energy consumption

As a result of conservative engineering practices, pumps are often substantially larger than they need to be for an industrial plant’s process requirements. Centrifugal pumps can often be oversized because of  “rounding up,” trying to accommodate gradual increases in pipe surface roughness and flow resistance over time, or anticipating future plant capacity expansions. In addition, the plant’s pumping requirements might not...

Overview 

Centrifugal pumps handle high flow rates, provide smooth, non pulsating delivery, and regulate the flow rate over a wide range without damaging the pump. Centrifugal pumps have few moving parts, and the wear caused by normal operation is minimal. They are also compact and easily disassembled for maintenance. The design of an efficient pumping system depends on relationships between fluid flow rate,...

When multiple pumps operate continuously as part of a parallel pumping system, there can be opportunities for significant energy savings. For example, lead and spare (or lag) pumps are frequently operated together when a single pump could meet process flow rate requirements. This can result from a common misconception—that operating two identical pumps in parallel doubles the flow rate. Although parallel operation does increase the flow rate, it also causes greater fl...

An industrial facility can reduce the energy costs associated with its pumping systems, and save both energy and money, in many ways. They include reducing the pumping system flow rate, lowering the operating pressure, operating the system for a shorter period of time each day, and, perhaps most important, improving the system’s overall efficiency.

Often, a...

Pumping system control valve inefficiencies in plant processes offer opportunities for energy savings and reduced maintenance costs. Valves that consume a large fraction of the total pressure drop for the system or are excessively throttled can be opportunities for energy savings. Pressure drops or head losses in liquid pumping systems increase the energy requirements of these systems. Pressure drops are caused by resistance or friction in piping and in bends, elbows, or joints, as well as by t...

In pumping applications with variable flow rate requirements, adjustable speed drives (ASDs) are an efficient control alternative to throttling or bypass methods. ASDs save energy by varying the pump’s rotational speed. In centrifugal pumping applications with no static lift, power requirements vary...

In the United States, more than 2.4 million pumps, which consume more than 142 billion kWh annually, are used in industrial manufacturing processes. At an electricity cost of 5 cents per kWh, energy used for fluids transport costs more than $7.1 billion per year. Even one pump can consume substantial energy. A continuously operated centrifugal pump driven by a fully loaded 100-horsepower motor requires 726,000 kWh per year....