A review of closed valve head prediction methods for centrifugal pumps

A review of the available methods used to predict the closed valve head of a centrifugal pump is presented. A database of pump geometry was assembled and used to assess the methods of prediction for accuracy on the basis of their specific speed and configuration. The methods based only on Euler correction factors are found to be the least accurate and give an indication of the possible closed valve head value within 20 per cent. Further methods linked to the geometry through empirical coefficients prove more successful. Correction coefficients are suggested that improve the accuracy of the prediction methods for the analysed pumps within the database.