Pressure drop remedy 1

[checonbill]

What would be a better way to increase pressure drop across a piece of equipment to install a booster pump on the inlet side or on the return side. This is on a cooling system and I need a minimum of 30 psi drop on a system that is currently operating at 50 psi on the inlet and 35 on the return.

 

[Ashereng]

I would suggest an orifice plate, or a valve in the line to increase pressure drop.

Am I missing something on this adding a pump thing?

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[djack77494]

checonbill,
It's not normal to say "I need more pressure drop"; usually you want to go in the opposite direction. I'm not sure what it is you're trying to do. Some more detail would really go far.

It sounds like you are dealing with a circulation loop and you need more flow than you are currently getting. Again, reading into your message, you want to know if it's better to add a booster pump on (a portion of?) the total circuit to increase flow through that particular part of it (maybe). I'll respond to that.

You could add the booster pump to either side. Adding it upstream of your user will increase the pressure at the piece of equipment to obtain the higher flowrate (and higher differential pressure) through the equipment. If the equipment is designed for the higher pressure, no problem. If not, you may apply excessive pressure to the equipment leading to integrity issues.

Adding the booster pump downstream of the equipment reduces the pressure at the outlet of the equipment but may increase the pressure in the piping between the equipment and wherever the coolant goes. The maximum pressure in the system will be less than if the first method is selected. However, one of the dangers you could face is the possibility of "starving" the booster pump. If you equipment can become fouled, the pressure drop through it could increase to the point that the booster pump's inlet pressure requirements are not met. That would lead to pump cavitation, which is very undesirable.

 

[briand2]

checonbill,

If the pressure drop across your equipment is currently 15 psi (50 - 35) and you want it to be 30 psi, then what you are effectively trying to do is double the pressure drop. To multiply the pressure drop by 2, you must multiply the flow by the square root of 2, i.e. by 1.4. In other words, if you put in a pump (on either inlet out outlet, subject to djack77494's comments) that can deliver about 40% more flow around the existing circuit than you have at the moment, then you should find that the pressure drop across the circuit (and each item on that circuit) more or less doubles.