centrifugal-pumpWhen it comes to vacuum pumps, many people believe that the higher the horsepower, the better the rate of pressure or flow. They believe that even if the pump is the same and has the same diameter, a higher horsepower means that the pump will work better. However, this is not how centrifugal pumps work.

How Liquid Handling Pumps Work

A pump will tell the motor how much power it needs to have a certain flow rate. The pump will then deliver this flow. One type of curve is associated with this system. Factors such as run lengths, valves, pipe sizes, and other variables impact this curve. It starts at zero and continues to increase as the flow increases. This is because when the flow increases, the centrifugal vacuum pump will have more resistance to this increased flow of water.

When you have a fixed system, the pump will need more pressure as the flow increases. However, increasing the horsepower will not do this. Increasing the stages that the pump has, or the diameter of the impeller will result in more pressure.

This means that an engineer will generally have a factor for safety in the estimates for this. Usually, the safety margin is about 20 to 25 percent higher than required. If the pump is operating too high, then you only need to control the valve for discharge. This will help to restrict the flow so that the centrifugal vacuum pump is operating the way it was designed.

Adjusting the discharge valve tells the pump that there is another system resistance curve. It tells the pump how much horsepower is needed for the task. The motor will follow this and deliver the user what is necessary. Switching to a higher horsepower motor does not make a difference. There are several things to keep in mind when it comes to centrifugal pumps:

  • The pressure of the pump relates to the square of the pump’s speed.
  • The flow of the pump relates to speed.
  • The horsepower of the pump relates to the square of the pump’s speed.

You can use this information to determine if increasing the horsepower of the liquid handling pumps will be worthwhile. Generally, you cannot make a pump produce more than you wanted it to by changing the horsepower. The best way to do this is by reducing the resistance or changing the speed of the pump so that it will work with you.

Turn to a Trusted Source for a Centrifugal Vacuum Pump

If you are looking for a better pump, then don’t look for one with a higher horsepower. Choose one with less resistance. Contact Premier Fluid Systems today to learn more.