CONTENT

CONTENT

Fundamental principles of pump technology

History of pump technology

Rough pump design for standard heating systems

Pump flow rate

Water supply

Wastewater disposal

Heating technology

Pumping systems

12
Open water pumping system

12

Closed heating system

13

Water our means of transport

15
Specific heat storage capacity

15

Volume increase and decrease

16

Boiling characteristics of water

17

Expansion of the heating water and protection against excess pressure

18

Pressure

19

Cavitation

19

Design of centrifugal pumps

41
41

Pump delivery head

41

Application example

42

Effects of the rough pump design

43

Pump planning software

43

Hydraulics from start to finish

45

Adjusting electronically controlled circulating pumps

45

Connecting multiple pumps

46

Conclusions

50

Did you know...

51
History of pump technology

51

Water our means of transport

52

Design features

53

Curves

54

Adjusting the pump to the heat demand

55

Rough pump design

56

Connecting multiple pumps

57

21
Self-priming and non-self-priming pumps

21

Function of centrifugal pumps

22

Impellers

22

Efficiency

23

Power consumption of centrifugal pumps

24

Glandless pumps

25

Glanded pumps

27

High-pressure centrifugal pumps

29

Curves

Legal units of measure, partial listing for centrifugal pumps

58

Informational materials

59

Imprint

63

31
Pump curve

31

System curve

32

Duty point

33

Adjusting the pump to the heat demand

35
Weather fluctuations

35

Pump speed selection

36

Infinitely variable speed control

36

Control modes

37

Subject to modifications 03/2005 WILO AG

Wilo Pump Basics 03/2005

CONTENT

CONTENT

Fundamental principles of pump technology

History of pump technology

Rough pump design for standard heating systems

Pump flow rate

Water supply

Wastewater disposal

Heating technology

Pumping systems

12
Open water pumping system

12

Closed heating system

13

Water our means of transport

15
Specific heat storage capacity

15

Volume increase and decrease

16

Boiling characteristics of water

17

Expansion of the heating water and protection against excess pressure

18

Pressure

19

Cavitation

19

Design of centrifugal pumps

41
41

Pump delivery head

41

Application example

42

Effects of the rough pump design

43

Pump planning software

43

Hydraulics from start to finish

45

Adjusting electronically controlled circulating pumps

45

Connecting multiple pumps

46

Conclusions

50

Did you know...

51
History of pump technology

51

Water our means of transport

52

Design features

53

Curves

54

Adjusting the pump to the heat demand

55

Rough pump design

56

Connecting multiple pumps

57

21
Self-priming and non-self-priming pumps

21

Function of centrifugal pumps

22

Impellers

22

Efficiency

23

Power consumption of centrifugal pumps

24

Glandless pumps

25

Glanded pumps

27

High-pressure centrifugal pumps

29

Curves

Legal units of measure, partial listing for centrifugal pumps

58

Informational materials

59

Imprint

63

31
Pump curve

31

System curve

32

Duty point

33

Adjusting the pump to the heat demand

35
Weather fluctuations

35

Pump speed selection

36

Infinitely variable speed control

36

Control modes

37

Subject to modifications 03/2005 WILO AG

Wilo Pump Basics 03/2005

Fundamental principles of pump technology

Pumps are a vital element of life and comfort for all human beings.
Pumps move the fluid whether it is hot or cold, dirty or clean.
They do it in a way that is extremely efficient and conserves the environment.
In the field of building technology, pumps have a
very important role. They are used for a variety of
functions. The most familiar of these is the
heating circulating pump. Therefore, it will be the
focus of our discussions on the following pages.
In addition, pumps are used in the fields of water
supply and wastewater disposal:
In pressure booster stations, which are used
whenever the city water pressure is not sufficient for supplying a building;
Drinking water circulation pumps, which ensure
that hot water is always available at each tap;
Wastewater lifting pumps, which are required
when wastewater or sewage comes from below
the backflow level;
Pumps in fountains or aquariums;
Pumps for fire-fighting applications;
Pumps for cold and cooling water;
Rainwater utilisation systems for toilet
flushing, for washing machines, cleaning and
irrigation;
Many other applications.
It is important to remember in this regard that
different media have different viscosity levels
(such as raw sewage or water-glycol mixtures).
Certain standards and guidelines specific to each
country must be followed, which may require
special pumps and technologies to be selected
(such as explosion protection, German Drinking
Water Ordinance).

The objective of this brochure is to provide

foundational knowledge of pump technology to
persons who are currently in vocational or professional training or retraining. Using simple,
explanatory sentences, drawings, and examples,
it is intended to provide a sufficient base of
knowledge for real-world use. This should make
the proper selection and use of pumps a matter
of everyday routine.
In the chapter entitled Did you know... you can,
for each section, test your own comprehension
of the material by answering a series of multiplechoice questions.
As an additional option for gaining more indepth knowledge based on these Pump Basics,
we also present our selection of informational
materials. It includes resources for self-study as
well as the field-experience-oriented, hands-on
training seminars we offer.

Wilo Pump Basics 03/2005

Refer to the chapter on

Informational materials,
page 59