headcurve
A headcurve, often called a pump head curve or simply a head curve, is the graphical representation of a pump’s hydraulic head as a function of flow rate. It is used to predict the operating conditions of a pump in a system by plotting head (H) versus flow (Q). The vertical axis shows head, typically measured in meters or feet of water, and the horizontal axis shows flow rate in units such as cubic meters per second or gallons per minute. For most centrifugal and axial pumps, the curve slopes downward: as flow increases, the head the pump can impart declines.
The headcurve depends on pump design and operating speed. Increasing shaft speed generally raises the entire
In system design, the headcurve concept is paired with the system head curve, which describes how much
Applications include selecting an appropriate pump, estimating energy consumption, and analyzing performance under varying operating conditions.