Boiler feed is a natural job for a multistage pump: the boiler is under pressure and the pump has to push water into it. The CDL(F) hot water version is rated for liquids from -15 to +140 °C; the standard version stops at +70 °C.
Sizing the feed pump
- Flow: the boiler’s evaporation rate plus a margin for blowdown
- Head: the boiler working pressure plus a margin for the feed valve and pipe losses. 1 MPa is about 100 m
Watch the suction side
Hot water boils at low pressure. Near 100 °C there is almost no margin left from the atmosphere, so the feed tank must sit well above the pump to give enough pressure at the inlet. Our article on installation height and NPSH shows how quickly hot water eats into the margin.
Condensate return
Condensate is hot and usually clean, which suits the CDL(F); keep the inlet flooded and vent the pump before starting.