CFD Investigation of the Influence of Volute Geometrical Variations on Hydrodynamic Characteristics of Circulator Pump

Improper design of volute geometry can be the main cause that leads to unsteady pressure pulsation and radial force in pumps. Therefore, it is important to understand the influence of volute geometrical parameters on hydrodynamic characteristics of pump and the mechanism. However, the existing studies are limited to investigate the influence of only one or two volute geometrical parameters each time, and a systematic study of the influence of the combinations of different volute geometrical parameters on the pump＇s hydrodynamic characteristics is missing. In this paper, a study on the understanding of the influence of volute geometrical variations on hydrodynamic characteristics of a high speed circulator pump by using computational fluid dynamics（CFD） technology is presented. Five main volute geometrical parameters D3, A8, a0, j0 and Rt are selected and 25 different volute configurations are generated by using design of experiments（DOE） method. The 3D unsteady flow numerical simulations, which are based on the SST k-w turbulence model and sliding mesh technique provided by CFX, are executed on the 25 different volute configurations. The hydraulic performance, pressure pulsation and unsteady radial force inside the pump at design condition are obtained and analyzed. It has been found that volute geometrical parameters D3 and A8 are major influence factors on hydrodynamic characteristics of the pump, while a0, j0 and Rt are minor influence factors. The minimum contribution from both D3 and A8 is 58% on head, and maximum contribution from both D3 and A8 is 90% on pressure pulsation. Regarding the pressure pulsation intensity, two peaks can be found. One is in the tongue area and the other is in the diffusor area. The contributions are around 60% from tongue and 25% from diffusor, respectively. The amplitude of pressure pulsation has a quadratic polynomial functional relationship with respect to D3/D2 and A8/A（10）, and fluctuating level of radial force has a quadratic polynomial functional relationship with respect to D3/D2. While for the other volute parameters a0, j0 and Rt, no special function has been found related to pressure pulsation and radial force. The presented work could be a useful guideline in engineering practice when designing a circulator pump with low hydrodynamic force.

Entropy Production Analysis for Hump Characteristics of a Pump Turbine Model

The hump characteristic is one of the main problems for the stable operation of pump turbines in pump mode.However,traditional methods cannot reflect directly the energy dissipation in the hump region.In this paper,3D simulations are carried out using the SST k-ω turbulence model in pump mode under different guide vane openings.The numerical results agree with the experimental data.The entropy production theory is introduced to determine the flow losses in the whole passage,based on the numerical simulation.The variation of entropy production under different guide vane openings is presented.The results show that entropy production appears to be a wave,with peaks under different guide vane openings,which correspond to wave troughs in the external characteristic curves.Entropy production mainly happens in the runner,guide vanes and stay vanes for a pump turbine in pump mode.Finally,entropy production rate distribution in the runner,guide vanes and stay vanes is analyzed for four points under the 18 mm guide vane opening in the hump region.The analysis indicates that the losses of the runner and guide vanes lead to hump characteristics.In addition,the losses mainly occur in the runner inlet near the band and on the suction surface of the blades.In the guide vanes and stay vanes,the losses come from pressure surface of the guide vanes and the wake effects of the vanes.A new insight-entropy production analysis is carried out in this paper in order to find the causes of hump characteristics in a pump turbine,and it could provide some basic theoretical guidance for the loss analysis of hydraulic machinery.

PREDICTION OF PUMP CHARACTERISTICS ACCORDING TO GEOMETRICAL PARAMETERS OF IMPELLER AND VOLUTE CASING

The geometrical parameters of impeller or volute casing (including guide vane ofmultistage pump) have a great effect on pump characteristics, but ultimately. the pump characteris-tics are determined by the geometrical parameters of impeller and volute casing cooperatively. Inthis essay the effect of impeller and volute casing on pump characteristics will be studiedquantitatvely from the angle cf optimal matching of them.

Large eddy simulation of turbulent flow structure and characteristics in an annular jet pump

The large eddy simulation（LES） of the flow characteristics in an annular jet pump（AJP） is conducted, and the flow characteristics are systematically analyzed from both time-averaged and instantaneous aspects. The jet expansion, the velocity distribution and the energy are considered to analyze the time-averaged evolution of the flow field in the AJP. The transient flow characteristics can also be acquired from the analysis of the turbulence intensity and the Reynolds stress. The simulation demonstrates that in the time-averaged characteristics, the potential cores increase linearly with the increase of the flow ratio. With the flow development, the jet half-width gradually increases and the residual energy coefficient decreases. Compared with the distribution of the time-averaged axial velocity, that of the instantaneous velocity is more complex and disorderly. The high intensity of the axial turbulence mainly occurs in the mixing layer and the near-wall regions of the diffuser. The annular distribution of the Reynolds stress is mainly in the mixing layer and the recirculation region. There is a low-stress zone between the mixing layer and the high-stress region in the wall-boundary layer. The intensity of the spanwise vortexes is larger than that of the streamwise vortexes, and therefore, the former make greater contribution to the total vorticity. This research provides a better understanding of the flow characteristics in the AJP.

Effects of rotational speeds on the performance of a centrifugal pump with a variable-pitch inducer

The centrifugal pumps usually work at various rotational speeds. The variation in the rotational speeds will affect the internal flow, the external performance, and the anti-cavitation performance of the pump. In order to improve the anti-cavitation performance of the centrifugal pumps, variable-pitch inducers are placed upstream of the impeller. Because the rotational speeds directly affect the flow and the performance of the pump, it is essential to characterize the performance of the pump with a variable-pitch inducer at various rotational speeds. In this paper, the simulations and the experimental tests of a centrifugal pump with a variable-pitch inducer are designed and carried out under various rotational speed conditions. Navier-Stokes equations, coupled with a Reynolds average simulation approach, are used in the simulations. In the experimental tests, the external and anti-cavitation performances of the pump are investigated in a closed system. The following results are obtained from the simulations. Firstly, the velocity in the passage of the inducer rises with the increase of the rotational speed. Secondly, the static pressure escalates on the inducer and the impeller with the increase of the rotational speed. Thirdly, the static pressure distribution on the inducer and the impeller is asymmetric. Fourthly, the anti-cavitation performance of the pump deteriorates with the increase of the rotational speed. Additional results are gathered from an analysis of the experiments. H-Q curves are similar parabolas at various rotational speeds, while η-Q curves are similar parabolas only when n ≤6 000 r/min. The anti-cavitation performance of the pump deteriorates with the increase of the rotational speed. Finally, the simulation results are found to be consistent with the experimental results.