Estimating Pump Costs Using a Curve
Estimating Pump Costs Using a Curve
(OP)
I'm looking for some guidance on how best to estimate pump capital costs using a cost curve.
We have some numbers already, but my questions is it better to use price vs capacity or price vs hp and the justification. Already we've found that price vs hp is probably more accurate but would like a second opnion.
The pumps are mostly centrifugal single and double suction for water transmission and wastewater collection.
Thanks in advance
Jonas P
We have some numbers already, but my questions is it better to use price vs capacity or price vs hp and the justification. Already we've found that price vs hp is probably more accurate but would like a second opnion.
The pumps are mostly centrifugal single and double suction for water transmission and wastewater collection.
Thanks in advance
Jonas P





RE: Estimating Pump Costs Using a Curve
RE: Estimating Pump Costs Using a Curve
Reason being that capacity has no bearing on HP. A low capacity at high head can require the same HP as a high capacity pump at low head, so HP tends to glide through that variance and makes it more reliable than capacity. Since capacity can be all over the place, there is no apparent correlation to the total price of pump plus driver.
JR,
Capital cost does not include operating cost and therefore essentially leaves out much of the life cycle cost differentials. Since most all cost, some 85-90% of all total costs thereafter, is for power consumption cost, I have not found life cycle cost to be very useful in making plant capital cost estimates, as long as any potential efficiency differentials are properly considered in the capital cost.
"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters."
- Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)
RE: Estimating Pump Costs Using a Curve
Thanks for the imput BigInch, I'm satisfied using HP as the parameter.
RE: Estimating Pump Costs Using a Curve
It seems silly to me to discuss capital budgets without considering total costs. But then again I admit that I may not fully understand the goal from JonasP's point of view.
RE: Estimating Pump Costs Using a Curve
"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters."
- Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)
RE: Estimating Pump Costs Using a Curve
"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters."
- Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)
RE: Estimating Pump Costs Using a Curve
There are lots of pumping stations and even more pumps, so to speed up the process its easier to develop a curve based on a sample of quotes as we are looking for ball park numbers.
If it was for a true replacement we would probably look at it a little differently with life cycle consideration. BigInch is right though, its the energy costs that will generate the greatest cost which comes down to system design not the pump or components themselves assuming they're not lemons.
RE: Estimating Pump Costs Using a Curve
Unless you've got some biased operating scenarios (predominately high capacity low head, or v/v), you'll make a better curve correlating to HP.
"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters."
- Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)
RE: Estimating Pump Costs Using a Curve
The answer is yes common practice is to build cost estimating curves on installed power. The UK Wessex Data Base (cost estimating price book ) used to have a set of pump sation estimating curves at the back - I don't know if it still does !
RE: Estimating Pump Costs Using a Curve
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