Centrifugal Pumps - Stable and Unstable Flow
For stable head-flow characteristic the differential head - h - progressively falls with increasing flow rate - q.
For unstable head-flow characteristic the differential head - h - rises to a maximum and then progressively falls with increasing flow rate - q.
An unstable pump may start to oscillate between the two possible combinations of head-flow. The flow rate will modulate and the pipeline vibrate.
It is recommended that centrifugal pumps are designed and operated under stable conditions.
Related Topics
• Pumps
Design of pumping systems and pipelines. With centrifugal pumps, displacement pumps, cavitation, fluid viscosity, head and pressure, power consumption and more.
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