Pump Total Head, H
The pump total head is defined as follows:
Where,
= density of the liquid
= acceleration due to gravity
= suction height at p1
= discharge height at p2
= suction pressure
= discharge pressure
= suction liquid flow velocity at p1
= discharge liquid flow velocity at p2
If the test system uses a differential pressure gauge to measure
, then 
, 
will be the static head, and 
will be the dynamic head.
The unit used for the head is usually expressed in m or ft. The head is usually expressed as the vertical axis on the pump performance curve. The “rated head” is usually identified on the pump curve.
