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Head of a Pump

The head of a pump refers to the usable power it transfers to the pumped medium, measured in metres and about the weight of the pumped medium. It is important to note that the head should not be confused with the height of the installation itself. 

To put it more simply, the head indicates how much kinetic energy is required for the pump to build up enough pressure to move the pumped medium between the discharge and suction ports. This depends on factors such as the static pressure, the flow velocity and the geodetic height difference between the suction nozzle, the discharge nozzle and the suction nozzle of the pump. When selecting centrifugal pumps, the delivery head is a decisive criterion in addition to the power and the flow rate. Another relevant parameter in this context is the best head, which describes the head of a pump at the operating point with the highest efficiency. The standard unit of measurement for head is metres (m). The delivery head is usually given in metres to indicate how high the pump can lift or push the pumped medium against gravity.