Detection of incipient cavitation and determination of the best efficiency point for centrifugal pumps using acoustic emission

Abstract

Pumps play a significant role in industrial plants and need continuous monitoring to minimize loss of production. To date, published information on the application of acoustic emission (AE) to incipient pump cavitation has been contradictory. This article re-assesses the application of AE for detecting incipient cavitation. In addition, this paper presents results from an on-going programme to ascertain the applicability of the AE technique for determining the best efficiency point (BEP) of an operating system. Three different sized pumps (60 kW, 127 kW, and 2.2 MW) formed the basis of this investigation, which included NPSH (net positive suction head) and performance tests. Results obtained demonstrate the successful use of the AE technique for detecting incipient cavitation and highlight the enormous potential of the technique in determining the BEP of a pump or system.