Numerical investigations on performance improvement mechanism of a high-power vertical centrifugal pump with special emphasis on hydraulic component matching

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the performance improvement mechanism of a high power vertical centrifugal pump by using numerical calculations.Therefore,a comparative study of energy losses and internal flow characteristics in the original and optimized models was carried out with special attention to the hydraulic component matching.The optimized model(model B)was obtained by optimizing the vaned diffuser and volute based on the original model(model A),mainly the diffuser inlet diameter,diffuser inlet vane angle,volute channel inlet width and volute throat area were changed.Firstly,the comparative results on performance and energy losses of two models showed that the efficiency and head of model B was significantly increased under design and part-load conditions.It is mainly due to the dramatic reduction of energy loss PL in the diffuser and volute.Then,the comparisons of PL and flow patterns in the vaned diffuser showed that the matching optimization between the model B impeller outlet flow angle and diffuser inlet vane angle resulted in a better flow pattern in both the circumferential and axial directions of the diffuser,which leads to the PL3 reduction.The meridian velocity Vm of model B was significantly increased at diffuser inlet regions and resulted in improvements of flow patterns at diffuser middle and outlet regions as well as pressure expansion capacity.Finally,the comparisons of PL and flow characteristics in the volute showed that the turbulence loss reduction in the model B volute was due to the flow pattern improvement at diffuser outlet regions which provided better flow conditions at volute inlet regions.The matching optimization between the diffuser and volute significantly reduced the turbulence loss in volute sections 1–4 and enhanced the pressure expansion capacity in sections 8–10.

Development of High-Speed On-Of Valves and Their Applications

With the widespread application of the computer and microelectronic technology in the industry,digitization becomes the inevitable developing trend of the hydraulic technology.Digitization of the hydraulic components is critical in the digital hydraulic technology.High-speed on-of valves(HSVs)which convert a train of input pulses into the fast and accurate switching between the on and of states belong to widely used basic digital hydraulic elements.In some ways,the characteristics of the HSVs determine the performance of the digital hydraulic systems.This paper discusses the development of HSVs and their applications.First,the HSVs with innovative structures which is classifed into direct drive valves and pilot operated valves are discussed,with the emphasis on their performance.Then,an overview of HSVs with intelligent materials is presented with considering of the switching frequency and fow capacity.Finally,the applications of the HSVs are reviewed,including digital hydraulic components with the integration of the HSVs and digital hydraulic systems controlled by the HSVs.

Seawater hydraulics:From the sea surface to depths of 11000 meters

Using seawater as the working medium,the seawater hydraulic system has significant advantages in the deep sea,such as eliminating contamination caused by oil leaks,no oil tanks,and the ability to automatically adapt to sea depths.As working depths increase,seawater hydraulic technology faces enormous challenges.First,the physical and chemical properties of seawater,such as density,temperature,and composition,change significantly.Second,hydraulic components are subject to an environmental pressure of up to 110 MPa,which causes serious deformation or even seizure of moving pairs and significantly affects the efficiency of hydraulic components.The friction and wear characteristics between the moving pairs also significantly change with the change in sea depth,therefore developing the matching material according to depth is necessary.Finally,the cavitation characteristic of a valve port is obviously different from that on land,so special material and structure should be used to improve the service life of the valve port.These factors severely restrict the improvement of the working depths and characteristics of seawater hydraulic components.This article focuses on the abovementioned problems and provides solutions for deep-sea seawater hydraulic technology.