Problem Taken From: Darby, Ron, Chemical Engineering Fluid Mechanics, 2
nd Edition, Revised and Expanded, 2001 1. The propeller of a speed boat is 1 ft in diameter and is 1 ft below the surface of the water. At what speed (rpm) will cavitation occur at the propeller? Water density, = 64 lb m /ft 3 , vapor pressure of water = 18.65 mmHg. 2. You must specify a pump to be used to transport water at a rate of 5000 gpm through 10 mi of 18 in. sch 40 pipe. The friction loss in valves and fittings is equivalent to 10% of the pipe length, and the pump is 70% efficient. If a 1200 rpm motor is used to drive the pump, determine: (a) The required horsepower and torque rating of the motor. (b) The diameter of the impeller that should be used in the pump. 3. You must purchase a centrifugal pump to circulate cooling water that will deliver 5000 gpm at a pressure of 150 psi. If the pump is driven by an 1800 rpm motor, what should the horsepower and torque rating of the motor be, and how large (diameter) should the pump impeller be, assuming an efficiency of 60%? 4. In order to pump a fluid of SG = 0.9 at a rate of 1000 gpm through a piping system, a hydraulic power of 60 hp is required. Determine the required pump head, the torque of the driving motor, and the estimated impeller diameter, if an 1800 rpm motor is used. 5. You want to pump water at 70F from an open well, 200 ft deep, at a rate of 30 gpm through a 1 in. sch 40 pipe, using a centrifugal pump having an NPSH of 8 ft. What is the maximum distance above the water level in the well that the pump can be located without cavitating? (Vapor pressure of water at 60F =18.7 mmHg.) 6. Steam condensate at 1 atm and 95C (P v = 526mmHg) is returned to a boiler from the condenser by a centrifugal boiler feed pump. The flow rate is 100 gpm through a 2.5 in. sch 40 pipe. If the equivalent length of the pipe between the condenser and the pump is 50 ft, and the pump has an NPSH of 6 ft, what is the maximum height above the condenser that the pump can be located? 7. A pump with a 1 in. diameter suction line is used to pump water from an open hot water well at a rate of 15 gpm. The water temperature is 90C, with a vapor pressure of 526 mmHg and density of 60 lb m /ft 3 . If the pump NPSH is 4 ft, what is the maximum distance above the level of the water in the well that the pump can be located and still operate properly? 8. Hot water is to be pumped out of an underground geothermally heated aquifer located 500 ft below ground level. The temperature and pressure in the aquifer are 325F and 150 psig. The water is to be pumped out at a rate of 100 gpm through 2.5 in. pipe using a pump that has a required NPSH of 6 ft. The suction line to the pump contains four 90 elbows and one gate valve. How far below ground level must the pump be located in order to operate properly? 9. You must install a centrifugal pump to transfer a volatile liquid from a remote tank to a point in the plant 500 ft from the tank. To minimize the distance that the power line to the pump must be strung, it is desirable to locate the pump as close to the plant as possible. If the liquid has a vapor pressure of 20 psia, the pressure in the tank is 30 psia, the level in the tank is 30 ft above the pump inlet, and the required pump NPSH is 15 ft, what is the closest that the pump can be located to the plant without the possibility of cavitation? The line is 2 in. sch 40, the flow rate is 100 gpm and the fluid properties are = 45 lb m /ft 3 and = 5 cP.