The difference between inlet pressure and the lowest pressure level inside the pump is called NPSH:

Net Positive Suction Head. NPSH is therefore an expression of the pressure loss that takes place inside the first part of the pump housing. The pressure inside a pump varies from the inlet on the suction side to the discharge port on the discharge side. In the first part of the pump, the pressure decreases before it increases on the discharge side to a level higher than the intake pressure. The difference between inlet pressure and the lowest pressure level inside the pump is called NPSH: Net Positive Suction Head. NPSH is therefore an e pression of the pressure loss that takes place inside the first part of the pump housing. The si!e of the NPSH is shown in the figure to the right. NPSH will cause the lowest pressure inside the pump to decrease below the evaporation pressure of the pumped li"uid, if the inlet pressure is too low. #onse"uentiall$, cavitation occurs in the pump, causing noise and leading to breakdowns. NPSH% &Net Positive Suction Head %e"uired' is provided in the data material for all pumps. NPSH% indicates the lowest inlet pressure re"uired b$ the specific pump at a given flow to avoid cavitation. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. . #. Suction pressure Pressure line Atmospheric pressure Pump inlet Evaporation pressure Pump discharge Vacuum !PS" !PS"$

Vapor bubbles form in a pump inlet whenever the local absolute pressure of the liquid falls below its vapor pressure. These bubbles collapse rapidly and violently when the local absolute pressure increases due to kinetic forces being imparted by the impeller. Cavitation is the rapid formation and collapse of these vapor bubbles. Collapsing cavitation bubbles cause noise, vibration, and erosion of material from the impeller. Pump service life is shortened significantly when cavitation occurs. The severity of the effects of cavitation varies as a function of a machine's horsepower. ig. ! shows a photograph of a cavitation bubble implosion. ig " shows an impeller that has been severely damaged by cavitation. ig # is a diagrammatic view of the cavitation bubble implosion sequence.

ig #$ Cavitation bubble implosion onto a solid surface, arrows indicate fluid pressure. or any given flow rate, every pump has an absolute suction head at which cavitation will occur. This suction head is referred to as the %et Positive &uction 'ead (equired )%P&'(*. 'ead is always e+pressed in feet or meters to make it independent of any specific fluid. The absolute suction head available at the pump inlet is termed the %et Positive &uction 'ead available )%P&',*. To avoid cavitation, the available %P&' must be greater than the required %P&'. %P&', is determined by subtracting the absolute vapor pressure of the fluid pumped from the total suction head available. Total suction head is the static head )suction gage pressure* corrected to the impeller centerline )or impeller inlet if vertical*, plus the velocity head )found in most pipe friction tables*, plus atmospheric pressure. ,ll values should be e+pressed in feet of liquid. %P&'( is determined by hydraulic testing and is available from the pump manufacturer. Pump manufacturers perform a series of 'breakdown' tests to determine the %P&'(. The pump is operated at a constant flow rate while the %P&', is steadily decreased. , sudden drop in the total output head is evidence of cavitation. -ndustry standards establish that a #. drop in total head as point where the %P&'( reading is taken.

-t is important to note that an actual test curve showing %P&'( test results reflects a pump that

is cavitating.

To operate cavitation free, pumps need a margin of additional %P&' above the test values. The amount of margin depends on the suction energy of the pump. &uction

energy reflects energy available for cavitation damage, and it is a function of the suction specific speed )&* of the pump.

Chart ! provides some basic guidelines on determining whether a pump falls under high or low suction energy. Table ! reflects the recommended margin that should be maintained between the %P&', and the %P&'(.

Chart !

TABLE 1 NPSH MARGIN RATIO GUIDELINES (NPSHA/NPSHR)

Market
Petroleum Chemical /lectric Power %uclear Power 2ater waste water 3eneral -ndustry Pulp and Paper 4uilding Trades Cooling Towers &lurry

Low
!.!a !.!a !.!a !.0b !.!a !.!a !.!a !.!a !.#b !.!a

High
!.#c !.#c !.0c ".1c !.#c !."c !.#c !.#c !.0c

er! High

".1c ".0c ".1c

".1c

Pipeline 2ater lood a. 6 or " feet whichever is greater. b. 6 or # feet whichever is greater. c. 6 or 0 feet whichever is greater.

!.#b !."b

!.5c !.0c

".1c ".1c

%ote$ %ote$ Vertical turbine pumps often use a %P&' margin of

Getti"g #$%i& to the P%'()

[ Now superseded by Pipe Flow Expert ] *hat a+o%t (%'( ,%-tio") P%'(, &o "ot ,%-k. It is a common belief that pumps provide the energy to lift fluid to the pump inlet. Thi, i, "ot tr%e/ he pump simply moves fluid from the immediate inlet pipewor! and discharges this fluid against the outlet pressure in the discharge system. his action creates a local suction effect" which allows the external forces acting on the fluid inta!e system to push the remaining fluid in the inta!e system towards the pump inlet. his alternative #actual$ view of what is happening within the pipewor! system leading to the pump inlet will help in understanding the limitations introduced by bad pipewor! system design. If the inlet system arrangement does not provide enough energy to move the re%uired flow rate to the pump inlet" the pump will be starved of fluid and the re%uired flow rate will not be delivered. Getti"g 0$%i& to the (%'( he air pressure on the fluid surface is the usual energy source used to push the fluid into the pump. & supply container positioned above the pump inlet will increase the available energy. & supply container positioned below the pump inlet will reduce the available energy.

Re,i,ta"-e to 0$%i& 0$ow Fluids in motion are sub'ected to various resistances" which are due to friction. Friction may occur between the fluid ( the pipe wor!" but friction also occurs within the fluid as sliding between ad'acent layers of fluid ta!es place. he friction within the fluid is due to the fluid)s viscosity. *hen fluids have a high viscosity" the speed of flow tends to be low" and resistance to flow becomes almost totally dependant on the viscosity of the fluid. his condition is !nown as +,aminar flow). *i$$ the re1%ire& 0$ow rate a-t%a$$! rea-h the (%'( i"$et) he energy losses in the pipewor! system must be calculated. his energy loss must be subtracted from the available energy to obtain the condition at the entrance to a pump. he inlet condition is commonly referred to as the +suction condition) - ,eading to the idea that pumps suc!. If the theoretical pump inlet pressure is too low the system will operate at some lower flow rate or the pump may not operate at all. Boi$i"g 0$%i& (2a3itatio") .any fluids will boil at ambient temperature if the pressure is reduced below a particular level. his pressure is referred to as the +/apour pressure) of the fluid. If the pump inlet pressure falls below the vapour pressure of the fluid" gas bubbles will form in the fluid. hese bubbles will be moved through the pump. he bubbles will collapse when the fluid pressure is raised on the discharge side of the pump. he effect of this is to reduce the flow of delivered fluid. In some systems the effect can cause dramatic vibrations" and may result in damage to the system and the pump. I"-rea,i"g the (re,,%re at the (%'( i"$et 0mall pipe si1es will result in high pipewor! energy losses. Increasing the pipewor! si1e will help to reduce this energy loss. In the case of high viscosity fluids" increasing the pipewor! si1e may not have the desired result. &lso" commercial considerations may limit the si1e of the pipe that can be used. 2nder these circumstances" the easiest solution is to raise the position of the supply container" to increase the positive head available" thus more force will be available to push the fluid through the pipewor!. If is not practical to raise the supply container" it may be necessary to enclose the supply and introduce some positive pressure above atmospheric onto the fluid surface. ,oo! out for sealed supply containers where the force moving the fluid will reduce as the container is emptied. S%-tio" %"it, 0uction conditions can be described in many different ways. Normal atmospheric pressure #about 3444 m5ar" 36.7 psi.g$ will support a water column of 34.8 metres #99.67 ft$ high. If the fluid column was .ercury the column height would be :74 mm #8;.78 inches$

Net Positive 0uction <ead =hec! P%'( i"$et $o,, N/P/S/H/r &n energy loss occurs during fluid entry into most pumps. his loss is described as N.P.0.<.r #Net Positive 0uction <ead re%uirement$. he N.P.0.<.r is determined by the pump manufacturer. he N.P.0.<.r is usually plotted on pump performance curves. he N.P.0.<.r is expressed in metres head # or ft head$ of fluid. he value of N.P.0.<.r will be dependent on many factors including flow rate" Impellor design" inlet type" pump speed etc. Boi$i"g 0$%i& (2a3itatio") #repeated from last section$ .any fluids will boil at ambient temperature if the pressure is reduced below a particular level. his pressure is referred to as the +/apour pressure) of the fluid. If the pump inlet pressure falls below the vapour pressure of the fluid" gas bubbles will form in the fluid. hese bubbles will be moved through the pump. he bubbles will collapse when the fluid pressure is raised on the discharge side of the pump. he effect of this is to reduce the flow of delivered fluid. In some systems the effect can cause dramatic vibrations" and may result in damage to the system and the pump. Mi"i'%' (re,,%re at the (%'( i"$et a"& N/P/S/H/a he minimum pressure at the pump inlet 'i"%, the +/apour pressure) of the fluid is usually !nown as the Net Positive 0uction <ead available #N.P.0.<.a$ his must not be confused with the N.P.0.<.r published by the pump manufacturer.