Pump selection is based using the total head and flow required as well as suitability to the application. The total head is the sum of the static head (remember that the static head can be positive or negative) and the friction head.

For fluids different than water the viscosity will be an important factor and Table 1 is not applicable. This is calculated from the values in the tables presented here (see Table 1). The friction head depends on the flow rate, the pipe size and the pipe length. This a matter of taking measurements of the height between the suction tank fluid surface and the discharge pipe end height or the discharge tank fluid surface elevation. Selecting the right flow rate may be as simple as determining that it takes 100 gpm (6.3 L/s) to fill a tank in a reasonable amount of time or the flow rate may depend on some interaction between processes that needs to be carefully analyzed. In an industrial setting, the flow rate will often depend on the production level of the plant. To size and select a pump, we first determine the flow rate.

How far can you pump dredge slurry