🔍 Key Concepts

• Centrifugal pump suction conditions and what happens when suction is restricted or lost • Difference between a pump problem that happens immediately vs. one that appears after running normally for a while • How priming and NPSH (Net Positive Suction Head) affect centrifugal pump operation

💭 Think About

• Which of these options would usually cause trouble right when you start the pump, rather than after it has already been pumping correctly for some time? • If the pump is moving liquid at first, what might slowly change in the suction line or pump casing that would eventually cause loss of suction? • Think about what condition is required to keep a centrifugal pump full of liquid, and what could gradually reduce the amount of liquid at the eye of the impeller.

✅ Before You Answer

• Check which choices relate to starting characteristics (what happens at startup) versus operating characteristics over time • Verify your understanding of how priming works: does incomplete priming usually let a pump run well for a while and then fail, or does it cause problems from the beginning? • Consider whether discharge head being too high or suction-side pressure would more likely prevent adequate flow or cause the pump to lose suction after some operation.