<![CDATA[Centrifugal pumps are critical components in palm oil processing because their hydraulic performance is influenced by the physical properties of the pumped fluid. This study investigates the effect of palm oil viscosity on the performance of a centrifugal pump supplying a vacuum dryer system. A field-based observational and engineering-calculation approach was applied to a centrifugal pump with a nominal capacity of 12 m³/h and a rated head of 25 m. Three operating temperatures were evaluated: 85, 90, and 95 °C, corresponding to kinematic viscosities of 10.43, 9.45, and 8.61 cSt, respectively. Flow rate, pump speed, fluid density, pressure parameters, velocity head, Reynolds number, pipe losses, total pump head, and shaft-power requirement were determined from operational measurements and hydraulic calculations. As temperature increased from 85 to 95 °C, viscosity decreased by 17.45%, while flow rate increased from 11.64 to 11.71 m³/h. Pump speed increased from 2814 to 2823 rpm, total calculated head increased from 23.011 to 23.274 m, and shaft-power requirement decreased from 1.354 to 1.339 kW. The calculated mass flow rates were approximately 10 t/h at all three conditions, confirming the intended process throughput. The results indicate that temperature-induced viscosity reduction can maintain the required palm oil throughput while slightly reducing the shaft-power requirement under the investigated operating conditions. The findings provide practical operating evidence for temperature-viscosity management in centrifugal pumping systems used in palm oil vacuum-dryer applications.]]>
