Avoiding Pump Cavitation in Open Systems: Why Pump Suction Pressure and Water Temperature are Critical

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Avoiding Pump Cavitation in Open Systems: Why Pump Suction Pressure and Water Temperature are Critical

How can you be certain that the pump you select will not cavitate in the system you are designing? By now it should be clear that such certainty is a matter of analyzing the following variables…

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Steam Basics Part 16: Return Temperature & Condensate Pumps

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Steam Basics Part 16: Return Temperature & Condensate Pumps

One challenge to selecting a steam condensate return unit is the return temperature of the condensate after leaving the steam heat exchanger. This week we'll offer some suggestions to assist the engineer or designer...

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How To Read A Pump Curve - Part 2

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One of the most important lines on a pump performance curve is the Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH) curve.  Discreetly applied either below or above the pump performance and efficiency curves, this single plotted line is the key to avoiding cavitation. Required NPSH or NPSHR for a given pump increases with flow.  So, using the pump curve shown in Figure 1, we can see that the NPSHR for this Model 1510 B & G pump with a 8” impeller and 800 GPM and 33 Feet of Total Head is 12 feet of head. 
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How To Read A Pump Curve – Part 1

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If a picture is worth a thousand words then a pump curve must be worth several thousand.

 Make no mistake, there’s a lot of information on a centrifugal pump curve like the one shown here.  It’s no wonder that many newly practicing engineers are a little intimated by them.

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NPSH Demystified: What Is It and Why Is IT So Critical?

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NPSH.  We know what it stands for—Net Positive Suction Head--but do we really know what it means?  Or why it’s so important?  More often than not, explanations of NPSH begin with confusing terminology and (even worse) confusing equations.  That’s not a good starting point.  The concept of NPSH is.
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