The Effects of Variable-Inlet Guide Vanes on Performance of an Axial Flow Pump With Tip Clearance

The effects of variable-inlet guide vanes on the performance of an axial flow pump considering tip clearance are investigated. The performance and the main flow field of the whole passage with five different angles of inlet guide vanes ( −10°, −5°, 0°, 5°, 10°) and with two tip clearance sizes (1‰ and 2‰) are presented. The results show that when the angle of inlet guide vane increases from negative values to positive values, the pump head reduces for two tip clearance sizes. This is mainly caused by the change of inlet velocity triangle of blade. Moreover, as tip clearance size increases from 1‰ to 2‰, both the pump head and efficiency decrease because of increasing of the strength of tip clearance leakage vortex and reverse flow.

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The Effect of the Thickness and Angle of the Inlet and Outlet Guide Vane on the Performance of Axial-Flow Pump

Volume 1A, Symposia: Turbomachinery Flow Simulation and Optimization; Applications in CFD; Bio-Inspired and Bio-Medical Fluid Mechanics; CFD Verification and Validation; Development and Applications of Immersed Boundary Methods; DNS, LES and Hybrid RANS/LES Methods; Fluid Machinery; Fluid-Structure Interaction and Flow-Induced Noise in Industrial Applications; Flow Applications in Aerospace; Active Fluid Dynamics and Flow Control — Theory, Experiments and Implementation ◽

10.1115/fedsm2016-7939 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Sang-Won Kim ◽

Youn-Jea Kim

Keyword(s):

Numerical Analysis ◽

Numerical Study ◽

Guide Vane ◽

Axial Flow ◽

Inlet Guide Vane ◽

Guide Vanes ◽

Pump Performance ◽

Blade Thickness ◽

Axial Flow Pump ◽

Flow Pump

An axial-flow pump has a relatively high discharge flow rate and specific speed at a relatively low head and it consists of an inlet guide vane, impeller, and outlet guide vane. The interaction of the flow through the inlet guide vane, impeller, and outlet guide vane of the axial-flow pump has a significant effect on its performance. Of those components, the guide vanes especially can improve the head and efficiency of the pump by transforming the kinetic energy of the rotating flow, which has a tangential velocity component, into pressure energy. Accordingly, the geometric configurations of the guide vanes such as blade thickness and angle are crucial design factors for determining the performance of the axial-flow pump. As the reliability of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been elevated together with the advance in computer technology, numerical analysis using CFD has recently become an alternative to empirical experiment due to its high reliability to measure the flow field. Thus, in this study, 1,200mm axial-flow pump having an inlet guide vane and impeller with 4 blades and an outlet guide vane with 6 blades was numerically investigated. Numerical study was conducted using the commercial CFD code, ANSYS CFX ver. 16.1, in order to elucidate the effect of the thickness and angle of the guide vanes on the performance of 1,200mm axial-flow pump. The stage condition, which averages the fluxes between interfaces and is accordingly appropriate for the evaluation of pump performance, was adopted as the interface condition between the guide vanes and the impeller. The rotational periodicity condition was used in order to enable a simplified geometry to be used since the guide vanes feature multiple identical regions. The shear stress transport (SST) k-ω model, predicting the turbulence within the flow in good agreement, was also employed in the CFD calculation. With regard to the numerical simulation results, the characteristics of the pressure distribution were discussed in detail. The pump performance, which will determine how well an axial-flow pump will work in terms of its efficiency and head, was also discussed in detail, leading to the conclusion on the optimal blade thickness and angle for the improvement of the performance. In addition, the total pressure loss coefficient was considered in order to investigate the loss within the flow paths depending on the thickness and angle variations. The results presented in this study may give guidelines to the numerical analysis of the axial-flow pump and the investigation of the performance for further optimal design of the axial-flow pump.

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Interactional Effects of Inlet Guide Vane and Blade Angle on Hydraulic Performance Characteristics of a Submersible Axial-Flow Pump

Volume 3: Fluid Machinery; Erosion, Slurry, Sedimentation; Experimental, Multiscale, and Numerical Methods for Multiphase Flows; Gas-Liquid, Gas-Solid, and Liquid-Solid Flows; Performance of Multiphase Flow Systems; Micro/Nano-Fluidics ◽

10.1115/fedsm2018-83126 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Youn-Sung Kim ◽

Hyeon-Seok Shim ◽

Kwang-Yong Kim

Keyword(s):

Stokes Equations ◽

Guide Vane ◽

Incidence Angle ◽

Axial Flow ◽

Performance Characteristics ◽

Inlet Guide Vane ◽

Computational Domain ◽

Blade Angle ◽

Axial Flow Pump ◽

Flow Pump

This study aims to evaluate effects of blade pitch and inlet guide vane (IGV) angle on the performance characteristics of a submersible axial-flow pump. According to the results of the previous study, the efficiency at the design and over-load conditions were significantly affected by the angle of IGV due to change in the incidence angle. To investigate the interactional effects of IGV and blade angle are analyzed using three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with shear stress transport turbulence model. The hexahedral grids are used in the computational domain and a grid-dependency test is performed to obtain an optimal number of the grids. In this study, combinations of three different blade angles and two different IGV angles are tested. Adjusting angle of IGV increases the total pressure of the pump with a blade pitch increase, which can increase the efficiency of the pump in operating range.

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Simulation of cavitation performance of an axial flow pump with inlet guide vanes

Advances in Mechanical Engineering ◽

10.1177/1687814016651583 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 168781401665158 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Weimin Feng ◽

Qian Cheng ◽

Zhiwei Guo ◽

Zhongdong Qian

Keyword(s):

Axial Flow ◽

Guide Vanes ◽

Inlet Guide Vanes ◽

Cavitation Performance ◽

Axial Flow Pump ◽

Flow Pump

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The Use of Circumferentially Varying Stagger Guide Vanes in an Axial Flow Pump or Compressor

Journal of Turbomachinery ◽

10.1115/1.2927652 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 112 (2) ◽

pp. 294-297 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

J. H. Horlock

Keyword(s):

Total Pressure ◽

Guide Vane ◽

Axial Flow ◽

Guide Vanes ◽

Actuator Disk ◽

Outlet Angle ◽

Flow Through ◽

Axial Flow Pump ◽

Flow Pump

An actuator disk analysis is given of the flow through a guide vane and rotor combination. It is shown that changes in total pressure across the rotor are in general related to circumferential variations in guide vane outlet angle. In particular known variations in inlet total pressure may be eliminated by suitable circumferential changes in guide vane stagger.

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Structure of the Rotor Tip Flow in a Highly Loaded Single-Stage Axial-Flow Pump Approaching Stall: Part II — Stall Inception — Understanding the Mechanism and Overcoming Its Negative Impacts

Volume 3 ◽

10.1115/ht-fed2004-56770 ◽

2004 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

I. Goltz ◽

G. Kosyna ◽

D. Wulff ◽

H. Schrapp ◽

U. Stark ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Axial Flow ◽

Tip Clearance ◽

Simple Type ◽

Stall Inception ◽

Pump Head ◽

Flow Phenomena ◽

Axial Flow Pump ◽

Tip Clearance Vortex ◽

Highly Loaded ◽

Flow Pump

When reaching the stall point of an axial-flow pump, the pump head characteristic becomes unstable and the pump head suddenly drops. Before this happens however, at even higher flow rates the NPSH3 and the pump body and shaft vibrations increase dramatically. For effectively increasing the available operating range, it is essential to find a solution for all three problems without reducing the pump efficiency at design. The paper describes an experimental investigation on the outlined subject that gives insight into the flow phenomena leading to stall. Based on this knowledge a very simple type of casing treatment was chosen and investigated. It was found to satisfy all mentioned requirements. Subject to the investigations is a highly loaded axial-flow pump having a nq of 150 (SI units). The overall pump performance was investigated measuring pump head, efficiency, NPSH3, and casing as well as shaft vibrations. Further-more, oil flow pictures taken at the pump casing and at the rotor blades, and video captures of the cavitating core of the tip clearance vortex were analyzed for understanding the flow phenomena leading to stall (see also related paper Part I, Schrapp et al. (2004)). From the video captures it was realized that the behavior of the tip clearance vortex which was found to perform so-called spiral-type vortex breakdown is triggering stall inception in this machine.

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Effects of inlet guide vane and blade pitch angles on the performance of a submersible axial-flow pump

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part A Journal of Power and Energy ◽

10.1177/0957650920954967 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 095765092095496

Author(s):

Youn-Sung Kim ◽

Hyeon-Seok Shim ◽

Kwang-Yong Kim

Keyword(s):

Stokes Equations ◽

Guide Vane ◽

Axial Flow ◽

Pressure Rise ◽

Inlet Guide Vane ◽

Computational Domain ◽

Partial Load ◽

Unsteady Performance ◽

Axial Flow Pump ◽

Flow Pump

This study investigates the effects of inlet guide vane (IGV) and blade pitch angles on the steady and unsteady performance of a submersible axial-flow pump. To analyze the interaction between the IGVs and the rotor blades, both steady and unsteady three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations were used with shear stress transport turbulence closure. Hexahedral meshes were used in the computational domain. The numerical results for performance curves showed good agreement with experimental data. The results showed that the steady and unsteady performance characteristics were dependent on both the IGV and blade pitch angles. Adjusting these angles affected the total pressure rise and thus caused variation in the efficiency in overload conditions. But adjusting these angles affected the unsteady pressure fluctuations in partial-load conditions. Detailed flow analyses were performed to find the root-cause of these phenomena.

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Influence of Freely Rotating Inlet Guide Vanes on the Return Flows and Stable Operating Range of an Axial Flow Fan

Journal of Engineering for Power ◽

10.1115/1.3230237 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 102 (1) ◽

pp. 75-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

N. Venkatrayulu ◽

D. Prithvi Raj ◽

R. G. Narayanamurthi

Keyword(s):

Guide Vane ◽

Axial Flow ◽

Inlet Guide Vane ◽

Axial Distance ◽

Axial Flow Fan ◽

Guide Vanes ◽

Operating Range ◽

Inlet Guide Vanes ◽

Stable Operating ◽

Return Flows

This paper presents the results of experimental investigations on the three-dimensional flow and performance characteristics of a free vortex axial flow fan rotor, with a freely rotating and braked inlet guide vane row. The influences of axial distance between the inlet guide vane row and the rotor inlet, inlet guide vane setting angle and shape, partial omission of guide vanes at the hub and tip regions on the return flows have been studied and optimum axial distance and setting angle that will improve the useful operating range of the fan were determined. Use of freely rotating inlet guide vanes at high flow volumes and braked inlet guide vanes at low flow coefficients resulted in a reduction of return flows and an increase of the stable operating range of the axial fan rotor by more than 35 percent and this combination has yielded higher efficiencies as well in the extended region of stable operation.

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