Where Cavitation Begins – Cooling Tower Pumps and Piping

Norm HallPumps, Cooling Towers, Hydronic System Design, Cooling Towers, Piping and Pumps, Monday Morning Minutes, Cooling, Cooling Towers

Last week the R. L. Deppmann Monday Morning Minute defined NPSHR, and ended with the Hydraulic Institute (HI) definition as the absolute pressure that will cause the total head of the pump to be reduced by 3%, due to flow blockage from cavitation”. Of importance is the fact that it does not say that NPSHR is where cavitation begins.

Plumbing Topic: Domestic Water Recirculation Systems Part 4

Norm HallMonday Morning Minutes, Pumps, Plumbing System Design, Domestic Water Recirculation, Balancing

The last three articles outlined pump selection in domestic water recirculation systems. In general, these systems have low flow and low head pumps. What happens in a high rise with pressure reducing valves (PRV) in the hot water supply? The pressure reducing valve introduces a fixed pressure drop which must be added to the calculations.