Hydraulics Laboratory

Experiment Report

Name:

Ahmed Essam Mansour

Section: "1", Monday 2-5 pm

Title:

Axial Pumps

Date:

11 December, 2006

Objectives:
To study the performance of axial flow pumps

Theory:
Axial pumps are type of pumps through which the flow is axial, that is
why they have the smallest dimensions upon other types of pumps. They
mainly consist of an impeller rotating within a concentric cylindrical
casing, and usually three sets of blades exist in a good, efficient axial
pump;
1. Inlet guide blades
2. The rotating propeller blades
3. Outlet guide blades
The guide blades ensure that the flow at the outlet from the pump is
without tangential component, that is axial without swirl. This result may
be achieved by either a set of downstream or a set of upstream blades.
The rotary blades impart a whirl and hence recover the head equivalence
of its speed thus increasing the head downstream.
Axial pumps main disadvantages is that they develop low head and
steeply descending efficiency curve.
From this experiment performance curves are to be plotted to an axial
pump; relate head, power and efficiency to the flow rate with changing
the rotation of the pump each trail.
The head is calculated by knowing the pressure upstream and
downstream of the pump;

In order to measure the efficiency of the pump, the power input and
output of the pump have to be evaluated;

Procedures:
1. Start the pump and set the selection of required speed N.
2. Take a set of readings for the flow rate, pressure upstream and
pressure downstream.
3. Set the force ruler connected to the motor to an equilibrium
position and take the reading.
4. Change the value of the speed and repeat step 2 and 3.

Sample of Calculations:

Conclusion:
1. Comparing the results obtained between this experiment and
centrifugal pumps experiment, it can be confirmed that axial flow
pumps provide lower head but higher discharge than centrifugal
pumps.
This limits the use of axial pumps in some applications.
2. The obtained plots of the performance relations was unexpected in
there forms, there was sever irregularity in the relation between
head and 'Q', as the values of Q decreased the H varied irregularly
increasing and decreasing without a certain rhythm. And the same
problem was faced with the efficiency relations where they
increased for the taken flow rate.
I think there was something wrong in the readings we obtained.
3. The relation between the power output and the flow rate is direct
according to the plots, in theory it is assumed that the relation shall
be inverse as H is supposed to decrease uniformly with increasing
Q.
4. Decreasing the flow rate increases the force of the motor linearly.
I think this relation can be explained by the following:
higher flow rate has higher momentum force which causes an
opposite effect on the rotating propeller and so on the motor, as we
didn't change any thing with the motor setting the only effect on its
force can be caused by the flow conditions (flow rate)