Evaluation of Rotor–Stator Interface Models for the Prediction of the Hydraulic and Suction Performance of a Centrifugal Pump

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyeon-Seok Shim ◽  
Kwang-Yong Kim

The effects of a rotor–stator interface model on the hydraulic and suction performance of a single-stage centrifugal pump have been evaluated. A three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) analysis was performed using the shear-stress transport turbulence model. The cavitating flow was simulated using a homogeneous two-phase mixture model and a simplified Rayleigh–Plesset cavitation model. Three performance parameters were selected to compare different cases: the hydraulic efficiency, head coefficient, and critical cavitation number for a head-drop of 3%. Frozen-rotor and stage models were evaluated for the rotor–stator interface. The evaluation was done using three different computational domains: one with a single passage of the impeller with a vaneless diffuser, one with a single passage of the impeller with the whole shape of volute casing, and another with the whole passage of the impeller with the whole shape of volute casing. Two different volute shapes were also tested. The results show that it is desirable to use the whole domain of the impeller and volute with the frozen-rotor model for accurate prediction of the suction performance. The stage model is not recommended for the prediction of the suction performance of the centrifugal pump with the volute in severe off-design conditions.

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyeon-Seok Shim ◽  
Kwang-Yong Kim

Abstract The effects of the cross-sectional area of a volute on suction recirculation and cavitation in a centrifugal pump were investigated. The pump performance and fluid flow were analyzed using both steady and unsteady three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes analyses. The shear stress transport (SST) model was adopted as a turbulence closure model, and a simplified Rayleigh–Plesset cavitation model and a homogeneous two-phase mixture model were used to simulate the cavitating flow inside the pump. A constant to determine the designed circumferential velocity of the volute was selected as the geometric parameter for a parametric study. The hydraulic efficiency, head coefficient, blockage in front of the impeller, and critical cavitation number for a head-drop of 3% were selected as the performance parameters to evaluate the hydraulic performance. The results show that unlike the blockage, the hydraulic and suction performances were affected significantly by the volute shape. Both steady and unsteady flow analyses showed that the onset and development of suction recirculation were relatively unaffected by the volute geometry and the best efficiency point of the pump.


Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiaorui Si ◽  
Gérard Bois ◽  
Qifeng Jiang ◽  
Wenting He ◽  
Asad Ali ◽  
...  

The paper presents experimental and numerical investigations performed on a single stage, single-suction, horizontal-orientated centrifugal pump in air–water two-phase non-condensable flow conditions. Experimental measurements are performed in a centrifugal pump using pressure sensor devices in order to measure the wall static pressures at the inlet and outlet pump sections for different flow rates and rotational speeds combined with several air void fraction (a) values. Two different approaches are used in order to predict the pump performance degradations and perform comparisons with experiments for two-phase flow conditions: a one-dimensional two-phase bubbly flow model, and a full “Three-Dimensional Unsteady Reynolds Average Navier–Stokes” (3D-URANS) simulation using a modified k-epsilon turbulence model combined with the Euler–Euler inhomogeneous two-phase flow description. The overall and local flow features are presented and analyzed. Limitations concerning both approaches are pointed out according to some flow physical assumptions and measurement accuracies. Some additional suggestions are proposed in order to improve two-phase flow pump suction capabilities.


Author(s):  
Cong Wang ◽  
Yongxue Zhang ◽  
Jianjun Zhu ◽  
Zhiyi Yuan ◽  
Bohui Lu

An experimental study on gas–liquid two-phase flow characteristics in a low-specific-speed centrifugal pump is presented via employing multiple investigation techniques, such as visualization observation, measurements of acoustic emission and vibration, etc. Specially, three different flow conditions were inspected, namely gas locking initiation, critical cavitation with/without free-gas presence, etc. For gas locking, the drastic deterioration of the pump performance and the disrupted balance of shaft were observed. Especially, at low rotational speeds, the gas locking accompanied with intermittent or churn flow can be triggered by even lower inlet gas volumetric fractions. When it came to the cavitation flow, a small amount of gas entrainment could induce the rapid deterioration of cavitation and stimulate much higher amplitude in low-frequency band of shaft rotation. The relationship between the gas bubble trajectory and the vibration level under the backflow is discussed. The results reveal that the combined effect of the free-gas entrainment and cavitation on the pump instability is much stronger than that under natural cavitation or free-gas entrainment flow, whose fault diagnosis can be determined by the data manifested in different spectral segments.


2013 ◽  
Vol 694-697 ◽  
pp. 56-60
Author(s):  
Yue Jun Ma ◽  
Ji Tao Zhao ◽  
Yu Min Yang

In the paper, on the basis of three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and the RNG κ-ε turbulence model, adopting Three-dimensional unstructured grid and pressure connection the implicit correction SIMPLEC algorithm, and using MRF model which is supported by Fluent, this paper carries out numerical simulation of the internal flow of the centrifugal pump in different operation points. According to the results of numerical simulation, this paper analyzes the bad flow phenomena of the centrifugal pump, and puts forward suggests about configuration perfected of the centrifugal pump. In addition, this paper is also predicted the experimental value of the centrifugal pump performance, which is corresponding well with the measured value.


2006 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 134-144
Author(s):  
Nguyen The Duc

The paper presents a numerical method to simulate two-phase turbulent cavitating flows in ducts of varying cross-section usually faced in engineering. The method is based on solution of two-phase Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations of two-phase mixture. The numerical method uses artificial compressibility algorithm extended to unsteady flows with dual-time technique. The discreted method employs an implicit, characteristic-based upwind differencing scheme in the curvilinear grid systems. Numerical simulation of an unsteady three-dimensional two-phase cavitating flow in a duct of varying cross-section with available experiment was performed. The unsteady important characteristics of the unsteady flow can be observed in results of numerical simulation. Comparison of predicted results with experimental data for time-averaged velocity and phase fraction are provided.


Author(s):  
Lu-Lu Zheng ◽  
Hua-Shu Dou ◽  
Wei Jiang ◽  
Xiaoping Chen ◽  
Zuchao Zhu ◽  
...  

AbstractNumerical simulation is performed for the three-dimensional turbulent flow field in a centrifugal pump by solving the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and the RNG k-epsilon turbulent model. The finite volume method and the SIMPLE algorithm are employed for the solution of the system. All the parameters in the centrifugal pump at different blade angular positions are obtained by simulation. The flow structure is analyzed and the distributions of the energy gradient function


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed A. Hamada ◽  
Mirjam Furth

Moving water has one of the highest energy densities, yet a major untapped and underutilized area of energy production is wave energy. With the recent interest in the Blue Economy, this is about to change. Point Wave Energy Converter (PWEC) absorbs the wave energy at a single point and is characterized by the buoy surface component and a longer subsurface component that is attached to the seabed. The motion of the top buoy is used to pump fluid or drive a linear generator, which in turn provides power. This paper numerically investigates different shaped surface buoys, with a focus on the power-generating ability of the system, for a single point WEC using a non-linear free surface approximation. Three-dimensional simulations of the buoys in various sea states were modeled in OpenFOAM using Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations with Finite Volume Method (FVM). The dynamic mesh module was integrated with the two-phase solver, and the mechanical system of the WEC was modeled with a forced oscillator mechanism. By studying the displacements, frequency responses, and design parameters, the optimal buoy shape for maximizing energy output was determined. Further, the guidance regarding the effect of changes in the geometry, represented by the length to diameter ratio of the shape, is discussed. The results showed that the spheroid buoy shape with a low length to diameter ratio is a good candidate shape to extract wave energy since it has a large waterplane area.


Author(s):  
Alessandro Nocente ◽  
Tufan Arslan ◽  
Torbjørn K. Nielsen

The present work reviews a comparison between calculations of a steady and unsteady three dimensional (3D) flow past the diffuser channels of a centrifugal pump. The commercial software ANSYS Fluent has been used. The considered domain is one of the three stages, since each has exactly the same design. In the first part, simulations are carried out at the best efficiency point (BEP) both steady and transient state, single phase flow and four different turbulence models. Results are compared with the performance report from the manufacturer. In the second part, only the realizable k-ε turbulence model has been taken into account. The simulations have been repeated for different mass flows and the results were again compared with the data from the manufacturer. The comparison performed in the first part shows that integral quantities results are not sensibly influenced by the turbulence model. The comparison at different mass flow shows that the steady state simulations demonstrated to be a good approximation of the transient state, always containing the error within an acceptable limit. The minor computational effort needed makes it attractive to be used for further investigations which will involve two-phase flow studies on the same pump.


2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Zhou ◽  
Weidong Shi ◽  
Wei Li ◽  
Ramesh Agarwal

A multistage deep-well centrifugal pump (DCP) with different impeller rear shroud radius have been investigated both numerically and experimentally under multiconditons, which aims at studying the influence of impeller rear shroud radius to the axial force and pump hydraulic performance. During this study, a two-stage DCP equipped with three different impellers was simulated employing the commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software ANYSY-Fluent to solve the Navier-Stokes equations for three-dimensional steady flow. High-quality structured grids were meshed on the whole computational domain. Test results were acquired by prototype experiments, and then compared with the predicted pump performance and axial force. The static pressure distribution in the pump passage obtained by numerical simulation was analyzed. The results indicated that the appropriate impeller rear shroud radius could improve the pump performance and lower the axial force significantly.


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