A collection of observations and information from 50 years of engineering experience

Articles

Castaic Lake Hydroelectric Power Plant Tour

Castaic Lake Hydroelectric Power Plant Tour

Randal Ferman

For all Californians: There is a rare opportunity to tour the Castaic Lake Hydroelectric Power Plant. This joint AIAA and ASME Tour takes place on September 14th, 2012. About the...

Castaic Lake Hydroelectric Power Plant Tour

Randal Ferman

For all Californians: There is a rare opportunity to tour the Castaic Lake Hydroelectric Power Plant. This joint AIAA and ASME Tour takes place on September 14th, 2012. About the...

Is there an ideal impeller vane number?

Randal Ferman

Centrifugal pump design and manufacturing has been around for over 200 years. If there were an ideal impeller vane number, it seems likely someone would have discovered it by now....

37 comments

Is there an ideal impeller vane number?

Randal Ferman

Centrifugal pump design and manufacturing has been around for over 200 years. If there were an ideal impeller vane number, it seems likely someone would have discovered it by now....

37 comments
What is the connection between Suction Specific Speed and Minimum Flow?

What is the connection between Suction Specific...

Randal Ferman

The connection between suction specific speed Sω (NSS) and minimum flow (Qmin) is that, in general, a higher value of Sω (NSS) is associated with a higher value of Qmin....

4 comments

What is the connection between Suction Specific...

Randal Ferman

The connection between suction specific speed Sω (NSS) and minimum flow (Qmin) is that, in general, a higher value of Sω (NSS) is associated with a higher value of Qmin....

4 comments
Critical Pump Selection Webinar - Video

Critical Pump Selection Webinar - Video

Randal Ferman

After the success of my webinar, I am making a recording of it available for everyone who was not able to attend, and those who wanted more time to go...

4 comments

Critical Pump Selection Webinar - Video

Randal Ferman

After the success of my webinar, I am making a recording of it available for everyone who was not able to attend, and those who wanted more time to go...

4 comments
Centrifugal Pumps Second Edition – A Book Review

Centrifugal Pumps Second Edition – A Book Review

Randal Ferman

The first pump text book I purchased when I began my career in pump engineering 36 years ago was Centrifugal and Axial Flow Pumps by A.J. Stepanoff. At the time,...

20 comments

Centrifugal Pumps Second Edition – A Book Review

Randal Ferman

The first pump text book I purchased when I began my career in pump engineering 36 years ago was Centrifugal and Axial Flow Pumps by A.J. Stepanoff. At the time,...

20 comments
Impellers - why underfile?

Impellers - why underfile?

Randal Ferman

Underfiling is the removal of material from the underside (also back side, “non-working” side, or suction side) of an impeller vane at the inlet or the exit. In this article,...

11 comments

Impellers - why underfile?

Randal Ferman

Underfiling is the removal of material from the underside (also back side, “non-working” side, or suction side) of an impeller vane at the inlet or the exit. In this article,...

11 comments