mud pump flow rate calculator factory

Rig pump output, normally in volume per stroke, of mud pumps on the rig is  one of important figures that we really need to know because we will use pump out put figures to calculate many parameters such as bottom up strokes,  wash out depth, tracking drilling fluid, etc. In this post, you will learn how to calculate pump out put for triplex pump and duplex pump in bothOilfield and Metric Unit.

Pumps tend to be one of the biggest energy consumers in industrial operations. Pump motors, specifically, require a lot of energy. For instance, a 2500 HP triplex pump used for frac jobs can consume almost 2000 kW of power, meaning a full day of fracking can cost several thousand dollars in energy costs alone!

So, naturally, operators should want to maximize energy efficiency to get the most for their money. Even a 1% improvement in efficiency can decrease annual pumping costs by tens of thousands of dollars. The payoff is worth the effort. And if you want to remotely control your pumps, you want to keep efficiency in mind.

In this post, we’ll point you in the right direction and discuss all things related to pump efficiency. We’ll conclude with several tips for how you can maintain pumping efficiency and keep your energy costs down as much as possible.

In simple terms, pump efficiency refers to the ratio of power out to power in. It’s the mechanical power input at the pump shaft, measured in horsepower (HP), compared to the hydraulic power of the liquid output, also measured in HP. For instance, if a pump requires 1000 HP to operate and produces 800 HP of hydraulic power, it would have an efficiency of 80%.

Remember: pumps have to be driven by something, i.e., an electric or diesel motor. True pump system efficiency needs to factor in the efficiency of both the motor AND the pump.

Consequently, we need to think about how electrical power (when using electric motors) or heat power (when using combustion engines) converts into liquid power to really understand pump efficiency.

Good pump efficiency depends, of course, on pump type and size. High-quality pumps that are well-maintained can achieve efficiencies of 90% or higher, while smaller pumps tend to be less efficient. In general, if you take good care of your pumps, you should be able to achieve 70-90% pump efficiency.

Now that we have a better understanding of the pump efficiency metric, let’s talk about how to calculate it. The mechanical power of the pump, or the input power, is a property of the pump itself and will be documented during the pump setup. The output power, or hydraulic power, is calculated as the liquid flow rate multiplied by the "total head" of the system.

IMPORTANT: to calculate true head, you also need to factor in the work the pump does to move fluid from the source. For example, if the source water is below the pump, you need to account for the extra work the pump puts in to draw source water upwards.

*Note - this calculation assumes the pump inlet is not pressurized and that friction losses are minimal. If the pump experiences a non-zero suction pressure, or if there is significant friction caused by the distance or material of the pipe, these should be factored in as well.

You"ll notice that the elevation head is minimal compared to the discharge pressure, and has minimal effect on the efficiency of the pump. As the elevation change increases or the discharge pressure decreases, however, elevation change will have a greater impact on total head.

Obviously, that’s a fair amount of math to get at the pump efficiency, considering all of the units conversions that need to be done. To avoid doing these calculations manually, feel free to use our simple pump efficiency calculator.

Our calculations use static variables (pump-rated horsepower and water source elevation) and dynamic variables (discharge flow and pressure). To determine pump efficiency, we need to measure the static variables only once, unless they change.

If you want to measure the true efficiency of your pump, taking energy consumption into account, you could add an electrical meter. Your meter should consist of a current transducer and voltage monitor (if using DC) for electrical motors or a fuel gauge for combustion. This would give you a true understanding of how pump efficiency affects energy consumption, and ultimately your bank account.

Up until this point, we’ve covered the ins and outs of how to determine pump efficiency. We’re now ready for the exciting stuff - how to improve pump efficiency!

One of the easiest ways to improve pump efficiency is to actually monitor pumps for signs of efficiency loss! If you monitor flow rate and discharge (output power) along with motor current or fuel consumption, you’ll notice efficiency losses as soon as they occur. Simply having pump efficiency information on hand empowers you to take action.

Another way to increase efficiency is to keep pumps well-maintained. Efficiency losses mostly come from mechanical defects in pumps, e.g., friction, leakages, and component failures. You can mitigate these issues through regular maintenance that keeps parts in working order and reveals impending failures. Of course, if you are continuously monitoring your pumps for efficiency drops, you’ll know exactly when maintenance is due.

You can also improve pump efficiency by keeping pumps lubricated at all times. Lubrication is the enemy of friction, which is the enemy of efficiency (“the enemy of my enemy is my friend…”).

A fourth way to enhance pump efficiency is to ensure your pumps and piping are sized properly for your infrastructure. Although we’re bringing this up last, it’s really the first step in any pumping operation. If your pumps and piping don’t match, no amount of lubricant or maintenance will help.

In this post, we’ve given you the full rundown when it comes to calculating and improving pump efficiency. You can now calculate, measure, and improve pump efficiency, potentially saving your business thousands of dollars annually on energy costs.

For those just getting started with pump optimization, we offer purpose-built, prepackaged solutions that will have you monitoring pump efficiency in minutes, even in hazardous environments.

For round tanks with dish or cone bottoms, calculations for working fluid volume are based on straight wall height (i.e., this height is measured from the tank top to where the tank joins the cone or dish at the bottom). This leaves adequate free space above the maximum fluid operating level. In all cases, if H<5 feet (1.5 m), a radial flow impeller should be specified.

In this article provided pump related formulas like fluid flow rate and velocity, power calculation, Specific Speed of Pump (Nq), Total Head, Pump Torque and temperature rise, Net Positive Suction Head, Affinity laws for pump, Pump Efficiency & Overall Efficiency of the Pump

Specific Speed of pump (Nq) is identifies the geometrical similarity of pumps. It is useful to comparing different pump designs irrespective of pump size

Pressure head calculated as per pumping system source tank is under some gauge pressure or vacuum open or open toatmosphericthan pressure head is calculated in metres of water column (MWC) of Feet of water column of liquid.

The amount of NPSH the pump requires to avoid cavitation is called Net Positive Suction Head Required (NPSHr). This value of the pump is determined based on actual pump test by the vendor.

In this article discussed about pump basic formulas with examples likepump power calculation formula, specific speed of centrifugal pump and affinity laws for centrifugal and displacement pumps. Also provided online calculator for pump power calculation

The work performed by the pump is equal to the weight of liquid pumped in Unit time multiplied by total Head in meters. However the pump capacity in M3/hr and liquid specific gravity are used rather than weight of liquid pumped for work done by the pump.

The input power “P” of a pump is the mechanical power inkW or Watt taken by the shaft or coupling. So the input power of the pump also called Break Horse Power (BHP).

Pump output power is called as Water Horse Power (WHP ) or Hydraulic power and it is useful work delivered by the pump.  and is usually expressed by the formula

The specific speed “Nq” is a parameter derived from a dimensional analysis which allows a comparison of impellers of various pump sizes even when their operating similar Q -H range.  The specific speed can be used to classify the optimum impeller design.

Specific Speed of pump (Nq) is defined as the speed in RPM at which a geometrically similar impeller would run if it were reduced proportionately in size so as to delivered 75 kg of water per second to the height of 1 m.

Nq is also defined as the theoretical rotational speed at which a geometrically similar impeller would run if it were of such a size as to produce 1 m of head at a flow rate of1 m3/sec at the best efficiency point.

Pump Efficiency is the most important factor while calculating power consumption. So while selection of the higher rating of pump always choose best efficiency pump set.

Pump curves are calculated based on water which has an SG of 1. If a fluid has a higher specific gravity than water, then the head will show the same, but the pressure will increase since Pressure is a function relative to fluid calculated by multiplying Head x Specific Gravity.

The pressure supplied by a pump for each application is fluid dependent and relative to fluid density thus pressure will change according to the fluid’s specific gravity

Care must be taken where a pump curve shows a high NPSH is required. A fluid with a low specific gravity, must be checked against the NPSH required carefully.

Cavitation can occur if the inlet pressure is below that required by the pump, which can arise when the SG of the fluid is not accounted for correctly, when determining the NPSH available.

Positive Displacement Pump CurveA PD Pump curve will not be affected in the same way as a centrifugal pump curve by the specific gravity of a fluid, as flow rate will remain constant. However, the absorbed power will increase, with the pressure produced remaining fluid dependent.