DESCRIPTION

Technical Description

The experiments familiarise students with various pump types, such as centrifugal and positive-displacement pumps.

The HM 362 trainer includes two centrifugal pumps, one piston pump as a positive-displacement pump and a self-priming side-channel pump. The side-channel pump works primarily as a centrifugal pump and, depending on liquid level, can also act as a positive-displacement pump. This means, as a special feature, the side-channel pump also permits gases to be pumped.

The pump being investigated pumps water in a closed circuit. In the process, the performance data of the pump and pressure losses in the pipeline are recorded. The centrifugal pumps can also be operated in parallel or in series configuration. Each pump is driven by a separate three-phase AC motor. The speed of the motors for the centrifugal pumps is variably adjustable by a frequency converter. All motors are mounted on swivel bearings, so the torque can be measured by way of a force sensor, enabling the mechanical drive power output to be determined.

One free position is likewise equipped with a reversible three-phase AC motor with variable speed. This position can be used for mounting of any pump.

Experiments demonstrate the basic operating behaviour of various pump types.

Relevant measured values can be read on digital displays. At the same time, the measured values can also be transmitted directly to a PC via USB. The data acquisition software is included. The performance data of the pump and losses in the pipeline are calculated by the software and represented by characteristic curves. The operating point of the pump can be determined from these characteristics. 

The well-structured instructional material sets out the fundamentals and provides a step-by-step guide through the experiments.

Learning Objectives / Experiments

- investigation and comparison of the operating behaviour of various pump types:
  * centrifugal pumps
  * piston pump (positive-displacement pump)
  * side-channel pump
- recording a pump characteristic curve
- recording a system characteristic curve
- determining efficiency
- investigation and comparison of parallel and series configuration of centrifugal pumps
- comparison of pump types