Unifying the teaching of mechanics and of centrifugal pump theory

NZUMBE-MESAPE NTOKO, PhD, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon. ubuea@uycdc.uninet.cm
Received 16th May 1999 Revised 23rd September 1999 Using the equation of motion of a particle in a rotating co-ordinate system, it is shown that the head developed and the power required by a centrifugal pump are uniquely obtained from centrifugal forces. An expression is then obtained for the optimum outlet blade angle which is used to demonstrate that the phenomenon of slip has a dynamical basis. Key words: dynamics of a particle, rotating co-ordinate system, centrifugal pump, head developed, centrifugal forces NOTATION D g k m N P r r t u v w external diameter of pump impeller (m) acceleration due to gravity (m s2) unit vector normal to plate in a rotating (r , , k ) system mass of a particle (kg) force exerted by the plate on the particle (N) weight of the particle (N) radial position of particle (m) radial unit vector in the non-inertial system axial height of impeller passage (m) tangential velocity of plate (m s) absolute velocity of particle in inertial system (m s) velocity in the rotating (r , , k ) frame (m s) blade angle of impeller vanes measured relative to the radial direction (rads) velocity of the rotating system (rads s) unit vector in tangential direction in rotating system angular position (rads)

Subscripts r t th radial component tangential component theoretical value

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166 v 1 2

Nzumbe-Mesape Ntoko vertical component refers to conditions at inlet to the impeller refers to conditions at the impeller outlet

Superscripts denotes first derivative with respect to time denotes second derivative with respect to time denotes vector quantity

INTRODUCTION The expression for the head of a centrifugal pump, the Euler equation is usually obtained by considering changes of angular momentum of fluid particles from inlet and to outlet of a pump impeller. Even though angular momentum is used to describe rotational motion of particles and rigid bodies, the similarity of treatment of the motion of particles and of fluids in pump impellers has ended there. The present paper seeks to show that the Euler equation has a dynamical basis which can be used for unifying the teaching of classical mechanics and of centrifugal pumps in an undergraduate programme in engineering. The basis is the dynamics of a particle in a rotating cylindrical reference frame. The axis of rotation of the frame coincides with the centre of the shaft of a pump impeller. The analysis presented yields the important result that the head developed by any centrifugal pump can be determined exclusively from centrifugal forces. It is also shown how the optimum blade outlet angle can be obtained for a given impeller geometry. The equations presented also show that slip has a dynamical basis.

EQUATION OF MOTION OF A PARTICLE

A rotating cylindrical (r , , k ) co-ordinate system (Fig. 1) is used to determine the motion of a particle mass, m, on a rotating circular plate. The angular velocity vector , of the plate is normal to it and it is in the direction of the unit vector k which points upwards. The equation of motion of the particle at a radial position, r, and having an angular displacement, , from the unit vector, r is given by [1].

m( 2 )r + m(2r + r ) = N + P 2 m( W ) m ( r ) r

(1)

where r and , say, are the first and second derivatives of r with respect to time. In the r above equation, N is the force the disc exerts on the particle of weight P. Also, and W are respectively the angular velocity vector of the plate and the velocity of the particle in the rotating co-ordinate system. As pumps having vanes which curve backwards with respect to the direction of rotation and the unit tangential vector are normally used in applications where a high head is required, the tangential component of the relative velocity vector of the particle is in direction opposite to the unit vector . The velocity, W , of the particle in the rotating system is therefore given by

W = rr r
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(2)

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Fig. 1. Rotating ( r , , k ) coordinate system.

Equations (1) and (2) then yield the following component equations for a circular plate with constant angular velocity,
2 r = 2 r + 2 r + N r m r 2 r + r = 2r + N m
t

(3a) (3b) (3)

Nv P = 0

where the subscripts r, t and v denote the radial, tangential and vertical components respectively. We note that the tangential component for the force N can only exist in the absence of friction if there is a constraining device like a vane on the rotating circular plate.

EXPRESSION FOR HEAD DEVELOPMENT BY A PUMP The single particle problem can easily be generalized to that involving many particles. In the limit, therefore, we obtain a pump impeller with an infinite number of fluid particles which behave exactly as the single particle. And since the path of a particle is a streamline across which no flow can take place, one can then imagine the impeller vanes as being streamlines which channel the flow and which provide the tangential component of the force, N. One solution for equations (3) is obtained when the right-hand side of the second equation is zero. In that case the impeller vanes provide the force that counteracts the tangential component of the coriolis force on the particles. The equation then reduces to a statement of the conservation of angular momentum in the rotating co-ordinate system. That is r 2 = constant (4)

At a point in the impeller where the blade angle is , (Fig. 2), measured relative to radial direction, the constraint equation is

rd = tan dr

(5)
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Nzumbe-Mesape Ntoko

Fig. 2. Geometry of an impellar blade element.

The above equation implies that the fluid particle receives perfect guidance from the impeller blades or that the path of a fluid particle in the rotating frame has the same geometry in r co-ordinates as a blade. The equation, it would be seen, is obtained from an element of the blade that subtends an angle d at the centre of the impeller (Fig. 2). The above equation can then be written in the form

r = tan r
Hence, combining equations (4) and (6), one obtains

(6)

rr tan = constant

(7)

But since the inlet velocity triangle (Fig. 3) of a centrifugal pump (without prerotation) is a right-angle triangle, we have r1 tan 1 = u1 Hence equations (7) and (8) suggest the following: rr tan = r1r1 tan = r1u1 (9) (8)

where u is the tangential velocity of the plate at a point with radial position r and the subscript 1 refers to conditions at the inner radius of the pump impeller. Also, the outlet velocity triangle of a centrifugal pump with backward curving vanes (Fig. 4) yields r2 tan 2 = u2 vt 2 (10)

where the subscript, 2, refers to conditions at the outer radius of the pump impeller and vt is the tangential component of the absolute velocity of a fluid particle. Equation (10) can then be written in the following form:
2 u2 r tan 2 = u2 u2 vt 2

(11)

But by equations (9) we have

2 u2 r2 tan 2 = u1
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(12)

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Fig. 3. Inlet velocity triangle of centrifugal pump.

Fig. 4. Outlet velocity triangle.

Hence equation (11) and (12) yield

2 2 u2 vt 2 = u2 u1

(13)

But from centrifugal pump theory, the theoretical head developed by a pump is given by

H th =

u2 v t 2 g

(14)

where g is the acceleration due to gravity. Hence by equations (13) and (14) we have
H th =
2 2 u2 u1 g

(15)
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Equation (15) links the Euler head of a pump to the centrifugal force at inlet to and at outlet from the rotor. It also imposes limits on the head generated by a pump. More importantly, it becomes obvious why the term centrifugal is used to describe such pumps, as the head developed is obtained uniquely from centrifugal forces.

EXPRESSION FOR POWER The theoretical power required to produce the heat of equation (15) is then given by Pth = gQH th = gDt2 r2 H th But by equation (12) we have (16)

r2 =

2 u1 cot 2 r2

(17)

Equation (16) and (17) then yield

2 2 2 Pth = 2 t2 cot 2 u1 (u2 u1 )

We note that equation (3b) can also be used to calculate the theoretical power. In that case the power provided by the impeller is given by Pth =

r2
1

Nt u

(19)

Then since Nt is obtained from the condition that the right-hand side of equation (3b) is zero, we have the following:

Pth = = = =

r r r r

r2
1

2 mru 2 m 2 r dr 2 2 Dt2 r2 r dr 2 2 Dt2

2 u1 2 u2

r2
1

r2
1

r2
1

cot 2 r dr
(20)

2 2 2 = 2 u1 cot t2 (u2 u1 )

Hence equations (18) and (19) indicate that the expression for power is the same for both the particle mechanics and angular momentum approaches. More importantly, equations (18) and (19) show, once again, the pre-eminence of centrifugal forces. Also equations (18), (19) and (20) prove an interesting dynamical relationship between the impeller force and the coriolis force on fluid particles.
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Unifying the teaching of mechanics and of centrifugal pump theory OPTIMUM PUMP GEOMETRIC PARAMETERS

171

When equation (7) is applied to the inlet and outlet of a pump propeller, (Fig. 5), one obtains
tan 2 = u2 r12 2 r2 r2

(21)

Fig. 5. A pump impeller with backward curving vanes.

Equation (21) is very important as it enables the outlet blade angle, 2, to be chosen so that equation (15) is satisfied. Alternatively, if the optimum flow coefficient r2 u2 and blade angle are known, the impeller dimensions can be obtained. To find out if this was, in fact, the case, test data presented in [2 page 98], were used. The data show that for a number of pumps tested with varying number of blades, the optimum flow coefficient is 0.06. Then taking the case of a small pump for which the ratio of the eye to external diameters (r1 r2 ) is 1 , equation (16) yields 3

2 = 61.5

(22)

The value of outlet blade angle obtained is in the range, 5575, which is recommended [2] for the design of centrifugal pumps with backward curving blades. Hence equation (20) is a design equation which can be used to choose one of the three parameters if the other two are specified.

CASE OF IMPELLERS WITH RADIAL VANES For impellers with radial vanes, the blade angle, 1 is zero. Then since for such a pump, the radial velocity, r is not equal to zero, equation (9) implies that purely radial motion of fluid particles is not possible in such impellers. Hence because a fluid particle must have a curved path even in a radical impeller, the particle is said to slip [3].
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Nzumbe-Mesape Ntoko

To use equation (3a) one could make the simplifying assumption that r is nearly constant as r in centrifugal pumps so that is equal to zero. In this case equations (3a) and (6) would give an expression for Nr. In general, therefore, any constraints imposed would enable Nr to be determined. Also given the design flow rate of a pump, equation (9) can be used to determine the optimum variation of blade angle, . Otherwise, given a variation of the blade angle from the eye of the pump, the same equation would yield the variation of the radial component of velocity, r.

CONCLUSION The paper presents a treatment that allows the teaching of mechanics to be combined with the teaching of centrifugal pumps. The analysis also makes it clear why such pumps are referred to as centrifugal. More importantly, a simple design equation is presented which could be found useful in industry and which throws some light on the phenomenon called slip.

REFERENCES
[1] Kleppner, D. and Kolenkow, R. J., An Introduction to Mechanics; McGraw Hill, 1978. [2] Turton, R. K., Principles of Turbomachinery, E. & F. Spon, London, 1984. [3] Dixon, S. L., Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics of Turbomachinery, Pergamon Press, 1982.

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