COURSE HIGHLIGHTS

Pumps are widely used in industry for applications such as providing lubrication and cooling service and transferring process fluids. In the commercial sector pumps see widespread use for HVAC systems. Municipalities depend upon pumps in water and wastewater treatment plants. Pumps consume 27% of the electricity used by industrial systems in the manufacturing sector. In view of this widespread use of pumps, any steps taken to improve the efficiency of performance can have a significant effect. Methods of analyzing pumping systems and improving their efficiency are the the subject matter of this courses.

This course is intended for civil, mechanical, chemical, environmental, and industrial engineers, as well as anyone who works with pumping systems. An attendee of this course will gain knowledge about methods for analyzing pumping systems and steps for improving their efficiency.

In this course, you need to review the material in the U.S. DOE, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy publication, DOE/60-102006-2079, "Improving Pumping System Performance - A Sourcebook for Industery."

Upon completing your review of the course material, you need to take a multiple choice quiz consisting of twenty-five (25) questions to earn 5 PDH credits. The quiz will be based on the entire document. 80% correct is required for a quiz passing grade.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the student will

• Be familiar with typical pumping system components
• Know the types of centrifugal pumps and the typical applications for which centrifugal pumps are used
• Know the types of positive displacement pumps and the typical applications for which positive displacement pumps are used
• Know the opportune times in the life cycle of a pumping system for assessing pumping system needs to improve performance
• Be familiar with common pumping system problems
• Know the common indicators of an over-sized pump in a pumping system
• Know how to analyze piping configurations to improve pumping system efficiency
• Be familiar with basic pump maintenance
• Be familiar with typical multiple pump arrangements and the use of pony pumps
• Be able to predict the effect of impeller trimming on pump flow rate, head, and brake horsepower
• Be able to estimate annual cost of electricity for a pump for several types of input information

Course Author Profile: Harlan Bengson, Ph, PE