What Is A Multi Stage Centrifugal Pump
December 25, 2022

What Is a Multi stage Centrifugal Pump Used for?

Post By Awais Soherwardi Pump 1 Comment

What Is a Multi stage Centrifugal Pump

What Is a Multi-stage Centrifugal Pump, The brief response to the question "What is a multi-stage centrifugal pump used for?" is that it depends on the kind of pump, however, these pumps have numerous uses. Centrifugal pumps with several stages are often used in many applications. They are a great option for many uses because of their high energy economy and flexibility to provide engineers with a variable range of flow and head.

What is a Multi-Stage Centrifugal Pump

Two or more impellers are used in the construction of multistage centrifugal pumps. Depending on the arrangement, the rotors might be mounted on the same shaft or several distinct shafts. The rotors can also be connected in series if significant outflow pressures are necessary. However, they are frequently linked in parallel when there is a need for large capacity.

In order to provide high pressure on the shaft within the same housing, multistage centrifugal pumps are used, which is more cost-effective than a pump with a single impeller. The channels inside the pump housing function as a component of the pump structure by guiding an impeller discharge to suction the other.

Water enters the pump and flows sequentially through a group of rotors from left to right. In order to provide suction for the following rotor, water then flows from the spiral around the spiral of the first rotor. These kinds of pumps are typically single-stage pumps. The performance of a multi-stage centrifugal pump is significantly higher.

Axial pressure forces can occasionally be balanced in multi-stage centrifugal pumps by installing balancing blades at the back of the impellers. The remaining forces are absorbed by the heavy-duty ball bearing on the drive side and the angular ball bearing on the drive side.

A seal pressure-balancing line that releases pressure from the seal section on the discharge side back to the suction side is included with multi-stage centrifugal pumps. They also have two outer bearings. Due to its distinct design, even when the pump operates at high pressures, more affordable sealing systems may be employed.

Depending on the use and volume, there are many sizes of pumps available. Heating plants, firefighting operations, water pipelines, irrigation, agriculture, boiler feed, autoclaves, hydrocarbons, and conveying mildly contaminated but also clean liquids may all be handled by smaller multi-stage centrifugal pumps.

 

Working Principle of Multi-Stage Centrifugal Pumps

The pump's output discharge pressure increases with the number of stages it has. These pumps have a remarkable capacity to increase pressure with each stage added, yet the range of flow is always constant at a given speed. In one-stage housing, each stage has a rotor, a diffuser, and directional return blades (typically paired with a diffuser).

The kind of impeller and circumferential speed both significantly alter the pressure head of a single-stage centrifugal pump. A bigger impeller diameter results in extremely low specific speeds and unfeasible efficiency when the rotating speed must be constant owing to operational constraints. Therefore, putting many steps in succession might be a cost-effective way to raise the head. The flow rate of a multistage pump remains constant when the number of stages is altered while maintaining constant dimensions and speeds, but the power input and head rise in direct proportion to the number of stages. ​

The fluid passes through many fitted in series impellers in multi-stage pumps. Under pressure in the suction line, the fluid enters the first chamber (or stage) and drains at a specific higher pressure. The fluid moves into the second stage, where the pressure rises once more, after leaving the first one.

The pump series selection diagrams' greater pressure ranges can be reached economically by using multi-stage pumps. However, having too many steps has the disadvantage of making the rotor more susceptible to outside or organic vibrations.

The ring-section pump is an illustration of a pump with parallel multi-stage casings of the same kind. This particular type of pump is frequently used in power plants for high-pressure industrial applications as well as boiler feed water pumps.

A multi-stage centrifugal pumps many stages don't have to be installed in tandem. By aligning the stages in pairs or groups, the axial force balance may be enhanced. The pipeline pump is a typical example.

Regardless of the number of stages, the first stage is placed in the inlet housing with the axial or radial inlet nozzle, and the last stage, along with the shaft seal and balancing tools, is placed in the outlet housing. To meet the required number of steps, just the pump shaft, tie rods, and base plate need be set up.

Types of Multi-Stage Centrifugal Pumps

Multi-stage pumps come in two different varieties: those with horizontal shafts and those with vertical shafts.

Horizontal Multi-Stage Centrifugal Pumps

For the aforementioned applications, horizontal pumps are continuously the most popular multi-stage centrifugal pump type. These pumps operate by applying pressure to the fluids as they pass horizontally through a number of impellers. Typically, horizontal pumps may operate at higher flow rates than their vertical counterparts (with the exception of vertical turbine pumps). Centrifugal pumps with many horizontal stages may be identified by their segmented casing.

However, there are a few small drawbacks to using horizontal multi-stage pumps as opposed to vertical pumps. Horizontal pumps can require additional upkeep and a qualified crew to operate them.

Horizontal multi-stage pumps can be highly costly, especially when compared to vertical counterparts, depending on their features and intended uses.

Applications

  • The horizontal multistage centrifugal pumps are best for applications including:
  • Reverse osmosis (to remove impurities from water)
  • Boiler feed water (to pump the water into a steam boiler)
  • Shower
  • Cogeneration
  • Water pressure boosting
  • Spray
  • High-pressure Cleaning (to create a strong stream of water for cleaning an object)
  • Snowmaking (to pressurize the water to make snow for sports and resorts applications)
  • Mine dewatering
  • Condensate

Vertical Multi-Stage Centrifugal Pumps

Due to their more limited uses, vertical multi-stage pumps are less useful than horizontal ones. Impellers in vertical multi-stage pumps are placed one atop the other on a vertical shaft.

These multistage pumps have far lower clearances than their horizontal counterparts, which makes them the perfect option for clean-water applications. These pumps are perfect for small spaces because of their simple, compact design. Using a single pump body and motor, they can transmit high-pressure fluids.

Numerous important benefits of multistage pumps include energy savings and their versatility in a variety of flow rates and head applications.

However, a fundamental disadvantage of vertical pumps is that they are more prone to deadheading and cannot handle dirt or particles.

Deadheading happens when a valve is closed to stop a pump from discharging. Due to this, the water within the pump continually stirs and eventually evaporates. Centrifugal pumps can suffer severe damage from deadheading.

 

Applications

The best uses for vertical multi-stage centrifugal pumps are as follows:

  • water for boilers
  • systems for high-pressure showers
  • feed for desuperheater

Single-Stage Centrifugal Pumps vs. Multi-Stage Centrifugal Pumps

Single-stage and multi-stage centrifugal pumps are the two main categories. The crucial thing to remember is which one should be picked, which ultimately comes down to their application and guiding concept. We'll go through how these two sorts differ in the sections that follow.

The performance of their impellers and how they impact it is the primary distinction between single-stage and multi-stage centrifugal pumps. While multi-stage pumps feature two or more impellers, single-stage pumps only have one revolving impeller placed around the shaft. Performance aspects like efficiency and pressure capabilities may be affected by this feature.

Pressure Capability

A multi-stage centrifugal pump's many impellers are mounted on the same shaft and function basically as independent pumps. This indicates that the head rises roughly the same amount as the flow does as it moves from stage to stage. Therefore, a multi-stage pump's design can handle far higher pressures than a single-stage pump.

The selection of multistage centrifugal pumps occurs often when the pressure demands surpass the capabilities of a single-stage pump. For instance, the fluid might need to be moved across a long distance with a substantial amount of friction loss, which is often accomplished with a number of impellers. The water supply on top of towering buildings or towers is a typical example. Single-stage centrifugal pumps, on the other hand, are superior options for installations with higher flow and lower pressure.

Efficiency

Multiple impellers are used in multi-stage pumps to transfer energy into the fluid. Each impeller may have a smaller diameter than a basic impeller. Additionally, multi-stages may function with less space between the impeller and the volute. This indicates that each impeller is operating nearly at peak hydraulic efficiency. Multi-stage centrifugal pumps may therefore function more effectively with a lower motor size and by using less energy.

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