Cavitating pump

Be aware that in some cases, you ll have to live with cavitation. Many pumps suffer cavitation for reasons of inadequate design, hor example, when operating only one pump in a parallel system, this pump tends to go into cavitation. Pumps that perform more than one dut through a valve manifold tend to suffer cavitation. Pumps that fill and drain tanks from the bottom tend to suffer cavitation. The last pump drawing on a suction header tends to cavitate. And of course vacuum pumps and pumps in a high suction lift arc candidates for cavitation. 

The main failure of equipment is a loss of process containment. The consequences depend on the properties and the amount of the leaking material and the conditions both inside and outside of process equipment. Pumps and compressors (Marshall, 1987) are perhaps the most vulnerable items of pressurised systems, because they contain moving parts and they are also subject to erosion and cavitation. Pumps and compressors produce also vibration, which may lead to fatigue failure. Both seals and bearings of pumps and compressors are liable to failure. In addition agitator systems present difficulties due to mechanical stresses, though they operate at much lower speeds than pumps. 

If the pressure at the suction of the pump falls to its bubble or boiling point, the liquid will start to vaporize. This is called cavitation. A cavitating pump will have an erratically low discharge pressure and an erratically low flow. As shown in Fig. 23.5, the bubble-point pressure of the liquid, is the pressure in the vessel. We usually assume that the liquid in a drum is in equilibrium with the vapor. The vapor is then said to be at its dew point, while the liquid is said to be at its bubble point. 

A cavitating pump makes a rattling sound. Operators call it slippage because the pump discharge pressure slips down. A discharge pressure rapidly rising and falling is typical of cavitation. 

Cavitation pump running dry. Follow procedures recommended above for insufficient NPSH problem. 

Cavitates pump not Operational enough flow to ready storage... 

Pump Suction. The net positive suction head required (NPSHR) affects the resistance on the suction side of the pump. If it drops to or near the vapor pressure of the fluid being handled, cavitation and loss of performance occurs (13). The NPSHR is affected by temperature and barometric pressure and is of most concern on evaporator CIP units where high cleaning temperatures might be used. A centrifugal booster pump may be installed on a homogenizer or on the intake of a timing pump to prevent low suction pressures. 

Cavitation. The subject of cavitation in pumps is of great importance. When the Hquid static pressure is reduced below its vapor pressure, vaporization takes place. This may happen because (/) the main stream fluid velocity is too high, so that static pressure becomes lower than vapor pressure (2) localized velocity increases and static pressure drops on account of vane curvature effect, especially near the inlets (J) pressure drops across the valve or is reduced by friction in front of the pump or (4) temperature increases, giving a corresponding vapor pressure increase. 

Fig. 17. Cavitation phenomenon in pumps showing cavitation bubble distribution and rate of weight loss as a function of cavitation coefficient at constant...

A further complication arises from the fact that the point of maximum damage to the pump by cavitational pitting happens somewhere between the incipient cavitation and the point of complete performance loss (56). Whereas it is difficult to predict incipient cavitation, it is even more difficult to determine the point of maximum damage. Many attempts have been made, but no method has been accepted. It has been reported that the damage is... 

The vapor pressure may be dependent on the amount of the dissolved, not the entrained, air in the Hquid. This issue is important to appHcations of cooling-water double-suction pumps (58,59). Because of the unknowns, a safety margin is always recommended for use to minimise the effects of cavitation. 

Cavitation Loosely regarded as related to water hammer and hydrauhc transients because it may cause similar vibration and equipment damage, cavitation is the phenomenon of collapse of vapor bubbles in flowing liquid. These bubbles may be formed anywhere the local liquid pressure drops below the vapor pressure, or they may be injected into the hquid, as when steam is sparged into water. Local low-pressure zones may be produced by local velocity increases (in accordance with the Bernouhi equation see the preceding Conservation Equations subsection) as in eddies or vortices, or near bound-aiy contours by rapid vibration of a boundaiy by separation of liquid during water hammer or by an overaU reduction in static pressure, as due to pressure drop in the suction line of a pump. 

Suction Limitations of a Pump Whenever the pressure in a liquid drops below the vapor pressure corresponding to its temperature, the liquid will vaporize. When this happens within an operating pump, the vapor bubbles will be carried along to a point of higher pressure, where they suddenly collapse. This phenomenon is known as cavitation. Cavitation in a pump should be avoided, as it is accompanied by metal removal, vibration, reduced flow, loss in efficiency, and noise. When the absolute suction pressure is low, cavitation may occur in the pump inlet and damage result in the pump suction and on the impeller vanes near the inlet edges. To avoid this phenomenon, it is necessary to maintain a required net positive suction head (NPSH)r, which is the equivalent total head of liquid at the pump centerline less the vapor pressure p. Each pump manufacturer publishes curves relating (NPSH)r to capacity and speed for each pump. 

Practically, the NPSH required for operation without cavitation and vibration in the pump is somewhat greater than the theoretical. The actual (NPSH)r depends on the characteristics of the liquid, the total head, the pump speed, the capacity, and impeller design. Any suction condition which reduces (NPSH ) below that required to prevent cavitation at the desired capacity will produce an unsatisfactoiy installation and can lead to mechanical dimculty. 

Another parameter that helps in evaluating the pump suction limitations, such as cavitation, is suction specific speech... 

As the mechanical integrity of the pump system changes, the amplitude of vibration levels change. In some cases, in order to identify the source of vibration, pump speed may have to be varied, as these problems are frequency- or resonance-dependent. Pump impeller imbalance and cavitation are related to this category. Table 10-11 classifies different types of pump-related problems, their possible causes and corrective actions. 

Spare pump begins to cavitate when attempt is made to switch it with the running pump. The spare is backed off by the running pump because its shutoff head is less than the head produced by the running pump. This is a frequent problem when one pump is turbine-driven and one is motor-driven. 

It is very important that a melt-ont riser be installed whenever tank contents are expected to freeze on prolonged shutdown. The purpose is to provide a molten chimney through the ernst for relief of thermal expansion or cavitation if fluids are to be pumped ont or recirculated through an external exchanger. An external heat tracer, properly... 

Cavitation Formation of transient voids or vacuum bubbles in a liquid stream passing over a surface is called cavitation. This is often encountered arouna propellers, rudders, and struts and in pumps. When these bubbles collapse on a metal surface, there is a severe impact or explosive effec t that can cause considerable mechanical damage, and corrosion can be greatly accelerated because of the destruction of protective films. Redesign or a more resistant metal is generally required to avoid this problem. 

Whenever corrosion resistance results from the accumulation of layers of insoluble corrosion products on the metallic surface, the effect of high velocity may be either to prevent their normal formation or to remove them after they have been formed. Either effect allows corrosion to proceed unhindered. This occurs frequently in smaU-diameter tubes or pipes through which corrosive liquids may be circulated at high velocities (e.g., condenser and evaporator tubes), in the vicinity of oends in pipe hnes, and on propellers, agitators, and cen-trifiig pumps. Similar effects are associated with cavitation and impingement corrosion. 

Circumstances that may induce cavitation include vibration, excessively high flow rates, insufficient supply of fluid to the suction side of pumps, and operation of valves in a partially open or closed position. 

Figure 12.7 Cast iron pump impeller with severe cavitation damage.

Figure 12.13 illustrates severe damage suffered by a component of a cooling tower water pump. The jagged, undercut, spongelike metal loss characteristic of cavitation damage is apparent in Fig. 12.14. All damage occurred along the inner curvature of the specimen.

Severe cavitation damage on the suction side of the pump reveals insufficient water supply to the pump (insufficient net-positive suction head). Such a circumstance could be caused by partially clogged filters or screens upstream of the pump, or simply by insufficient feed of water to the pump. 

Changing the pump metallurgy to a more corrosion- and cavitation-resistant material, such as stainless steel, is a potential solution to this type of problem. Note, however, that all other cast iron pump components that have sustained graphitic corrosion should be replaced to avoid the possibility of galvanic corrosion (see Chap. 16) between retained graphitically corroded cast iron components and new components. 

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