106 



THE IRKIGATION AGE. 



PUMP POINTERS FOR THE IRRIGATOR 



BY EVERETT B. MURRAY 



Assoc. Mem. Amer. Soc. C. E.; Mem. Am. Soc. T. M. ; of Kansas City, Mo. 



Diversion Dam in the Belle Fourche 

 (S. D.) Federal Irrigation Project. 

 Railway. 



OF pumps for irri- 

 gation, the most 

 common and by far the 

 cheapest to operate 

 when the conditions 

 are such that they can 

 be used is the horizon- 

 tal centrifugal pump. 

 This is made by sev- 

 eral different compa- 

 nies that are abso- 

 lutely responsible and 

 reliable a n d which 

 furnish data and in- 

 formation concerning 

 their equipment that 

 can be relied on. The 

 purchaser in consider- 

 ing the pumping out- 

 fit complete must take 

 into consideration the 

 fact that the power 

 developed by his gas 

 or oil engine is very 

 much reduced when 

 the altitude is in- 

 creased, and for this 

 reason at elevations 

 of from 2,600 feet up 

 the actual power de- 

 veloped by the engine should be secured from the 

 manufacturer of the engine for the location. 



The pump manufacturer will tell you how much 

 power he wants delivered to his pump and, for your 

 own peace of mind, it is advisable to have ample 

 .engine power to operate your pump. Centrifugal 

 pumps can be purchased f. o. b. factories from 20 feet 

 head, small size, up to several hundred feet head, 

 large size. The determination of the particular type 

 of pump required depends on the distance the draw 

 down of the water is below the surface of the 

 ground and the quantity which it is desired to lift. 



For depths from 5 to 30 feet the ordinary hori- 

 zontal pump either set on the surface for the shal- 

 low depth or in a pit from 5 to 15 feet deep for the 

 greater depth with the engine sitting at the sur- 

 face of the ground belted to the pump at an angle 

 of 45 degrees is probably the cheapest installation 

 where such a pump pit can be built and curbed with- 

 out too much expense. In this case the pit would 

 be, say 15 feet deep with the pipe 6 to 8 inches in 

 diameter, extending 15 feet and having a proper 

 strainer at the lower end to let in the water and 

 keep out the sand. 



Equipments of this kind can be purchased com- 

 plete for from $175 to $1,000 for the pumping en- 

 gine f. o. b. factories, depending on the exa t condi- 

 tions, which should always be stated and consid- 

 ered. If it is impossible to properly install pump 

 and curb pit as mentioned above, a vertical cen- 

 trifugal pump can be used with the pulley vertical 

 and 3 to 4 feet above the surface of the ground. 



River on the Belle Fourche Valley 

 Courtesy Chicago & Northwestern 



A Cattle Ranch on the Belle Fourche Project. 



This pump requires 

 frame work of ample 

 size and strength to 

 properly align the 

 shaft and hold the 

 bearings rigid. It is 

 advisable, if possible, 

 to have the pump it- 

 self submerged when 

 first started. If it pulls 

 the water down below 

 the pump in operation 

 this can be done and 

 will operate satisfac- 

 torily in almost any 

 section up to at least 

 20 feet ; in other words, 

 the pump pit can be 

 dug within 20 feet of 

 extreme draw down 

 of water and the pump 

 still discharge its full 

 capacity of water. 



"When the depth ex- 

 ceeds 30 feet, there 

 will be an additional 

 expense of shafting, 

 bearings and discharge 

 pipe on the vertical 

 pumps and, although 



the cost of the pump itself is the same, the equip- 

 ment that goes with it, and especially the horse- 

 power of the engine required to discharge the water 

 against a higher total head, necessitates a more 

 expensive equipment. I would not recommend 

 either a horizontal or vertical centrifugal pump for 

 daily service to handle water from over 60 feet be- 

 low the surface of the ground. 



\\ithin the past 6 or 8 years Turbine centrif- 

 ugal pumps, manufactured by three or four promi- 

 nent companies in this country, have been brought 

 out which successfully elevates water from depths, 

 in the case of one or two of them, as low as 200 

 feet below the surface. These pumps can be low- 

 ered into the cased pits 12, 15, 18 or 24 inches in 

 diameter and for this reason are called 12, 15, 18 

 and 24 Turbine centrifugal pumps. They are op- 

 erated by. pulley at the surface and have a shaft 

 extending to the impellers which are usually placed 

 below the water level. This shaft is enclosed in an 

 encasing pipe filled with oil to properly lubricate 

 it and to prevent sand and foreign matter from 

 wearing the bearings of the pump. 



You will notice that this particular type of 

 pump is recommended for depths from 60 feet and 

 over or for depths up to 60 feet where on account 

 of quicksand or for other reasons it is impossible to 

 properly curl) a dug well and install either a ver- 

 tical or horizontal pump set below the surface 

 driven with a belt. 



In regard to price, the vertical centrifugal 

 pumps will cost anywhere from $500 to $1,500, de- 



