Choosing a centrifugal pump from the countless options available can be daunting, but someone has to make the decision. Many factors -such as the required flow, differential pressure, suction conditions, etc.- must be weighed against the capital costs and cost of energy for the pumps considered. To determine the right pump, you must consider the overall cost of ownership, which includes capital cost, operating costs, and maintenance cost. What good is a low cost pump if it is inefficient or if is costly to maintain? The selection methodology offered in this book focuses mainly on hydraulic design considerations, but it also touches on mechanical design details. Analyzing basic pump hydraulic parameters allows you to quickly determine if a centrifugal pump makes sense for your particular application. If you do decide a centrifugal pump will work for your application, then you need to be able to evaluate the various bids returned by pump manufacturers. A complete chapter is devoted to tabulating quotes from pump manufacturers in order to properly evaluate their bids and select the best overall option.

This hands-on reference offers a practical introduction to pumps and provides the tools necessary to select, size, operate, and maintain pumps properly. It highlights the interrelatedness of pump engineering from system and piping design to installation and startup. This updated second edition expands on many subjects introduced in the first edition and also provides new in-depth discussion of pump couplings, o-rings, motors, variable frequency drives, pump life-cycle cost, corrosion, and pump minimum flow. Written by an acclaimed expert in the field, Pump Characteristics and Applications, Second Edition is an invaluable day-to-day reference for mechanical, civil, chemical, industrial, design, plant, project, and systems engineers; engineering supervisors; maintenance technicians; and plant operators. It is also an excellent text for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in departments of mechanical engineering, mechanical engineering technology, or engineering technology. About the Author Michael W. Volk, P.E., is President of Volk & Associates, Inc., Oakland, California (www.volkassociates.com), a consulting company specializing in pumps and pump systems. Volk's services include pump training seminars; pump equipment evaluation, troubleshooting, and field testing; expert witness for pump litigation; witnessing of pump shop tests; pump market research; and acquisition and divestiture consultation and brokerage. A member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and a registered professional engineer, Volk received the B.S. degree (1973) in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana, and the M.S. degree (1976) in mechanical engineering and the M.S. degree (1980) in management science from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.