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Pump Head

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Section summary
1. Definition
2. Calculation
3. Use

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1. Definition

What is the pump head ?

The pump head is the actual pressure developped by a pump. It is expressed in vertical m of liquid (water for pump characteristics graphs).

The pump head takes into consideration the difference of pressure in between suction and discharge but also the speed difference, all converted to m of liquid.

2. Calculation

How to calculate the pump head ?

Equation 1 : Pump Head

With
ps : pressure at suction (bar)
pd : pressure at discharge (bar)
spgr4t : specific gravity of the liquid processed
us : velocity at suction (m/s)
ud : velocity at discharge (m/s)

3. Use of pump head

Pump head is a key piece of information found on pump characteristic.

Figure 1 : Pump characteristic curve