pumpkraft

Pumpkraft is a term used in engineering contexts, particularly in German-speaking regions, to denote the power or capacity of a pump to move fluid. In English-language pump engineering, the concept is usually described as pump power or hydraulic power. The term can refer to the amount of energy delivered to the fluid by the pump or, in some usages, to the input power required to drive the pump.

Hydraulic power and its relation to pump power are described by simple relationships. The hydraulic power delivered to the fluid is P_out = ΔP · Q, where ΔP is the pressure rise across the pump and Q is the volumetric flow rate. An equivalent common form is P_out = ρ g Q H, with ρ the fluid density, g gravity, and H the equivalent head. The mechanical or electrical power that must be supplied to the pump is P_in = P_out / η, where η is the overall efficiency of the pump plus drive system. Units are typically watts or kilowatts, with Q in cubic meters per second and ΔP in pascals.

In pumped-storage and other water-systems applications, pumpkraft is a convenient shorthand for the power required to move water against a head, such as during pumping modes of pumped-storage hydroelectric installations. Practical use involves considering pump curves, efficiency, and operating point, since η varies with flow rate and system head.

Applications span water supply, irrigation, industrial processing, and energy storage systems. The concept is distinguished from shaft power, which is the input power to the motor, and from hydraulic energy, which is the energy carried by the fluid.