Optimal Design of High-Speed Partial Flow Pumps using Orthogonal Tests and Numerical Simulations

To investigate the influence of structural parameters on the performances and internal flow characteristics of partial flow pumps at a low specific speed of 10000 rpm,special attention was paid to the first and second stage impeller guide vanes.Moreover,the impeller blade outlet width,impeller inlet diameter,blade inclination angle,and number of blades were considered for orthogonal tests.Accordingly,nine groups of design solutions were formed,and then used as a basis for the execution of numerical simulations(CFD)aimed at obtaining the efficiency values and heads for each design solution group.The influence of impeller geometric parameters on the efficiency and head was explored,and the“weight”of each factor was obtained via a range analysis.Optimal structural parameters were finally chosen on the basis of the numerical simulation results,and the performances of the optimized model were verified accordingly(yet by means of CFD).Evidence is provided that the increase in the efficiency and head of the optimized model was 12.11%and 23.5 m,respectively,compared with those of the original model.

HYDRAULIC CALCULATION AND MEASUREMENT OF FLOW FIELD WITHIN INLET PASSAGE OF LARGE PUMPING STATION

By means of the analysis of the internal flow within inlet passage of large pumping sta-tion, an analysis of 3-D direct boundary element for the flow has been presented on the potentialflow assumption, and a calculation and an experimental proof for the inlet passage of 30 angle-type axial pumping station have been made. Based on the analysis of the calculations and theexperiments, the calculation method is feasible and believable.

Application of the Modified nverse Design Method in the Optimization of the Runner Blade of a Mixed-Flow Pump

To improve the design speed and reduce the design cost for the previous blade design method, a modified inverse design method is presented. In the new method, after a series of physical and mathematical simplifications, a sail?like constrained area is proposed, which can be used to configure di erent runner blade shapes. Then, the new method is applied to redesign and optimize the runner blade of the scale core component of the 1400?MW canned nuclear coolant pump in an established multi?optimization system compromising the Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD) analysis, the Response Surface Methodology(RSM) and the Non?dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm?II(NSGA?II). After the execution of the optimization procedure, three optimal samples were ultimately obtained. Then, through comparative analysis using the target runner blade, it was found that the maximum e ciency improvement reached 1.6%, while the head improvement was about 10%. Overall, a promising runner blade inverse design method which will benefit the hydraulic design of the mixed?flow pump has been proposed.

THREE-DIMENSIONAL COUPLED IMPELLER-VOLUTE SIMULATION OF FLOW IN CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AND PERFORMANCE PREDICTION

A three-dimensional turbulent flow through an entire centrifugal pump is simulated using k-ε turbulence model modified by rotation and curvature, SIMPLEC method and body-fitted coordinate. The velocity and pressure fields are obtained for the pump under various working conditions, which is used to predict the head and hydraulic efficiency of the pump, and the results correspond well with the measured values. The calculation results indicate that the pressure is higher on the pressure side than that on the suction side of the blade; The relative velocity on the suction side gradually decreases from the impeller inlet to the outlet, while increases on the pressure side, it finally results in the lower relative velocity on the suction side and the higher one on the pressure side at the impeller outlet; The impeller flow field is asymmetric, i.e. the velocity and pressure fields arc totally different among all channels in the impeller; In the volute, the static pressure gradually increases with the flow route, and a large pressure gratitude occurs in the tongue; Secondary flow exists in the rear part of the spiral.

Theoretical Calculations and Experimental Verification for the Pumping Effect Caused by the Dynamic Micro-tapered Angle

The atomizer with micro cone apertures has advantages of ultra-fine atomized droplets, low power consumption and low temperature rise. The current research of this kind of atomizer mainly focuses on the performance and its application while there is less research of the principle of the atomization. Under the analysis of the dispenser and its micro-tapered aperture＇s deformation, the volume changes during the deformation and vibration of the micro-tapered aperture on the dispenser are calculated by coordinate transformation. Based on the characters of the flow resistance in a cone aperture, it is found that the dynamic cone angle results from periodical changes of the volume of the micro-tapered aperture of the atomizer and this change drives one-way flows. Besides, an experimental atomization platform is established to measure the atomization rates with different resonance frequencies of the cone aperture atomizer. The atomization performances of cone aperture and straight aperture atomizers are also measured. The experimental results show the existence of the pumping effect of the dynamic tapered angle. This effect is usually observed in industries that require low dispersion and micro- and nanoscale grain sizes, such as during production of high-pressure nozzles and inhalation therapy. Strategies to minimize the pumping effect of the dynamic cone angle or improve future designs are important concerns. This research proposes that dynamic micro-tapered angle is an important cause of atomization of the atomizer with micro cone apertures.

The 3D Modeling of Blades of Multiphase Flow Helico-Axial Pump's Rotor Based on Solidworks

The structure of multiphase flow helico-axial pump＇s rotor and how to model the rotor, especially the blades of the rotor, based on the Solidworks software. More important, the principle of the blade design is mainly introduced. Under the guide of the principle, the 3D coordinates of the blade data points can be got by matlab programming. In the paper, the design step and the modeling step are particularly described through a concrete example.

Hydrodynamic Instability Analysis of the Axial Flow Pump in an Ethylene Polymerization Loop Reactor

The hydrodynamic instability of the axial flow pump in a loop reactor has long been a troubling issue to be solved in the polyethylene industry due to the lack of a better mechanismic understanding.Generally,the instability of an axial flow pump can be reflected by the fluctuation of the pump head.In this study,the transient computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulation is adopted to study the hydrodynamic instability of the axial flow pump used in an ethylene polymerization loop reactor.The results show that the pump head under single liquid phase nearly remains constant while the pump head under slurry phase fluctuates due to the variation of solid volume fraction distribution in the pump.Besides,under the combined effect of the maximum solid volume fraction difference in the pump and the turbulence intensity of the liquid phase,the fluctuation of the pump head under slurry phase increases when the solid volume fraction in the loop reactor increases from 0.10 to 0.29,and the fluctuation decreases,when the solid volume fraction increases from 0.29 to 0.35.Furthermore,there is a negative correlation between the pump head and the solid volume fraction in the pump;with the increase of solid volume fraction in the loop reactor,and the correlation coefficient increases as well.Moreover,a‘spiral particulate band’phenomenon is formed in the ascending leg caused by three mechanisms,viz.:the segregation of particles in all bends,the dispersion of particles by the secondary flow in the ascending leg,and the rotational movement of particles in the pump.

Research on blade tip clearance cavitation and turbulent kinetic energy characteristics of axial flow pump based on the partially-averaged Navier-Stokes model

To reveal the cavitation forms of tip leakage vortex(TLV)of the axial flow pump and the flow mechanism of the flow field,this research adopts the partially-averaged Navier-Stokes(PANS)model to simulate the cavitation values of an axial flow pump,followed by experimental validation.The experimental result shows that compared with the shear stress transport(SST)k-ωmodel,the PANS model significantly reduces the eddy viscosity of the flow field to make the vortex structure clearer and allow the turbulence scale to be more robustly analyzed.The cavitation area within the axial flow pump mainly comprises of TLV cavitation,clearance cavitation and tip leakage flows combined effect of triangular cloud cavitation formed.The formation and development of cavitation are accompanied by the formation and evolution of vortex,and variations in vortex structure also generate and promote the development of cavitation.In addition,an in-depth analysis of the relationship between the turbulent kinetic energy(TKE)transport equation and cavitation patterns was also conducted,finding that the regions with relatively high TKE are mainly distributed around gas/liquid boundaries with serious cavitation and evident gas-liquid change.This phenomenon is mainly attributed to the combined effect of the pressure action term,stress diffusion term and TKE production term.

Transient simulation of a pump-turbine with misaligned guide vanes during turbine model start-up

Experimental studies of a model pump-turbine S-curve characteristics and its improvement by misaligned guide vanes （MGV） were extended to prototype pump turbine through 3-D transient flow simulations. The unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the SST turbulence model were used to model the transient flow within the entire flow passage of a reversible pump-turbine with and without misaligned guide vanes during turbine model start-up. The unstable S-curve and its improvement by using misaligned guide vane were verified by model test and simulation. The transient flow calculations were used to clarify the variations of pressure pulse and internal flow behavior in the entire flow passage. The use of misaligned guide vanes can eliminate the S-curve characteristics of a pump-turbine, and can significantly increase the pressure pulse amplitude in the entire flow passage and the runner radial forces during start-up. The MGV only decreased the pulse amplitude on the guide vane suction side when the rotating speed was less than 50% rated speed. The hydraulic reason is that the MGV dramatically changed the flow patterns inside the entire flow passage, and destroyed the symmetry of the flow distribution inside the guide vane and runner.

Alfapump®implantable device in management of refractory ascites:An update

Refractory ascites(RA)is a frequent and life-threatening complication of cirrhosis.In selected patients with RA,transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt(TIPS)placement and liver transplantation(LT)are currently considered the best therapeutic alternatives to repeated large volume paracentesis.In patients with a contraindication to TIPS or LT,the alfapump®system(Sequana Medical,Ghent,Belgium)has been developed to reduce the need for iterative paracentesis,and consequently to improve the quality of life and nutritional status.We report here recent data on technical progress made since the first implantation,the efficacy and tolerance of the device,the position of the pump in the therapeutic arsenal for refractory ascites,and the grey areas that remain to be clarified regarding the optimal selection of patients who are potential candidates for this treatment.

Numerical Investigation of an Idealized Total Cavopulmonary Connection Physiology Assisted by the Axial Blood Pump With and Without Diffuser

In order to improve the surgical treatment of the congenital heart disease patient with single ventricle defect,two axial flow blood pumps,one with diffuser and the other without diffuser,were designed and virtually implanted into an idealized total cavopulmonary connection(TCPC)model to form two types of Pump-TCPC physiological structure.Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulationswere performed to analyze the variations of the hemodynamic characteristics,such as flow field,wall shear stress(WSS),oscillatory shear index(OSI),relative residence time(RRT),between the two Pump-TCPC models.Numerical results indicate that the Pump-TCPC with diffuser has better flow field stability,less damage on endothelial cell of vessel wall,and lower risk of vascular injury and thrombosis formation than that without diffuser.

Unstable Head-Flow Characteristic Generation Mechanism of a Low Specific Speed Mixed Flow Pump

This paper treats the flow instabilities in a mixed flow pump with a vaned diffuser. Test pump has a positive slope of a head-flow performance curve at 65% flow rate of BEP (Best Efficiency Point) because of a rotating stall. Dynamic Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and pressure fluctuation measurements are used for investigating the propagation mechanism of a rotating stall. It was found that unstable performance was caused by periodical large scale abrupt backflow generated from the vaned diffuser to the outlet of impeller. Further, the relation between the static pressure at the inlet of diffuser vane and the internal flow condition was clarified. From these experimental results, in order to improve the positive slope of a head-flow performance curve, to suppress the growth of strong vortex toward the inlet of diffuser vane was proved to be a key point.

Experimental study of flow field in interference area between impeller and guide vane of axial flow pump

Axial flow pump is a kind of typical pumps with rotor-stator interaction, thus the measurement of the flow field between impeller and guide vane would facilitate the study of the internal rotor-stator interaction mechanism. Through a structural modification of a traditional axial flow pump, the requirements of particle image velocimetry（PIV） measurement are met. Under the condition of opt.0.8Q, the axial vortex is identified between impeller hub and guide vane hub, which is developed into the main flow and to affect the movement when the relative positions of impeller and guide vane at different flow rates are the same. Besides, the development and the dissipation of the tip leakage and the passage vortex in impeller passages are mainly responsible for the difference of the flow field close to the outer rim. As the flow rate decreases, the distribution of the meridional velocities at the impeller outlet becomes more non-uniform and the radial velocity component keeps increasing. The PIV measurement results under the condition of opt.1.0Q indicate that the flow separation and the trailing vortex at the trailing edge of a blade are likely to result in a velocity sudden change in this area, which would dramatically destroy the continuity of the flow field. Moreover, the radial direction of the flow between impeller and guide vane on the measurement plane does not always point from hub to rim. For a certain position, the direction is just from rim to hub, as is affected by the location of the intersection line of the shooting section and the impeller blade on the impeller as well as the angle between the intersection line and the rotating shaft.

Performance Test and Flow Measurement of Contra-Rotating Axial Flow Pump

An application of contra-rotating rotors has been proposed against a demand for developing higher specific speed axial flow pump. In the present paper, the advantage and disadvantage of using contra-rotating rotors are described in comparison with conventional type of rotor-stator, based on theoretical and experimental investigations. The advantages are as follows： （1） The pump is inherently designed as smaller sized and at lower rotational speed. （2） A stable head-characteristic curve for flow rate with negative slope appears. （3） As the rear rotor rotational speed is varied as independent control of front rotor, the wider range of high performance operation is obtained by rear rotor speed control in addition to front rotor speed control. The disadvantages are as follows： （1） The structure of double shaft system becomes complex. （2） The pump performance is inferior at over flow rate as the rear rotor loading is weakened. （3） The blade rows interaction from rear rotor to front rotor more strongly appears. Then the rear rotor design is a key to achieve higher pump performance. Some methods to overcome these disadvantages will be discussed in more details toward wider usage of contra-rotating axial flow pump in various industrial fields.

APPLICATIONS OF CFD TECHNIQUE IN THE DESIGN AND FLOW ANALYSIS OF IMPLANTABLE AXIAL FLOW BLOOD PUMP

Based on established numerical methods and hydrodynamic performance testing facilities,CFD technique are applied to improve the design of the implantable axial flow blood pump and the flow analysis.（1） Applying brushless machine magnet steel,reducing its thickness while increasing the length,the flow channel＇s cross-section is increased,with no space connection between the large and the small rotators,and with a cone transition segment from the bearing to the principal axis,the flow is made smoother.The rotating speed is lowered by 1000 rpm-1200 rpm under the same flow rate and pressure head,and thus the hemolysis can be avoided.（2） Different outlet stator guiding vanes are selected for the same blood pump for analyses of hydrodynamic performances and flow fields.An excellent design not only can regulate the rotating flow field into an axial one,reduce the circulation loss and improve the pump efficiency,but also can avoid backflow,vortex and secondary flow at the pump outlet,and thus the thrombus can be prevented.（3） The calf live tests show that some residual clots exist at the inner wall of the outlet connection bends,which are analyzed and explained by CFD techniques and the corresponding improvements are proposed.All results are verified by hydrodynamic performance tests and PIV flow field tests,and consistent conclusions are obtained.

Influence of pump noise on the health of fish in a large pumping station

The axial flow pump,characteristic of a large flow,is widely used in pumping stations of hydraulic engineering.However,the internal noise of the axial-flow pump of a high sound pressure level is notable,with a great influence on the fishing livelihood.At present,the studies of the impact of the noise on fish are mainly focused on the explosion,the offshore wind power plant,the ship and other fields,with little attention on the noise generated by the pumping station.This paper applies the combination of the computational fluid dynamics and the Actran to study the sound pressure level distribution in the high-noise area inside the axial-flow pump and the noise distribution in the downstream areas of the pumping station.Extensive comparisons are made of the hearing threshold and the hearing damage threshold of fish,and it is revealed that the noise inside the axial-flow pump exceeds the hearing damage threshold of fish,which could lead to the hearing damage of over-pumped fish.Further,the noises emitted from the pumping station to the downstream are beyond the fish hearing threshold and will also have a significant impact on the fish around the pumping station.This study can provide a reference for studying the impact of the noise generated by various large-scale water transfer projects on fish.

Rotating instability in the vaneless diffuser of a radial flow pump

The paper refers to the behavior of a vaneless diffuser of a radial flow pump in partial flow operating conditions. Some experimental data have been obtained using 2D/2C PIV and unsteady pressure measurements within the diffuser, in various operating conditions. The experimental results at the lower flow rate are compared with two-dimensional numerical calculations.

Optimization of cross angle based on the pumping dynamics model

The single cylinder and multi-cylinder pumping dynamics model of a swash plate piston pump were improved.Particular attention has been paid to the design influences of key parts of the valve plate such as relief groove,pre-compression/ expansion and fluid inertia effect of the unsteady flow.Some important parameters,such as the discharge area,discharge coefficient,fluid bulk modulus,were especially analyzed using numerical methods or by experiment-based estimation.Consequently,the mathematical results of pressure pulsation and flow ripple agree well with experimental results from the test-rig of the flow ripple.Therefore,the cross angle and the pre-compression angle of the valve plate was optimized,based on the pumping dynamics model.Considering both the flow ripple and the cylinder pressure of the pump,the cross angle is set to be 2.2° to 2.7° with a pre-compression angle of 1.7° to 2.2°,so the pumping dynamics character can obtain the best result.

Systematical Experiment for Optimal Design of Vibrating Flow Pump with Jelly-fish Valve

The fundamental characteristics and the flow mechanism of a Vibrating Flow Pump （VFP） with a jelly-fish valve, which can be applied to a novel artificial heart, were studied theoretically and experimentally. By using water as the working fluid, the measurement methodology for the typical unsteady flow for VFP was developed here. The effects of the frequency, amplitude and inner diameter of the vibrating pipe, and thickness of the silicone rubber sheet of the jelly-fish valve on the basic per- formance of VFP were systematically investigated. A high-speed observation technique and simple theoretical model analysis were also introdueed for further detailed discussion. Quantitative contributions of the individual parameters to the pumping performance were shown through the experiment, which would give us essential knowledge for establishing design criteria of VFE The theoretical model, which agreed with the experiment and the high-speed observation, elucidated the pumping mechanism with respect to the role of inertia of the inner fluid.

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.