Book excerpt: This hands-on reference offers a practical introduction to pumps and provides the tools necessary to select, size, operate, and maintain pumps properly. It highlights the interrelatedness of pump engineering from system and piping design to installation and startup. This updated second edition expands on many subjects introduced in the first edition and also provides new in-depth discussion of pump couplings, o-rings, motors, variable frequency drives, pump life-cycle cost, corrosion, and pump minimum flow. Written by an acclaimed expert in the field, Pump Characteristics and Applications, Second Edition is an invaluable day-to-day reference for mechanical, civil, chemical, industrial, design, plant, project, and systems engineers; engineering supervisors; maintenance technicians; and plant operators. It is also an excellent text for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in departments of mechanical engineering, mechanical engineering technology, or engineering technology. About the Author Michael W. Volk, P.E., is President of Volk & Associates, Inc., Oakland, California (www.volkassociates.com), a consulting company specializing in pumps and pump systems. Volk's services include pump training seminars; pump equipment evaluation, troubleshooting, and field testing; expert witness for pump litigation; witnessing of pump shop tests; pump market research; and acquisition and divestiture consultation and brokerage. A member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and a registered professional engineer, Volk received the B.S. degree (1973) in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana, and the M.S. degree (1976) in mechanical engineering and the M.S. degree (1980) in management science from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.