You are on page 1of 4

NPSH - An introduction for pump users

1. General formulation Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH) is a local liquid property and is defined as the excess mechanical energy of the liquid above that required to prevent vaporization. Also called NPSH available (NPSHA), its usefulness is straightforward: when the NPSHA at any point reaches zero, the liquid vaporizes. NPSHA = Total mechanical energy of liquid Vapor pressure energy of liquid In the design of liquid handling systems, one often wishes to calculate the NPSHA at some point of interest. This is normally done by calculating the energy relative to some known reference point: NPSHA = ( HA + HNR ) HVP Where: * (HA + HNR) HA HNR = Total mechanical energy of the liquid at the point of interest.

(m , ft) = A known reference energy at some point in the system. (m , ft) = The calculated non-reversible energy changes between the reference point and the point of interest. The reference point is usually chosen so that this term is always negative (or zero if neglected as minor). For this reason, it is commonly referred to as a system loss. (m , ft) = Vapor pressure energy of the liquid being handled at the current temperature.

HVP

* Consistent SI and US units are given for all quantities. Other unit systems are possible.

It is customary to express the above energy terms as potential energies, (i.e. as feet or meters of the liquid ), since this simplifies the overall system calculations. Strictly speaking, NPSH has units of mechanical energy per unit mass: (ft-lbf/lbm) or (m-kgFORCE/kgMASS). These same units are used for total dynamic pump head. When dealing with incompressible fluids under earth gravity, the (lbf/lbm) or (kgF/kgM) terms may be ignored, as they always cancel out. This same convention is used in the Bernoulli energy equation for non-compressible (liquid) systems: Total Energy (H) = P/g + V2/2g + z ) = (Pressure Energy + Kinetic Energy + Potential Energy) Where: P V z g (Pa or N/m2 , psf) (m/s , ft/s) (m , ft) (kg/m3 , slug/ft3) (m/s2 , ft/s2) = Static pressure (normally in absolute pressure units). = Liquid Velocity. = Liquid Height. = Liquid Density. = Acceleration of gravity.
Page 1 of 4 NPSH 2009-11-18

R. Visintainer / GIW Industries Inc.

NPSH - An introduction for pump users


In order to cast the general NPSHA equation into a useful form, let us consider each term individually: Reference Energy (HA) If a reference location is selected where the liquid has a stationary free surface, then the reference energy can be expressed in terms of the ambient pressure over the liquid, plus the height of the liquid above the point of interest: HA = PA /g + z Where PA z (Pa or N/m2 , psf) (m , ft) = Absolute pressure at the liquid free surface. = Height of free surface above the point of interest.

Non-Reversible Energy Change (HNR) Non-reversible energy changes are often lumped together and called friction losses, although they include both pure friction and local turbulent (or shock) losses. In a piping system, these are the system resistance losses. Since they are usually represented as a positive quantity, we have the following relationship: HNR = - HF Where: HF (m , ft) = Friction and shock losses expressed in feet or meters of liquid. Note: Although this term includes entrance and exit pressure losses due to turbulence around areas of rapid velocity change, it does NOT include static pressure changes due to the acceleration or deceleration of the liquid (i.e. velocity head). Vapor Pressure Energy (HVP) Regarding the vapor pressure energy, this is simply determined from the vapor pressure: HVP = PVP /g Where: PVP (Pa or N/m2 , psf) = The liquid vapor pressure at the current temperature.

-------------------Back-substituting into the original equation for NPSHA gives a general NPSH equation of practical application to liquid systems:

NPSHA = (PA - PVP)/g + z - HF

R. Visintainer / GIW Industries Inc.

Page 2 of 4

NPSH 2009-11-18

NPSH - An introduction for pump users


2. Useful simplifications Several simplifications of the above formula are useful to pump users.

A.

In the case of a conventional sump (open or sealed): NPSHA = (PA - PVP)/g + z - HF

where: PA (Pa or N/m2 , psf) = Absolute pressure over the sump liquid. = Atmospheric pressure (for an open or vented sump). = Tank gauge pressure + atmospheric (for a sealed sump). (m , ft) = Vertical distance from the pump suction inlet to the sump liquid level. = System friction losses from the sump to pump suction inlet.

HF (m , ft)

This formula is often used to calculate the NPSHA for a pump during the system design phase. The pump suction inlet is usually defined as a section in the pipeline approximately one pipe diameter from the pump suction flange.

B. In the case of a pump test, where the pressure and velocity at the pump suction inlet are known, a different formulation is useful. For this purpose, we use the Bernoulli equation to relate the atmospheric pressure (PA) to the static suction pressure (PS): PA /g = (PS + P)/g = PS /g + ( V2/2g - z + HF ) where: P (Pa or N/m2 , psf) PS = Pressure differential from the pump suction inlet to the sump liquid level.

(Pa or N/m2 , psf) = Absolute static pressure at the pump suction inlet, (e.g. as measured by pressure taps flush with the suction piping wall).

Back-substituting this into the original general equation gives a formula that allows NPSHA to be calculated directly from the measured pressure and velocity at the pump suction: NPSHA = (PS - PVP)/g + V2/2g

C.

Alternatively, we can define this equation in terms of the suction head. NPSHA = HS - PVP/g

Where: HS (m , ft) = PS/g + V2/2g = Suction Head

R. Visintainer / GIW Industries Inc.

Page 3 of 4

NPSH 2009-11-18

NPSH - An introduction for pump users


3. Application Theoretically, cavitation at the pump suction inlet will occur when the NPSHA there falls to zero. In practice, localized cavitation occurs elsewhere in the pump at some suction inlet NPSHA value that is greater than zero. This is usually the result of areas of reduced pressure caused by turbulence around the leading edges of the impeller vanes, or by other characteristics of the pump inlet geometry. The value of suction inlet NPSHA resulting in actual cavitation elsewhere in the pump is normally called the required NPSH (or NPSHR) and must be determined in the test lab. Three values of NPSHR are important: NPSHi = The incipient NPSH, i.e. that suction inlet NPSHA at which vapor bubbles are first observed at some point in the pump, usually at the vane inlets. These bubbles signal the potential onset of cavitation damage, even though the pump performance may be unaffected. Since NPSHi must normally be determined by visual observation, it is difficult to measure. It can, however, be an important value for pumps requiring a high degree of reliability over long periods of continuous operation (e.g. nuclear power plant cooling pumps).

NPSH0% = The minimum value of suction inlet NPSHA at which the pump total dynamic head exhibits no appreciable drop and the pump itself no appreciable vibration. In many clear fluid applications, this is the NPSHA at which the pump can operate continuously without damage. NPSH3% = The value of suction inlet NPSHA at which the pump total dynamic head drops by 3%. NPSH3% is relatively easy to measure in the test lab and gives a good indication of the onset of significant performance losses due to cavitation. One must recognize, however, that at this value of NPSH, some cavitation is already occurring and that continuous operation at this point is generally not advisable. In the dredging industry, pumps are often operated well into the cavitation range on a regular basis. As a result, NPSH5% and even NPSH10% are often measured and taken into consideration during operation. Dredgers also sometimes refer to the value of Decisive Vacuum, rather than NPSHR. Decisive Vacuum is defined as the static gauge vacuum at the pump suction inlet, (as measured by pressure taps flush with the suction piping wall), at the point where the pump discharge head falls by some given amount, usually 5%. It is derived by rearranging the pump test equation B above to solve for suction head, then multiplying through by g and adding atmospheric pressure to convert suction head into static gauge pressure: VacM = PA - (NPSH5%*g) - PVP + V2/2 Where: VacM PA PVP g V (Pa or N/m2 , psf) (Pa or N/m2 , psf) (Pa or N/m2 , psf) (kg/m3 , slug/ft3) (m/s2 , ft/s2) (m/s , ft/s) = The Decisive Vacuum. = Atmospheric pressure. = The liquid vapor pressure at the current temperature. = Liquid density. = Acceleration of gravity. = Liquid velocity at the pump suction inlet.
Page 4 of 4 NPSH 2009-11-18

R. Visintainer / GIW Industries Inc.

You might also like