Pump & System Curves

A pump and its piping negotiate a single operating point. Overlay the two curves and watch where they cross as you change the pump or the system.

Pump & System CurvesLive

finding the operating point

Controls

Presets

Pump shutoff head H₀ (m)

Pump droop k

Static head (m)

System resistance c

A pump delivers less head as flow rises; a piping system needs more head as flow rises. They meet at exactly one operating point — the flow and head the system will actually run at. Educational tool.

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Data Inspector

Operating flow0.183 m³/s

Operating head23.3 m

Governing equation

H_{p} = H_{0} - k Q^{2} = 50 - 800 Q^{2}, Q^{*} = \frac{H _{0} - h _{s}}{k + c _{s}} = \frac{50 - 10}{800 + 400} \approx 0.183 \frac{m ^{3}}{s}

Reading this result: Pump and system curves cross at about 0.183 m³/s and 23.3 m — the one flow-head pair where supply meets demand.

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How it works

A pump's head falls as flow rises (H = H₀ − kQ²); a system needs more head as flow rises (H = H_static + cQ²). Their intersection is the only flow and head the installed system can actually deliver — the basis of pump selection. Educational tool.

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Frequently asked questions

Is this pump system curve operating point tool really free?▾

Yes. Pump & System Curves runs entirely in your browser using your device's own compute, so local use is free forever. You only pay Compute Tokens if you scale a job to the cloud.

Do I need to install anything?▾

No. Everything runs client-side in a modern browser — no downloads, no license, no account required to start.

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How accurate are the results?▾

The solver uses established numerical methods, but results are for research and educational purposes and should be validated against experiment or professional review before you rely on them.