What Constitutes 'High Energy' In Centrifugal Pumps?

Abstract

Every engineer has his own idea of what makes a centrifugal pump a high energy pump, but getting 2 or more engineers to agree on a definition of "High Energy" is difficult. Is a pump high energy because it runs at > 6000 rpm, or because it consumes more than 4MW, or because it produces > 6000m (20,000 ft) of head? Or, is it high energy because it moves more than 34,000 m3/h (150,000 GPM), but at lower pressure? This is a collection of the results of recent literature searches in a quest to define this term; a term everybody knows and uses, but can't agree on the boundaries of its definition. For most readers, it may be years between such applications. Experiences can get lost in organizations over time. We hope the following pages will help document some parameters for future reference, thus hopefully saving the reader's time and helping to avoid unpleasant experiences.