range of flow rates V.

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 15 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Pumps in Series and Parallel

Arranging two very dissimilar
pumps in (a) series or (b)
parallel can sometimes lead
to problems.
A better course of action is to:
a) Increase original pumps
speed and/or power
b) replace the impeller with a
larger one
c) replace the entire pump with
a larger one
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 16 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

8
Pumps in Series
n
Combined net head for n pumps in series: H combined = H i
i =1

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 17 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Pumps in Parallel
n
Combined capacity for n pumps in parallel:  combined =  i
i =1

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 18 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

9
Several identical pumps are often run in parallel configuration so that a
larger volume flow rate can be achieved when necessary.
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 19 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Positive Displacement Pumps

Used for high pressure
applications, like
pumping viscous liquids
or thick slurries.

Examples:
a) Flexible tube
peristaltic pump
b) Three lobe rotary
pump
c) Gear pump
d) Double screw pump
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 20 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

10
Four phases in the operation of a two-lobe rotary pump, a
type of positive displacement pump.

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 21 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Dynamic Pumps
Dynamic Pumps include
centrifugal pumps: fluid
enters axially, and is
discharged radially.
mixed--flow pumps: fluid
enters axially, and leaves
at an angle between
radially and axially.
axial pumps: fluid enters
and leaves axially.

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 22 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

11
 Centrifugal Pumps

Snail--shaped scroll
Most common type of
pump: homes, autos,
industry.

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 23 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Centrifugal Pumps

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 24 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

12
 Centrifugal Pumps: Blade Design

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 25 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Centrifugal Pumps: Blade Design

r1b1
Volume flow rate:  = 2r1b1V1, n = 2r2 b2V2, n V2 , n = V1, n
r2 b2

Vector analysis of leading

Side view of impeller blade. and trailing edges.
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 26 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

13
Angular Momentum Analysis of a Centrifugal Pump
Shaft Torque = change in
moment of momentum from
inlet to outlet
Eulers turbine equation:
(
Tshaft =  r2V2,t r1V1, t )
Or:
Tshaft =  (r2V2 sin 2 r1V1 sin 1 )
For pump = 1:
bhp = Tshaft =  ( r2V2, t rV
1 1, t )

= Wwater horsepower = g  H

H =
1
g
(
r2V2, t r1V1, t ) (14-17)
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 27 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Applying law of cosines:

V22 = V22, relative + 2 r22 2r2V2 , relative cos 2

V2, relativeCos 2 = r2 V2,t

Substituting into above eqn:
r2V2 , t =
1 2
2
(
V2 V22, relative + 2 r22 )
A similar eqn can be written for
the inlet.
Substituting into eq (14-17)

H=
1
2g
[( ) ( ) (
V22 V12 + 2 r22 2 r12 V22, relative V12,relative )]
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 28 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

14
 H=
1
2g
[( ) ( ) (
V22 V12 + 2 r22 2 r12 V22, relative V12,relative )]
Eqn 14.3 was
(14-3)
Equating the above relations,
P Vrelative
2
2r 2 P Vrelative
2
2 r22
+ + z = + + z
g 2g 2g out g 2g 2g in
Applying the above eqn to any radii along the impeller
2
P Vrelative 2r 2 Bernoulli equation in a
+ + z = constant
g 2g 2g rotating reference frame

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 29 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

H =
1
g
(
r2V2, t r1V1, t )
H becomes maximum for V1,t = 0
For the design condition set V1,t = 0
That is, select 1 such that flow
into the impeller is purely radial so
that V1,n = V1
V1, n V2, n
V1, t = r1 V2, t = r2
tan 1 tan 2
V1, n
When V1,t = 0 and V1,n = V1 then, r1 =
tan 1
Inserting into  = 2 r1bV
1 1, n  = 2b1 r12 tan 1
This eqn is used for preliminary blade design (to find 1)
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 30 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

15
 Centrifugal Pumps: Blade Design

Blade number affects efficiency and introduces circulatory

losses (too few blades) and passage losses (too many blades)

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 31 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Axial Pumps
Axial pumps do not utilize centrifugal forces.
Instead, the impeller blades behave more like the wing of an
airplane, producing lift by changing the momentum of the
fluid as they rotate.
The rotor of a helicopter is a type of axial-flow pump.

Blades generate thrust like wing

generates lift.
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 32 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

16
 Axial Pumps
A propeller A computer cooling fan

Open vs. Ducted Axial Pumps

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 33 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Open Axial Pumps

Blades generate thrust like wing

generates lift.

Tangential speed of blade:

u = r
Velocity of air relative to the
blade:
G G G
Vrelative Vwind Vblade
G
Vblade = u Propeller has radial twist to take into
account for angular velocity (=r)
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 34 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

17
Computation of Vrelative at two radii

(a) At the root of blade (b) At the tip of the blade

The amount of twist is determined by setting pitch angle
such that the relative angle of attack, , is the same at any r.
G
Vrelative increases from root to the tip dynamic pressure
increases with r.
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 35 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

The rotating blades of a rotor or

propeller induce swirl in the
surrounding fluid.
This reduces the effective
tangential speed of the blade
relative to the wind.

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 36 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

18
Typical Fan Performance Curves for a Axial Flow Fan

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 37 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Ducted Axial Pumps

Tube Axial Fan: Swirl

downstream

Counter-Rotating Axial-Flow
Fan: swirl removed. Early
torpedo designs

Vane Axial-Flow Fan: swirl

removed. Stators can be
either pre-swirl or post-swirl.

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 38 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

19
 Ducted Axial Pumps: Blade Design
Overall view

Relative frame of reference

Absolute frame of reference

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 39 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Multistage Axial-Flow Pump or Compressor

Axial flow pumps or fans deliver high volume flow rates,

but fairly low pressure rise.
For high flow rate and high pressure rise use multistage
axial flow pump or compressor.
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 40 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

20
Dimensional Analysis of a Pump
The relationships are:
gH  D 2
= f , ,
2D 2 D
3
D
A similar analysis with bhp
as a function of the same
variables gives
bhp  D 2
= f , ,
3 D5 D
3
D

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 41 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Dimensional Analysis

In the above two equations the 3 new

nondimensional parameters are named as
Head coefficient
Capacity coefficient
Power coefficient
Reynolds number also appears,but in terms of
angular rotation
Reynolds number
Functional relation is
Head coefficient
Power coefficient
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 42 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

21
A dimensionless parameter related to the required net positive
suction head, NPSH, can be obtained by simply substituting
NPSHrequired in place of H in the dimensional analysis. The
result is
gNPSH required
CNPSH = Suction head coefficient =
2 D2

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 43 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Dimensional Analysis
If two pumps are
geometrically similar,
and
The independent s
are similar, i.e.,
CQ,A = CQ,B
ReA = ReB
A/DA = B/DB
Then the dependent
s will be the same
(Homologous States)
CH,A = CH,B
CP,A = CP,B

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 44 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

22
 Dimensional Analysis

When plotted in
nondimensional form, all
curves of a family of
geometrically similar
pumps collapse onto one
set of nondimensional
pump performance
curves
Note: Reynolds number
and roughness can often
be neglected,

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 45 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

Pump Specific Speed

Pump Specific Speed is used to characterize the operation of a

pump at BEP and is useful for preliminary pump selection.

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 46 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

23
 Affinity Laws
For two homologous states A and B (all independent
s being equal), we can use variables to develop
ratios (similarity rules, affinity laws, scaling laws).

Useful to scale from model to prototype

Useful to understand parameter changes, e.g.,
doubling pump speed (Ex. 14-10).

ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 47 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

When the affinity laws are applied to a single pump in

which the only thing that is varied is , then the affinity
laws reduce to those shown above.
ME353 : Fluid Mechanics 48 Chapter 14: Turbomachinery

24