Imagine a bus speeding down the highway. Now picture a bicycle pedaling slowly along a suburban road. An adorable squirrel runs out into the path. Can the bus or the bicycle more easily make a quick course correction? Obviously, the larger object traveling faster is more likely to cause damage. In the pumping world, Suction Energy helps us classify our pumps so we know which one is a bus and which one is a bicycle. It cuts to the most critical question—when is cavitation most likely to cause damage?

This blog explores the four potential causes of suction cavitation and what you can do to prevent it.

Pump cavitation is one of the most befuddling problems plant engineers can face. The literature on the subject can be quite technical, some of it misleading, and much of it offers limited practical guidance on how to get rid of the problem. Worse yet, there are different types of cavitation, and different definitions of “acceptable” suction conditions.

In any case, cavitation is fairly easy…