Water - Max. Suction Flow Velocities vs. Pipe Size
Recommended max. water flow velocities on suction sides of pumps.
Capacity problems, cavitation and high power consumption in pumps, are often results of the conditions on the suction side.
In general - as a rule of thumb - keep the suction fluid flow speed below the following values:
| Pipe bore | Max. Suction Velocity | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| inches | mm | m/s | ft/s |
| 1 | 25 | 0.5 | 1.5 |
| 2 | 50 | 0.5 | 1.6 |
| 3 | 75 | 0.5 | 1.7 |
| 4 | 100 | 0.55 | 1.8 |
| 6 | 150 | 0.6 | 2 |
| 8 | 200 | 0.75 | 2.5 |
| 10 | 250 | 0.9 | 3 |
| 12 | 300 | 1.4 | 4.5 |
More about NPSH and suction problems:
- Cavitations and NPSH - An introduction to cavitation and Net Positive Suction Head NPSH
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