Influence of specific speed on hydraulic performances and pressure fluctuations in mixed-flow pumps

A series of steady and unsteady numerical calculations of the internal flow in mixed-flow pumps with three different specific speeds were carried out based on the N-S equation coupled with the standard k-εturbulence model under different operating conditions to investigate the relationship between the impeller specific speed and the pump performance as well as pressure pulsations.Meanwhile,the pump performance and pressure pulsations inside the mixed-flow pump with three different specific speeds were also analyzed and compared with the corresponding test data.From the results,the averaged deviations between the predicted and tested head among different impellers are below 5%,and with respect to the equivalent impeller specific speeds of 280 and 260,the values are 4.30%and 3.69%,respectively.For all the impeller schemes,the best efficiency point of the mixed-flow pump is found at the flow rate of 1.2 Q_(d) and the higher head deviation occurs at lower flow rates.Especially,it can be found that the specific speed has a slight effect on the pressure fluctuation in the impellers.Eventually,it is determined that the pump performance curves calculated by numerical simu-lations have good agreement with the relevant experimental results,which verifies that the numerical methods used in the present study are accurate to a certain extent.Furthermore,the results also provide some references to the pressure pulsation analysis and the performance improvement of the mixed-flow pump design.

Effects of Meridional Flow Passage Shape on Hydraulic Performance of Mixed-flow Pump Impellers

During the process of designing the mixed-flow pump impeller, the meridional flow passage shape directly affects the obtained meridional flow field, which then has an influence on the three-dimensional impeller shape. However, the meridional flow passage shape is too complicated to be described by a simple formula for now. Therefore, reasonable parameter selection for the meridional flow passage is essential to the investigation. In order to explore the effects of the meridional flow passage shape on the impeller design and the hydraulic performance of the mixed-flow pump, the hub and shroud radius ratio (HSRR) of impeller and the outlet diffusion angle (ODA) of outlet zone are selected as the meridional flow passage parameters. 25 mixed-flow pump impellers, with specific speed of 496 under the design condition, are designed with various parameter combinations. Among these impellers, one with HSRR of 1.94 and ODA of 90° is selected to carry out the model test and the obtained experimental results are used to verify accuracies of the head and the hydraulic efficiency predicted by numerical simulation. Based on SIMPLE algorithm and standard k-ε two-equation turbulence model, the three-dimensional steady incompressible Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved and the effects of different parameters on hydraulic performance of mixed-flow pump impellers are analyzed. The analysis results demonstrate that there are optimal values of HSRR and ODA available, so the hydraulic performance and the internal flow of mixed-flow pumps can be improved by selecting appropriate values for the meridional flow passage parameters. The research on these two parameters, HSRR and ODA, has further illustrated influences of the meridional flow passage shape on the hydraulic performance of the mixed-flow pump, and is beneficial to improving the design of the mixed-flow pump impeller.

Application of computational fluid dynamic to model the hydraulic performance of subsurface flow wetlands

A subsurface flow wetland(SSFW)was simulated using a commercial computational fluid dynamic(CFD)code.The constructed media was simulated using porous media and the liquid resident time distribution(RTD)in the SSFW was obtained using the particle trajectory model.The effect of wetland configuration and operating conditions on the hydraulic performance of the SSFW were investigated.The results indicated that the hydraulic performance of the SSFW was predominantly affected by the wetland configuration.The hydr...

The hydraulic performance and structural integrity of A-Jack armour layer

A-Jacks are concrete armor units that are used in both open channel and coastal applications.In open channel applications,they are used for bank and toe protection,flow and grade control,bridge pier scour protection,energy dissipation,and habitat.These small units may be fabricated in standard block machines.In coastal applications,A-Jacks are used in breakwaters,jetties,revetments,and habitat development.Coastal units are generally much larger and more robust than the small open channel units.This paper focuses on coastal applications and in particular,combines results on three topics:(1)recent hydraulic model studies,(2)alternative fabrication methods,and(3)bundle placement construction methods.Hydraulic models studies were conducted that examined the standard random and uniform placement methods,and also the bundle placement method.In bundle placement,3~20 A-Jacks are banded together,lifted with a spreader bar,and placed as a single crane pick.This significantly decreases installation time during construction.It also provides a more hydraulically stable placement technique.The hydraulic model tests examined the bundle stability in random waves for cases where the binding remains in tack and is removed.The geometry of A-Jacks enables a variety of fabrication techniques.One option is to fabricate the A-Jacks as two pieces using flat forms and then grout the two pieces together.Flat forms may be used in conventional block machines for A-Jacks sizes up to 1.3 m.Larger sizes may be wet cast in flat forms or gang forms.The A-Jacks geometry has been recently modified to increase grouting efficient and strength.Large A- Jacks may also be cast in a single piece using 'clam shell' type forms.

Assessment of hydraulic performance changes of Dongting Lake after the Three Gorges Reservoir impoundment by a novel semi-empirical approach

Floodplain lakes are important water storage areas in lowland regions that often undergo geomorphologic evolution,and timely topographic data are generally unavailable.In this study,to assess the impacts of lakebed deformation on hydraulic performance in Dongting Lake,a set of semi-empirical methods was proposed to establish performance graphs(PGs)using only hydrological data.These methods were used to evaluate the changes in water level,storage capacity,and flood detention ability in Dongting Lake caused by topographic adjustment after the Three Gorges Reservoir impoundment.These methods showed that PGs can effectively simulate the water level and outflow processes of Dongting Lake with Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficients(NSEs)above 0.9.A comparison of the estimated water level and discharge using PGs from different periods suggested that bed erosion in Dongting Lake caused water level decreases of 0.18 m and 0.32 m during the flood and dry seasons,respectively.Because the magnitude of erosion at high elevations in the lake is small,the impacts of bed adjustment on the storage capacity and flood detention ability are not currently significant.This study showed that the hydraulic performance of a floodplain lake can be evaluated independently of topographic data under the condition of no reverse flows or negative watersurface slopes.

Influence of Blade Number on the Performance of Hydraulic Turbines in the Transition Stage

To analyze the effect of blade number on the performance of hydraulic turbines during the transient stage in which theflow rate is not constant,six hydraulic turbines with different blade numbers are considered.The instantaneous hydraulic performance of the turbine and the pressure pulsation acting on the impeller are investigated numerically by using the ANSYS CFX software.The ensuing results are compared with the outcomes of experimental tests.It is shown that thefluctuation range of the pressure coefficient increases with time,but the corresponding range for the transient hydraulic efficiency decreases gradually when theflow velocity transits to larger values.During the transition to smallflow velocity,thefluctuation range of the pressure coefficient gradually decreases as time passes,but the correspondingfluctuation range of its transient hydraulic efficiency gradually becomes larger.Thefluctuation range in the Z9 case is small during the transition.The main frequency of transient hydraulic efficiency pulsation is equal to the blade frequency.At the main frequency,Z7 has the largest amplitude of the hydraulic efficiency pulsation,Z10 has the smallest amplitude,and the difference between Z7 and Z9 is limited.As the number of blades grows,the pressure pulsation during the transition process gradually decreases,but the pressure pulsation of Z10 at the volute tongue is larger.In the steady state,Z9 has the highest efficiency and in the transient stage,the pressure coefficientfluctuation range is small.Accordingly,for the hydraulic turbine Z9,the performance is optimal.

Blade Wrap Angle Impact on Centrifugal Pump Performance:Entropy Generation and Fluid-Structure Interaction Analysis

The centrifugal pump is a prevalent power equipment widely used in different engineering patterns,and the impeller blade wrap angle significantly impacts its performance.A numerical investigation was conducted to analyze the influence of the blade wrap angle on flow characteristics and energy distribution of a centrifugal pump evaluated as a low specific speed with a value of 69.This study investigates six impellermodels that possess varying blade wrap angles(95°,105°,115°,125°,135°,and 145°)that were created while maintaining the same volute and other geometrical characteristics.The investigation of energy loss was conducted to evaluate the values of total and entropy generation rates(TEG,EGR).The fluid-structure interaction was considered numerically using the software tools ANSYS Fluent and ANSYSWorkbench.The elastic structural dynamic equation was used to estimate the structural response,while the shear stress transport k–ωturbulence model was utilized for the fluid domain modeling.The findings suggest that the blade wrap angle has a significant influence on the efficiency of the pump.The impeller featuring a blade wrap angle of 145°exhibits higher efficiency,with a notable increase of 3.76%relative to the original model.Variations in the blade wrap angle impact the energy loss,shaft power,and pump head.The model with a 145°angle exhibited a maximum equivalent stress of 14.8MPa and a total deformation of 0.084 mm.The results provide valuable insights into the intricate flow mechanism of the centrifugal pump,particularly when considering various blade wrap angles.

Effect of blade shape on hydraulic performance and vortex structure of vortex pumps

The vortex pump has increasingly become an important alternative or supplement to the centrifugal pump, the positive displacement pump and the diffusion pump due to its capacity of developing a high head at a small flow rate within a single stage. However, the vortex pumps with various blade shapes such as the twisted blades or the 3-D blades are not well studied. In this paper, some new concepts of the 2-D and 3-D corner blades are introduced for the design of the vortex pumps. The mechanism behind the effect of the corner blade shapes on the pump hydraulic performance is numerically investigated and elucidated in terms of the internal vortex structures. The results show that both 2-D and 3-D forward corner blades can induce stronger well-organized longitudinal vortices as well as smaller axial and radial vortices within the impeller blade passage, which benefit a higher pump head and a higher efficiency in comparison with the traditional radial straight blade. This study provides useful guidelines for the design of advanced vortex pumps.

Effects of blade rotation angle deviations on mixed-flow pump hydraulic performance

By model test and numerical simulation, this paper analyzed the effects of different blades with varying rotation angle deviations on the hydraulic performance of a mixed-flow pump. It was found that when some blades had rotation angle deviations, the hydraulic performance curves of the mixed-flow pump would move. With a positive deviation, the curves moved towards the large flow rate; with a negative deviation, the curves moved towards the small flow rate. When some blades had rotation angle deviations, the symmetry and uniformity of the pressure distribution inside the mixed-flow pump flow passage both decreased; the larger the deviation, the greater the decrease. When a single blade had a large rotation angle deviation, a rather clear low pressure area was formed, lowering the cavitation performance. When two adjacent blades changed simultaneously, under the small flow rate condition, adverse pressure gradient and flow separation occurred in the flow field, and a hump appeared in the head curve and the operation stability of the mixed-flow pump dropped significantly. Near the best efficiency point（BEP）, the simultaneous change of two alternate blades produced a more significant change of pressure in the flow passage, with an even larger area. Compared to the effect of two adjacent blades, two alternate blades, when changed simultaneously, made the mixed-flow pump slightly less efficient, but with a flatter efficiency curve and relatively wider high efficiency area. By fitting the test results, a functional relation among the BEP of the mixed-flow pump QBEP, the number of deviated blades N, and blade rotation angle deviation α was established, thus realizing an effective prediction of the BEP of the mixed-flow pump when blade rotation angles have deviations.

Passive convergence-permeable reactive barrier (PC-PRB): An effective configuration to enhance hydraulic performance

A novel permeable reactive barrier(PRB)configuration,the so-called passive convergence-permeable reactive barrier(PC-PRB),is proposed to overcome several shortcomings of traditional PRB configurations,such as high dependency to site hydrogeological characteristics and plume size.The PC-PRB is designed to make the plume converge towards the PRB due to the passive hydraulic decompression-convergent flow effect.The corresponding passive groundwater convergence(PC)system is deployed upstream of the PRB system,which consists of passive wells,water pipes,and a buffer layer.A two-dimensional(2D)finite-difference hydrodynamic code,entitled PRB-Flow,is developed to examine the hydraulic performance parameters(i.e.,capture width(W)and residence time(t))of PC-PRB.It is proved that the horizontal 2D capture width(Wh)and vertical 2D capture depth(Wv)of the PC-PRB remarkably increase compared to that of the continuous reactive barrier(C-PRB).The aforementioned relative growth values in order are greater than 50%and 25%in this case study.Therefore,the PRB geometric dimensions as well as the materials cost required for the same plume treatment lessens.The sensitivity analysis reveals that the dominant factors influencing the hydraulic performance of the PC-PRB are the water pipe length(Lp),PRB length(LPRB),passive well height(Hw),and PRB height(HPRB).The discrepancy between the Wh of PC-PRB and that of the C-PRB(i.e.,∆Wh)has a low correlation with PRB parameters and mainly depends on Lp,which could dramatically simplify the PC-PRB design procedure.Generally,the proposed PC-PRB exhibits an effective PRB configuration to enhance hydraulic performance.

Experimental Study of the Influence of Flow Passage Subtle Variation on Mixed-flow Pump Performance

In the mixed-flow pump design, the shape of the flow passage can directly affect the flow capacity and the internal flow, thus influencing hydraulic performance, cavitation performance and operation stability of the mixed-flow pump. However, there is currently a lack of experimental research on the influence mechanism. Therefore, in order to analyze the effects of subtle variations of the flow passage on the mixed-flow pump performance, the frustum cone surface of the end part of inlet contraction flow passage of the mixed-flow pump is processed into a cylindrical surface and a test rig is built to carry out the hydraulic performance experiment. In this experiment, parameters, such as the head, the efficiency, and the shaft power, are measured, and the pressure fluctuation and the noise signal are also collected. The research results suggest that after processing the inlet flow passage, the head of the mixed-flow pump significantly goes down; the best efficiency of the mixed-flow pump drops by approximately 1.5%, the efficiency decreases more significantly under the large flow rate; the shaft power slightly increases under the large flow rate, slightly decreases under the small flow rate. In addition, the pressure fluctuation amplitudes on both the impeller inlet and the diffuser outlet increase significantly with more drastic pressure fluctuations and significantly lower stability of the internal flow of the mixed-flow pump. At the same time, the noise dramatically increases. Overall speaking, the subtle variation of the inlet flow passage leads to a significant change of the mixed-flow pump performance, thus suggesting a special attention to the optimization of flow passage. This paper investigates the influence of the flow passage variation on the mixed-flow pump performance by experiment, which will benefit the optimal design of the flow passage of the mixed-flow pump.

Investigation on the performance of a helico-axial multiphase pump under slug flow

The helico-axial multiphase pump is often used for gas-liquid mixture transportation in offshore oilfields,and slug flow is the main reason for the unstable operation of the pump.Aimed for slug flow condition,a self-designed three-stage multiphase pump is set to the object to perform unsteady simulations and fluid-structure interaction calculations,and the inlet gas void fraction(IGVF)is set from 20%to 80%.The results show that affected by the flow from the slug,the gas-liquid two-phase flow pattern in the multiphase pump changes sharply,resulting in severe fluctuations in the differential pressure,spindle torque and deformation of the multiphase pump.The gas-phase enters the first-impeller along the suction blade surface when affected by Taylor bubbles,while the second and third-stage impellers gas-phases are in the form of small air masses flow into the impeller along the pressure blade surface.The deformation trend of impeller torque,differential pressure and the main pump spindle is similar to that of trigonometric function,while the fluctuation of torque is more intense,and the shape variable of spindle increases with the inflow of liquid plug,and the maximum deformation amount increases by10.9%at high GVF relative to IGVF.

Reliability Improvements to Centrifugal Pump Performance in Conjunction with Inducers, CFD Comparative Study

In this research, centrifugal pump unit was analysed to study the effects of using inducers on its performance. Hydraulic tests were done to obtain the optimum hydraulic performance before and after using inducer. Two types of inducers were used in this work （axial, helical）. For this purpose, a test rig was specially designed with a pump system to investigate the parameters under consideration. Plots （H-Q） curves, （B.P.-Q） curves and （q-Q） curves were used to show the effect of pump performance with and without inducers. The present study introduces a simulation of centrifugal pump performance in conjunction with inducers using CFD （Computational Fluid Dynamics）, to compare it with experimentally observed values. The model investigates the impact of using inducers on the head and flow of the pump. The results of the CFD model and experimental are correlated well. Furthermore, the results help the decision makers of the pumps for future developments in pump performance assuring safe and reliable running condition of the water pumps. Also it may be used for more applications of larger head and flow pumps.

Numerical Simulation and Analysis of Solid-liquid Two-phase Flow in Centrifugal Pump

The flow with solid-liquid two-phase media inside centrifugal pumps is very complicated and the relevant method for the hydraulic design is still immature so far. There exist two main problems in the operation of the two-phase flow pumps, i.e., low overall efficiency and severe abrasion. In this study, the three-dimensional, steady, incompressible, and turbulent solid-liquid two-phase flows in a low-specific-speed centrifugal pump are numerically simulated and analyzed by using a computational fluid dynamics （CFD） code based on the mixture model of the two-phase flow and the RNG k-~ two-equation turbulence model, in which the influences of rotation and curvature are fully taken into account. The coupling between impeller and volute is implemented by means of the frozen rotor method. The simulation results predicted indicate that the solid phase properties in two-phase flow, especially the concentration, the particle diameter and the density, have strong effects on the hydraulic performance of the pump. Both the pump head and the efficiency are reduced with increasing particle diameter or concentration. However, the effect of particle density on the performance is relatively minor. An obvious jet-wake flow structure is presented near the volute tongue and becomes more remarkable with increasing solid phase concentration. The suction side of the blade is subject to much more severe abrasion than the pressure side. The obtained results preliminarily reveal the characteristics of solid-liquid two-phase flow in the centrifugal pump, and are helpful for improvement and empirical correction in the hydraulic design of centrifugal pumps.

Numerical simulation of hydrodynamic performance of blade position-variable hydraulic turbine

This paper presents a study of the movement and the hydrodynamic performance of a new tide-powered hydraulic turbine through numerical simulations. By means of the moving mesh method, the open-closed sequences of the blades and the movement of the rotors are obtained and the angular velocity and the average energy utilization coefficient under different tip speed ratios are also obtained. Moreover, the optimum tip speed ratio is identified by integrating the output power and the energy utilization coefficient of the hydraulic turbine with different tip speed ratios, providing data support for the prototype design of the hydraulic turbine.

Uniformity of Precipitation and Radial Profile of the Super 10 Sprinkler at Different Operating Pressures

The study aimed to evaluate the effect of operating parameters of the sprinkler Super 10, manufactured by NaanDanJain, with green, yellow and blue nozzles on the hydraulic characterization, so that this information can contribute to a better dimensioning of systems and management of irrigated areas. For the determination of UC and UD the radial method was used and with the aid of computer application CATCH 3D the overlapping of water slides with ten spacings was calculated. The results demonstrate that the mechanism used for the fractionation of the water jet of sprinkler Super 10 is efficient because it presented good uniformity of water distribution and low amplitude of precipitation. For high uniformity of distribution of water in the larger wetting radii, it is recommended to work with Super 10 sprinkler using the green nozzle, with a pressure of 40 mH2O and spacing between sprinklers and lateral lines 12 × 12 m.

The step-by-step CFD design method of pressure-compensating emitter

In order to improve the design and research and development (R & D) efficiency of the pressure- compensating drip irrigation emitter,a step-by-step computational fluid dynamics (CFD) design method was proposed based on CFD theory combined with the finite element method. By analyzing its hydraulic performance through the step-by-step CFD method,the prediction pressure-flow curve(p-Q curve) of the pressure-compensating emitter was obtained. Then the test samples were fabricated using rapid prototype and manufacturing(RP & M) technology. The emitters' hydraulic performance experiment was carried out and the experimental p-Q curve was obtained. The step-by-step CFD design method was verified by comparing the experimental p-Q curve with the prediction values,which showed that the prediction values met the experimental results well within the normal range of the emitter's working pressure. On this basis,the effect of the emitter structure on its pressure-compensating performance was studied,which showed that the height of the pressure-compensating region had significant effects on the emitter's pressure-compensating performance. Series products of the pressure-compensating emitter could be designed by changing the region's height.

Experimental study of the effect of blade tip clearance and blade angle error on the performance of mixed-flow pump

The hydraulic performance test of the mixed-flow pump has been carried out through selecting different blade tip clearances and various blade angle errors.The ratio of the mixed-flow pump efficiency reduction and the blade tip clearance variation(η/δ) varies with the flow rate coefficient revealing a parabolic trend.An empirical equation has been developed for the mixed-flow pump model by parabolic fitting.For the same blade tip clearance variation δ,the mixed-flow pump efficiency reduction η increases rapidly as the flow rate rises.For any given flow rate,the efficiency,the head and the shaft power of the mixed-flow pump all decrease with the increase of the blade tip clearance.Among them,the efficiency reduction η varies approximately linearly with the blade tip clearance variation δ.When the angle of an individual blade of the mixed-flow pump has a deviation,the performance curves will move and change.These curves have consistent change directions with the performance curves under the condition of all the blades rotated at the same time,but have smaller offset and lower range of variation.When an individual blade angle error changes to ±2°,the optimal efficiency of the mixed-flow pump will have no significant difference.When the individual blade angle error increases to ±4°,the optimal efficiency will decrease by 1%.

A miniature pump with a fluid dynamic bearing

This paper describes the development of a miniature pump having an impeller with an exit diameter of 24 mm supported with the motor rotor by a fluid dynamic beating. Tests verify that the miniature pump is stable and quiet for rotational speeds larger than 4000 rain-1. The three-dimensional turbulent flow in the entire pump flow passage and the laminar flow in the fluid dynamic bearing were then simulated numerically. The average pump performance was well predicted by the simulations. Both the tests and the simulations show that there is no obvious Reynolds effect for the miniature pump within the tested range of rotational speeds. The numerical results also show that the beating capacity of the fluid dynamic bearing increases with the pump rotor rotational speed and the eccentricity ratio of the journal to the bushing. This pump is very compact, so it is a prom- ising device for surgical use.