A high efficiency portable axial flow pump: the four selection parameters are rated flow, rated head, motor power and wetted material.

Rated flow, rated head, motor power and the material of the flow-passing components are the four values that decide whether a high efficiency portable axial flow pump will work on a real drainage site. Outlet diameter, net weight, overall dimensions and cabinet protection class are consequences of those four numbers, not alternatives to them. Two documented Chuangmei Pumps models show why the order matters: 200SZQ150-20-15 and 200SZQ150-35-22 both carry a rated flow of 150 m³/h, yet the first is rated at 20 m of head with a 15 kW motor and the second at 35 m of head with a 22 kW motor. Read flow alone and the two look interchangeable; read the full duty point and they are not.

This technical guide explains how each parameter appears in portable axial flow pump documentation, how the four values interlock, and what they mean for the duties these pumps are most often specified for: subway flood emergency drainage, underground space drainage, municipal flood control, and fixed drainage in bridges, culverts, basements and garages.

Why Two Pumps With the Same Flow Rate Fit Different Projects

Flood drainage briefs are usually written in volume terms: how much water has to move, and how quickly. That is a starting point, not a specification. A pump delivering 150 m³/h against 20 m of head and a pump delivering 150 m³/h against 35 m of head both satisfy the sentence 150 m³/h on paper, but the second has to lift the same volume 15 m higher through the same discharge hose. That extra lift is paid for in motor power, current draw and cabinet size, which is why a duty point is always expressed as flow and head together.

The practical rule for reading any datasheet is therefore: find the rated flow, immediately read the head that belongs to it, then check motor power and wetted material. A headline flow quoted without its head, or a head quoted without flow, cannot be used for selection.

What a High Efficiency Portable Axial Flow Pump Actually Is

A portable axial flow pump is a submersible pump that uses an axial flow impeller to move large volumes of water at comparatively low lift, in a body light enough to be carried, floated or vehicle-mounted to the water instead of being permanently installed. Zhejiang Chuangmei Electromechanical Co., Ltd., which trades as Chuangmei Pumps, builds this class of machine in 6-inch, 8-inch, 10-inch and 12-inch outlet sizes, with catalogued model flows extending from 100 m³/h to 1,500 m³/h across the range.

The high efficiency part of the description refers to the motor and hydraulic combination rather than to a label: an axial flow impeller paired with a permanent magnet synchronous submersible motor. Chuangmei's permanent magnet synchronous motor high-speed axial flow pump is covered by utility model patent ZL2014200091521.8, and the company states that the design reduces unit weight to roughly one quarter that of a conventional axial flow pump, with a corresponding reduction in physical size.

Rated Flow: How Much Water Moves per Hour

Rated flow is the volume the pump delivers per hour at its rated operating point, expressed in cubic metres per hour (m³/h). It determines how quickly a flooded area, sump or pipe gallery can be emptied and is normally the first figure printed on a datasheet.

On the models used in this guide, rated flow spans a wide band. The 8-inch machines 200SZQ150-20-15 and 200SZQ150-35-22 are both rated at 150 m³/h. The 12-inch model 300SZQ800-15-55 is rated at 800 m³/h, and within the same 300SZQ large-flow aluminium alloy family the catalogue documents 1000 m³/h, 1200 m³/h, 1300 m³/h and 1500 m³/h units such as 300SZQ1000-10-45, 300SZQ1200-10-55, 300SZQ1300-10-60 and 300SZQ1500-10-75.

One caution applies to every figure of this kind: rated flow is not free discharge. It is the flow the pump produces against the head printed beside it. Used against a longer hose run or a higher static lift than the rated head, the same pump will deliver less than its rated flow — the datasheet is not wrong, the duty point is different.

Large-flow 12-inch portable flood control pump: high flow rates are only valid at the head stated beside them.

Rated Head: The Lift Available at That Flow

Rated head is the height, in metres, that the pump can raise water while still delivering its rated flow. It covers both the static lift from the water surface to the discharge point and the friction losses inside the hose and fittings. On portable flood duty the hose run is often the larger of the two, which is why head figures on drainage pumps are frequently higher than the physical depth of the sump being emptied.

The clearest illustration is the 8-inch pair. Model 200SZQ150-20-15 is rated at 20 m of head with a 15 kW motor and a net weight of 26 kg. Model 200SZQ150-35-22 is rated at 35 m of head with a 22 kW motor and a net weight of 29 kg. Both share the same 280 × 280 × 580 mm envelope and both move 150 m³/h. Where the duty demands more lift, the catalogue continues upward: 100SZQ100-100-45 delivers 100 m³/h at 100 m of head on a 45 kW motor, 100SZQ100-120-55 reaches 120 m at 55 kW, and 100SZQ100-160-75 reaches 160 m at 75 kW. On the wider 200SZQ bodies, 200SZQ200-100-95, 200SZQ200-120-110 and 200SZQ200-150-135 cover 100 m, 120 m and 150 m respectively.

Because head is a site requirement rather than a preference, it should be measured before a model is chosen: static lift plus an allowance for hose friction and fittings, not the depth of the water alone.

High-head flood control pumps for subway flood emergency drainage and underground space duties.

Motor Power: What the Duty Point Costs

Motor power, in kilowatts, is what the duty point costs. At a fixed flow, raising the head raises the power required — which is exactly why the same 150 m³/h duty appears as a 15 kW model at 20 m and a 22 kW model at 35 m. Power also fixes the electrical cabinet and the supply arrangement, so it must never be read in isolation from the power available on site.

The 300SZQ large-flow flood control series is documented with power options from 5.5 kW to 55 kW, and the matching electrical cabinets are supplied in bands from 5.5–7.5 kW through 11–15 kW, 18.5–22 kW, 30 kW, 37 kW, 45 kW, 55 kW, 75 kW and 110 kW. Beyond the portable flood range, Chuangmei's export specifications cover high-lift flood control pumps for subway applications from 3 kW to 200 kW, with larger or special specifications quoted on request.

Two motor characteristics matter on site. First, the permanent magnet synchronous motor runs at steplessly adjustable speed, so head and flow can be trimmed to actual conditions rather than being fixed by the impeller alone. Second, because speed is set by the drive rather than by line frequency, it does not vary with fluctuations in grid voltage — so head and flow stay stable even when the supply dips.

Control cabinets display frequency, voltage, current and rotational speed, and are sized in bands that match motor power.

Material: Aluminum Alloy, Stainless Steel and the Impeller

The fourth parameter is the material of the parts that touch water. Chuangmei documents aluminum alloy as the primary material for the flow-passing components of its lightweight flood control pumps. The impeller is produced by precision stainless steel casting and the pump shaft is also stainless steel. The motor housing and pump body are offered in either aluminum alloy or stainless steel, and the cable outlet is protected by a rubber sheath with a stainless steel spring guard.

Material choice is a weight and corrosion decision rather than a cosmetic one. Aluminum alloy flow-passing components keep a pump light enough to be handled, floated and repositioned by hand — the 8-inch aluminum alloy models 200SZQ150-20-15 and 200SZQ150-35-22 weigh 26 kg and 29 kg. Stainless steel bodies are specified where water quality is more aggressive or where the unit will see long-term immersion.

Reading the Rest of the Sheet: Weight, Float Body and Outlet Size

Once the four core parameters are settled, the remaining figures describe how the pump will be handled. Net weight and overall dimensions show whether a unit can be carried by two people, lifted onto a vehicle or floated into position. In the documented range, portable units start at 26–29 kg for the 8-inch aluminum alloy machines and reach 80 kg for the 12-inch stainless steel 300SZQ800-15-55, which measures 380 × 380 × 770 mm and delivers 800 m³/h at 15 m on a 55 kW motor.

Float bodies push the range further. An 8-inch aluminum alloy pump floating body is documented with 35 kg of floatage and a 4.5 kg dead load, while the 12-inch flat body reaches 120 kg of floatage at 12.5–14 kg dead load. These parts let a submersible pump be positioned and held at the water surface during flood operations. For permanent installations, a bottom-inlet version places the water inlet at the base of the body so the suction water level can sit less than 100 mm from the ground.

Step-by-Step: How to Read a Portable Axial Flow Pump Datasheet

1. Write the duty point down before opening the datasheet. Volume to be moved, static lift, hose length and discharge height, plus the water condition. Everything else is matched against these figures.
2. Match rated flow first. Select models whose rated flow is closest to the required emptying rate, and keep head in view from the start.
3. Check the head that belongs to that flow. If a site needs 30 m of lift, a model rated at 200SZQ150-20-15 duty (20 m) is short of it, and the datasheet will show the result as reduced flow rather than as a missing capability.
4. Read motor power and the cabinet band. Confirm the site supply can carry the motor, and that the matching cabinet — mini-style, vehicle-mounted single system or vehicle-mounted double system — fits the vehicle or container.
5. Confirm the wetted material. Aluminum alloy for light weight and fast deployment; stainless steel where water quality or permanent installation demands it. Check the material line, not the model number.
6. Check the handling figures. Net weight, dimensions, outlet diameter, float body and hose fittings decide how the pump is actually deployed.
7. Confirm test and documentation. Chuangmei states that every unit receives a 100% pre-shipment hydraulic performance test, and offers a one-year warranty with free maintenance during the warranty period.

Calibration documentation supporting the pre-shipment hydraulic performance test.

Matching the Four Parameters to Four Drainage Duties

Subway flood emergency drainage

Subway entrances, shafts and station sumps require high lift into a discharge line that often runs up to street level, so rated head and motor power dominate the selection. This is the design intent behind the stainless steel high head flood control pumps for subway use, where the catalogue documents 100SZQ100-100-45 at 100 m, 100SZQ100-120-55 at 120 m and 100SZQ100-160-75 at 160 m, alongside 200SZQ200-100-95, 200SZQ200-120-110 and 200SZQ200-150-135. Chuangmei also documents a high-lift subway flood control range spanning 20–50 m of head, with special specifications above that band quoted on request.

Underground space drainage

Underground car parks, basements, comprehensive pipe galleries and plant rooms combine low static lift with long horizontal runs, and normally need the pump to start and stop without an operator. The mid-range models do this work: 200SZQ150-20-15 and 200SZQ150-35-22 for 150 m³/h duty, used in fixed-drainage configurations that start automatically when water reaches a set level and return to standby or shut down when the level drops to the pump intake line.

Municipal flood control

Municipal work is a volume problem, which is where the large-flow 300SZQ series is specified. Model 300SZQ800-15-55 moves 800 m³/h at 15 m of head from a 80 kg, 380 × 380 × 770 mm body on a 55 kW motor, and the 1000–1500 m³/h units in the same family cover higher-volume duties. The aluminum alloy executions keep those pumps light enough to be moved between locations by vehicle.

Fixed drainage duties

Bridges, culverts, basements and garages use the same pumps in a semi-permanent role, where automatic water-level control, cabinet configuration and flow-passing material matter more than portability. Multi-lift adaptability is available through the double-use pump design, which supplies two sets of pump head components — impeller, pump body and flow deflectors — so a low-head, high-flow duty and a higher-head duty can both be covered by exchanging the sets on one machine.

Model Reference Table

All values as documented in Chuangmei Pumps product data. For dimensions and material, confirm the specification line on the datasheet that matches your order.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion: Read Four Numbers in the Right Order

Selection of a high efficiency portable axial flow pump comes down to reading four parameters in sequence: rated flow, the head that belongs to it, the motor power and cabinet band that head requires, and the material of the flow-passing components. Everything else on the datasheet — outlet diameter, net weight, dimensions, float body, protection class — either supports those four numbers or describes how the pump reaches the water.

Applied to a real brief, the sequence looks like this: a subway sump needing 150 m³/h against a 35 m lift points to 200SZQ150-35-22 rather than 200SZQ150-20-15 because the head demand is the binding constraint; a municipal flood operation needing 800 m³/h at 15 m points to 300SZQ800-15-55; and a fixed basement installation where weight and corrosion matter more than portability points to a stainless steel execution instead of an aluminum alloy one.

Chuangmei Pumps — Zhejiang Chuangmei Electromechanical Co., Ltd. (www.chuangmei.com) — builds its permanent magnet synchronous motor high-speed axial flow pumps in Wenling, Zhejiang, with documented delivery into Southeast Asia, Africa, Morocco and the Central Asian countries. Export ranges span 6-inch, 8-inch, 10-inch and 12-inch units for flood prevention, pond drainage and pumping irrigation, alongside 20 units installed across multiple Central Asian and African countries in a project running more than three years, and a 300-unit supply to a pump equipment OEM for flood prevention drainage, agricultural irrigation and municipal waterlogging removal.

Units tested and staged for dispatch; monthly capacity is documented at 500 units.