28 Feature

WORLD PUMPS March 2010

Centrifugal pumps

Pump selection:
a real example
Choosing the most appropriate and cost-effective centrifugal pump for
a given duty requires strict adherence to a thorough selection process,
as Eduardo Larralde and Rafael Ocampo discussed in the first article
of this two-part series. Here they demonstrate the application of the
selection procedure in practice with a real-life example.

T
he recommended procedure for presses. In order to carry out the by a PLC in order to ensure the fulfilment
the selection of centrifugal pumps complete curing cycle of the tyres, the of the operating order, which was used
was presented in the previous following sequence of fluids should as the basis for calculating the consump-
article1. The information required in order be supplied to the inner part of the tion of every fluid in the process.
to prepare the quotation request for the mould (bladder):
pump and electric motor was examined Operating conditions
1. Shaping steam.
in detail as well as the recommended
approach for studying the corresponding 2. Pre-curing steam. The chosen circulation pump will have to
offers. In this second, concluding part, a satisfy the following operating conditions:
3. Hot water for curing. This step requires
case study is presented in order to a) Maximum circulation flow, which
the pumping of hot water to push
exemplify how to apply the aforemen- occurs when all the 24 presses are
out the steam and fill the bladder
tioned procedure. simultaneously operating in the hot
(1.6 minutes) and then maintain the
hot water circulation until the end of water circulation step.
The studied system the curing step. b) Peak maximum flow, which occurs
In a tyre manufacturing plant a pumping 4. Cooling water. when six presses simultaneously begin
system is required to circulate hot water filling the bladders with hot water
5. Drain. (maximum consumption) plus the flow
through a set of 24 tyre vulcanization
6. Vacuum. to the rest of the presses already filled
and circulating. This is the flow value
Selected operating The implementation times for these steps used to select the pump.
may vary according to the design and
parameters for the hot dimension of the tyres to be manufac-
c) Minimum operating flow, given by the
water circulation pump tured. Usually the curing step (3) takes up
minimum hot water process demand,
which occurs when all the presses are
• Normal pumping temperature: about 80% or even more of the complete
curing cycle duration. The curing cycle
operating but only six are running in
185°C; maximum: 195°C the curing step.
• Normal capacity at pumping
3
in each press is controlled by a program-
mable regulator and the operating d) Safe minimum flow for pump protection,
temperature: 105 m /h
• Rated capacity at pumping
3
sequence of all the presses is governed specified by the pump manufacturer.
temperature: 120 m /h
• Minimum operating flow: 45 m /h 3

• Rated differential head: 126.3 m Table 1. Load duty cycle for hot water circulation pump
• Discharge pressure: 2.46 MPa Flow rate (m3/h) 45 65 80 85 100 105 120
• Maximum discharge pressure Time (h/year) 1216 1116 520 372 149 3198 149
allowed by the process: 2.58 MPa
% 18.09 16.61 7.74 5.53 2.22 47.59 2.22

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 Feature 29
WORLD PUMPS March 2010

Figure 1. Hot water system for the vulcanization presses.

Moreover, due to the operating sequence variable operating conditions on this loops are clearly identifiable, one for hot
of the set of 24 presses, the circulation pump, making it more difficult to achieve water circulation, the other for water
pump will have to run with variable a satisfactory pump selection. make-up and heating. This article deals
capacity according to the quantity of with the pump selection for the circula-
In order to ensure the quality of the
presses in each step of the curing process tion loop only because of its greater
vulcanization and the correct operation
and the type of tyre being manufactured. interest and operational complexity. The
of the presses, the discharge pressure of
Table 1 shows the values of the flow sketch shows the inlet and outlet headers,
the pump must not be greater than 2.58
pumped during the different operational the bypass line between them and its
MPa. This requirement must be carefully
combinations of the presses, the number automatic pressure-regulating valve. This
taken into account; otherwise the pump
of hours in a year the pump runs at each bypass is used during the start-up of the
will not satisfy the operation of the system
capacity and the percentage of time system when none of the presses demands
as expected.
represented by each operating condi- hot water and also to guarantee the safe
tion against the total running time. It is A sketch of the hot water system for the minimum flow for the protection of the
obvious that the process imposes very presses is shown in Figure 1, where two pump during periods of low demand.

Table 2. Summary of LCC for best options from different suppliers (in US$)
Cost element Supplier 1 Supplier 2 Supplier 3
Initial investment (purchase, installation and commissioning) 43002.72 55248.51 41934.35
Current energy price ($/kWh) 0.09 0.09 0.09
Adjusted medium power (kW) 35.6 36.0 35.9
Operating hours per year 6720 6720 6720
Calculated energy cost per year 21531.35 21772.80 21736.51
Calculated energy cost in life cycle 229765.83 232342.39 231955.16
Maintenance cost per year 769.00 706.46 817.90
Repairs cost (every 2 years) 1889.98 806.39 1999.18
Maintenance cost in life cycle 18100.09 11760.21 19193.56
Pump life span 14 14 14
Interest rate (%) 8 8 8
Inflation rate (%) 4 4 4
Current value of LCC 290868.63 299351.11 293083.07

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30 Feature
WORLD PUMPS March 2010

Figure 2. Pump selection chart for 3500 rpm.

The most important operating parameters by three different suppliers. Life cycle cost resulting from the use of materials of
for determining the selection of the pump (LCC) calculations were carried out for the excessive quality, a slightly lower efficiency
are shown in the box. A full listing of the best of the proposed pumps and a summary (73.2% at BEP) and high energy consump-
minimum specifications required for the pump of the results is shown in Table 2. This tion. In spite of lower maintenance costs the
quotation request was given in the previous indicates that the lowest cost of ownership LCC of this supplier is substantially higher
article (World Pumps, February 2010, p. 27)1. belongs to supplier number one, who also than the rest. Although the initial investment
satisfied the rest of the commercial require- for supplier number three is the lowest of
ments. The efficiency for this manufacturer all, a lower efficiency (72.5% at BEP) and
Choosing the supplier
was the highest of all, reaching 73.9% at BEP. higher maintenance cost lead to a higher
The procedure described in the first article Supplier number two was eliminated LCC and therefore also take this manufac-
was applied to analyse several pumps offered because of the high investment cost turer out of contention.

Figure 3. Pump selection chart for 1750 rpm.

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 Feature 31
WORLD PUMPS March 2010

Pump selection
Once the supplier was selected, the
following decision-taking process was under-
taken to determine the optimum pump for
the tyre manufacturing task.

Preliminary selection
The pump is selected from those designed
to be used for industrial hot water and
boiler feed service, featuring one or more
stages, with a radially split design casing.
The required head and capacity are 126.3 m
and 120 m3/h, respectively. According to the
selection charts shown in Figures 2 and 3,
models 80/2 and 100/2 running at 3500
rpm and models 100/8 and 125/4 running
at 1750 rpm satisfy these requirements. The
installation of two or three pumps in parallel
might have been a better option from the
point of view of efficiency but was ruled
out because of the very high instantaneous
flow demand occurring when six presses
simultaneously reach the bladder-filling step,
creating a sudden pressure drop even if the
pumps are automatically governed, and this
is undesirable if good vulcanization quality is
to be achieved.

Characteristic curves analysis

The information obtained from the selec-

tion chart is not sufficient to choose the Figure 4. Characteristic Q-H and Q-η curves for standard impeller diameters.
appropriate pump. A careful and detailed
checking and comparison of the charac-
pressure of 2.46 MPa or slightly higher at would modify the pump speed to adjust
teristic curves for those pumps that are
120 m3/h. For model 100/2 the diameter the head to the required 126.3 m. Figure 5
able to satisfy the intended service is
remains the same due to the fact that shows the behaviour of pump model 80/2
also required.
205 mm is the minimum available. Calcu- under this condition. The graph is also
The standard impeller diameter best lation results are shown in Table 3. useful to define the frequency range appli-
fitting the load requirement was chosen cable to the control of this pump, which
For the minimum flow rate of 45 m3/h
for each of the pre-selected pumps. The in this case is from 60 Hz to 52 Hz.
both pump models exceed the maximum
characteristic Q-H and Q-η curves and
figure of 2.58 MPa imposed by the process Knowing that the initial investment for the
standard impeller diameters of the four
and therefore alternative solutions have option using a VSD is higher and also that
pumps are shown in Figure 4. The Q-H
to be found and assessed. The simplest the static head of the system is high, it is
curve profile for pump model 100/8 makes
solution is to install a control system imperative to carry out a deeper analysis
it inadequate for the intended service
governing the bypass valve and ensuring to reach a final selection. Technical
because of the high head obtained at flow
the pressure limit in the inlet header is calculations show that the VSD option
rates below the rated value. Pump model
not exceeded. A second option is the use yields lower energy consumption figures
125/4 is also inadequate because the head
of a pressure control system combining in spite of its lower efficiency compared
obtained at flow rates above 100 m3/h
a variable speed drive (VSD) and the with the control option using the bypass
is substantially smaller than the head
bypass valve. Whenever the flow rate valve alone. In addition, reliability is lower
required. Since 250 mm is the maximum
varies (above 45 m3/h) this control system for the VSD option because operating
standard impeller diameter for that pump
model it is impossible to increase that
head figure. Table 3. Significant data from characteristic curves for calculated diameters
Q = 120 m3/h Q = 45 m3/h
Fine-tuning the options Pump model
rpm Discharge Discharge
The other two pre-selected pump models (Impeller diameter, Ø) H (m) pressure H (m) pressure
do not exactly fulfil the requisite head (MPa) (MPa)
at the rated capacity and it is therefore 80/2 (Ø = 207.4 mm) 3500 126.3 2.46 167.9 2.82
necessary to find, through calculation,
100/2 (Ø = 205.0 mm) 3500 140.0 2.58 170.6 2.84
impeller diameters yielding a discharge

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32 Feature
WORLD PUMPS March 2010

BEP, meaning that the average efficiency

will be 71% compared to 74.8% at BEP.
Reliability is estimated at 86% to 89% of
the maximum obtained at BEP.

Other important data for the selected

pump are as follows:

• Absorbed power at rated capacity:

49.5 kW.

• NPSH(A): 20 m.
• NPSH(R) at rated capacity: 7.7 m. The
Hydraulic Institute recommends that the
NPSH(A) be at least 25% greater than the
NPSH(R). Therefore the recommendation is
fulfilled with a wide margin.

• Safe minimum flow (as indicated by the

manufacturer): 35 m3/h. The combined
pressure control guarantees that under
any condition the pump flow will be
equal to or greater than 45 m3/h so
a reasonable safety margin will
always exist.
Figure 5. Behaviour of pump 80/2 with a variable speed drive. This pump model also satisfies all the other
technical requirements stated by the buyer.
Moreover, the offer satisfies the desires of
flow rates are farther from the BEP. The system using a VSD and bypass valve; the buyer from the commercial standpoint.
relevant figures are shown in Table 4. VSD therefore both should be included in the
options show lower energy consumption LCC assessment for the VSD option.
because they are better suited to the flow Installation
Calculation results for the two pre-selected
variations imposed by the process. It is Taking into consideration the characteris-
pump models are presented in Table 5.
necessary to use LCC analysis as a key tool tics of the pumping service intended two
This shows that the best selection is the
for the final selection. pumps are installed, one operating and
two-stage pump model 80/2, running at
3500 rpm, with an impeller diameter of one on stand-by.
LCC analysis 207.4 mm using pressure control via a It has been demonstrated elsewhere that a
VSD/bypass valve combination. pumping service should be studied in an
When several presses are out of service
the hot water demand can be drastically It is important to point out that in this integral manner, considering not only the
reduced, even below the minimum safe case, because of the wide capacity range, pump but also the driver and the system;
flow specified for the pump. During start- the narrow margin for discharge pressure otherwise it will be insufficient and the
ups it is zero. and the intolerance to pressure fluctuations results could be incorrect. Therefore the
(only ±5%), it is impossible to choose a whole system including pipes, fittings,
In order to confront these conditions and valves (manual and automatic), presses,
pumping system with the ideal performance.
also attain adequate pressure regulation filter, heaters and tank was assessed.
throughout the operating range it will be Finally, the average adjusted flow rate for
necessary to apply a combined control The pipes were rationally plotted and
the selected pump will be 85% of flow at
correctly dimensioned, applying the
recommended velocities for the type
of fluid and type of piping. Valves and
Table 4. Results for different control system options
fittings were carefully selected with regard
Pump model Options
to the type and material of construction.
Parameters The instrumentation, alarm devices and
(Impeller diameter) Bypass VSD + bypass
interlocks required for correct, safe opera-
Avg. efficiency (%) 74.2 71.0 tion were also selected. In this case it was
80/2
compulsory to install an alarm for high
Avg. power (kW) 46.8 35.6
discharge pressure, a trip for extra-high
(207.4 mm) Annual energy (kWh) 314241.8 239237.2 discharge pressure and a safety valve.
Avg. flow/BEP flow 0.99 0.85
Avg. efficiency (%) 76.8 69.0 Conclusions
100/2 Avg. power (kW) 52.5 36.4 Engineers in charge of pump specifica-
(205.0 mm) Annual energy (kWh) 352880.1 244687.3 tion and procurement are responsible
for precisely defining the performance
Avg. flow/BEP flow 1.00 0.60
requirements for the pumping service and

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 Feature 33
WORLD PUMPS March 2010

Table 5. Life cycle cost results

Option 1. Pressure control via bypass valve Option 2. Pressure control via VSD + bypass valve

Pump model Pump model

Cost element Cost element
80/2 100/2 80/2 100/2

Initial investment cost 33821.24 37694.82 Initial investment cost 43002.72 46876.30
Current price of energy per kWh 0.090 0.090 Current price of energy per kWh 0.090 0.090
Average adjusted power (kW) 46.76 52.51 Average adjusted power (kW) 35.60 36.41
Annual operating hours 6720 6720 Annual operating hours 6720 6720
Annual energy calculated cost 28281.76 31759.21 Annual energy calculated cost 21531.35 22021.86
Life cycle energy cost 301800.99 338909.59 Life cycle energy cost 229765.83 235000.15
Annual maintenance cost 664.00 702.00 Annual maintenance cost 769.00 807.00
Repair cost (every 2 years) 1800.00 1912.00 Repair cost (every 2 years) 1889.98 3331.20
Life cycle maintenance cost 16508.58 17500.40 Life cycle maintenance cost 18100.09 26050.31
Life span (years) 14 14 Life span (years) 14 14
Interest rate (%) 8 8 Interest rate (%) 8 8
Inflation rate (%) 4 4 Inflation rate (%) 4 4
Current LCC value 352130.81 394104.82 Current LCC value 290868.63 307926.76

for choosing equipment offering a suitable energy, can lead to adverse effects, such the efficiency and the reliability had to
and efficient behaviour during a reasonably as cavitation, shortening of seal, impeller be sacrificed. n
long life span. In order to do a thorough and bearing life, internal recirculation
job, they must know and use technical and temperature increases, all of which
Bibliography
procedures that have been previously decrease pump reliability and increase
tested and ensure reliable results, such as maintenance costs. [1] E. Larralde and R. Ocampo, ‘Centrifugal
those established in international standards. pump selection process’, World Pumps, No.
The correct selection of pump, drive and
Overlooking important aspects of those 521, pp. 24–28, (2010).
system should ensure such a perform-
procedures may lead to an inappropriate
ance that the energy consumption per [2] J. Tolvanen, ‘Life cycle energy cost
selection of the pump causing difficulties
unit volume of pumped fluid is as low as savings’, World Pumps, No. 490, pp. 34–37,
and damage during its operation. Although
possible. This is not always achieved via (2007).
internationally recognized standards do
higher efficiency. In the case presented,
not cover every detail they set some space [3] E. Braun and W. Leiber, ‘The right pump
the greater portion of the reduction in
aside to consider these matters. The buyer lowers total cost of ownership’, World Pumps,
energy consumption was obtained by
should use that tool in order to ensure No. 491, pp. 30–33, (2007).
adapting the pump operating regime
that their requirements reach the supplier
to that required by the process through [4] K. Alfredsson and N. Bokander, ‘Constant
appropriately and to ensure they receive
the use of the combined VSD + bypass or variable speed operation?’, World Pumps,
from the supplier all the information stated
control system. No. 436, pp. 29–31, (2003).
in the standards at each stage of the nego-
tiation or contract. Good communication It has been widely demonstrated that [5] Hydraulic Institute, ‘Pump selection
and exchange between buyer and manu- initial investment is not the most impor- considerations’, World Pumps, No. 499, pp.
facturer will help to achieve a successful tant factor in the cost of ownership. There- 38–39, (2008).
pump selection. fore the LCC calculation should be applied
[6] E. Leibundgut and M. Koyama, ‘Good
in each case. In the example presented,
The analysis of pump performance must design reduces operational costs in water
the initial investment represents only 14.8%
include not only the design operating transportation’, World Pumps, No. 489, pp.
of LCC. As usually occurs with pumps oper-
point but also any other operating condi- 32–35, (2007).
ating for more than 2000 hours in a year,
tions that can be foreseen, even tempo-
the cost of energy in this case is a high [7] J. Veness, ‘Improving efficiency through
rary, as well as the drawing up of tables
percentage of the LCC, at 79%. system-based changes’, World Pumps, No.
or charts with foreseeable flow rates and
494, pp. 32–34, (2007).
operating times corresponding to each. In spite of the general validity of all the
In addition, necessary measures must previous statements, sometimes a pump
be taken to avoid flow rates below the must confront certain harsh require- Contact
minimum safe value. Operating efficiency ments and to fulfil them the buyer will Eduardo Larralde
must be carefully studied and compared be compelled to reject some predilec- E-mail: [email protected]

with the efficiency at BEP, not allowing tions. The case study presented is a
Rafael Ocampo
unreasonable differences. Operating a clear example: to satisfy the very stiff E-mail: [email protected]
pump far from its BEP, besides wasting conditions imposed by the process both

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