What exactly does a vortex breaker do?
What exactly does a vortex breaker do?
(OP)
I understand that a vortex breaker inhibits the suction/draining liquid from forming a vortex but what exactly does a vortex do to a pump? In other words, what is the adverse affects of not having a vortex breaker? will the vortex travel along 20ft of 20" pipe configured with 3 90deg ells?





RE: What exactly does a vortex breaker do?
Not having a vortex breaker may not present any problem as the formation of a vortex at the inlet to a pump depends on a number of factors which are not always present in any given installation.
I could see it possible for a vortex to travel 20ft along a pipe even with the 90 ells. A fully developed vortex can contain considerable energy and will quite often show as an increase in a pressure gauge reading located on the inlet pipe. Actually this is one method of showing that a vortex is present in an inlet line leading up to a pump inlet.
RE: What exactly does a vortex breaker do?
RE: What exactly does a vortex breaker do?
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"Pumping accounts for 20% of the world's energy used by electric motors and 25% to 50% of the total electrical energy usage in certain industrial facilities." - DOE statistic (Note: Make that 99.99% for pipeline companies) http://virtualpipeline.spaces.live.com/
RE: What exactly does a vortex breaker do?
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RE: What exactly does a vortex breaker do?
Both terms refer to the "Coriolis" effect.