Head for heights

Put simply, head is the height at which a pump can raise fluid up and is measured in metres or feet. Companies like Atlas Copco use it when specifying centrifugal pumps because their pumping characteristics tend to be independent of the fluid’s specific gravity, often referred to as relative density. Avoid confusion: head vs pressure Head can sometimes be confused with pressure, purely because there is a close relationship between the two parameters, but there is one fundamental difference. Head is fluid independent, that is, regardless of the fluid’s relative density, the pump will lift it to the same height. Therefore, it does not matter whether the fluid is water or heavy sludge. Pressure, on the other hand, is fluid dependent and is affected by gravity. Therefore, the same head will generate a different pressure depending on the fluid’s relative density. Suction levels Suction conditions are also relevant to the pump head. If the suction level is lower, the head...