I’m adding mechanical pumps to a large stormwater treatment system. I’m a scientist but I’m completely new to engineering, and I cannot seem to get my mind around the concept of “hydraulic head.” This means that I am utterly incapable of understanding pump curves. Can someone please explain what hydraulic head is, and why it falls as flow from a pump increases?
In: Engineering
Head is a way of measuring water pressure. Basically it means if you attached the pump to a hose and attached the other end of the hose to a really high tower, how high could the pump pump the water?
> why it falls as flow from a pump increases?
It means that if you only want to pump a tiny trickle of water, the pump can push that trickle really hard. If you want a torrent, the pump can’t push as hard.
Think of it this way: Suppose you’re building a skyscraper and your pump’s on the ground level. The same pump could run a firehose on the second floor, or a drinking fountain on the twentieth floor.
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