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.

Computational Analysis of Centrifugal Pump Delivering Solid-liquid Two-phase Flow during Startup Period

The transient behavior of centrifugal pumps during transient operating periods, such as startup and stopping, has drawn more and more attention recently because of urgent needs in engineering. Up to now, almost all the existing studies on this behavior are limited to using water as working fluid. The study on the transient behavior related to solid-liquid two-phase flow has not been seen yet. In order to explore the transient characteristics of a high specific-speed centrifugal pump during startup period delivering the pure water and solid-liquid two-phase flow, the transient flows inside the pump are numerically simulated using the dynamic mesh method. The variable rotational speed and flow rate with time obtained from experiment are best fitted as the function of time, and are written into computational fluid dynamics （CFD） code-FLUENT by using a user defined function. The predicted heads are compared with experimental results when pumping pure water. The results show that the difference in the transient performance during startup period is very obvious between water and solid-liquid two-phase flow during the later stage of startup process. Moreover, the time for the solid-liquid two-phase flow to achieve a stable condition is longer than that for water. The solid-liquid two-phase flow results in a higher impeller shaft power, a larger dynamic reaction force, a more violent fluctuation in pressure and a reduced stable pressure rise comparing with water. The research may be useful to tmderstanding on the transient behavior of a centrifugal pump under a solid-liquid two-phase flow during startup period.

Numerical simulation and analysis of solid-liquid two-phase threedimensional unsteady flow in centrifugal slurry pump

Based on RNG k-ε turbulence model and sliding grid technique, solid-liquid two-phase three-dimensional(3-D) unsteady turbulence of full passage in slurry pump was simulated by means of Fluent software. The effects of unsteady flow characteristics on solid-liquid two-phase flow and pump performance were researched under design condition. The results show that clocking effect has a significant influence on the flow in pump, and the fluctuation of flow velocity and pressure is obvious, particularly near the volute tongue, at the position of small sections of volute and within diffuser. Clocking effect has a more influence on liquid-phase than on solid-phase, and the wake-jet structure of relative velocity of solid-phase is less obvious than liquid-phase near the volute tongue and the impeller passage outlet. The fluctuation of relative velocity of solid-phase flow is 7.6% smaller than liquid-phase flow at the impeller outlet on circular path. Head and radial forces of the impeller are 8.1% and 85.7% of fluctuation, respectively. The results provide a theoretical basis for further research for turbulence, improving efficient, reducing the hydraulic losses and wear. Finally, field tests were carried out to verify the operation and wear of slurry pump.

Numerical simulation on centrifugal pump compressible flow field with different gas volume fractions

In order to study the influence of gas-liquid two-phase flow on the performance and internal flow field of a centrifugal pump,the steady three-dimensional flow with different gas volume fractions was simulated by applying the Reynolds-average N-S equation and mixture gas-liquid two-phase flow model,and the compressibility of gas was taken into consideration in the simulation. Then the centrifugal pump characteristic and the gas distribution law in different gas volume fractions were analyzed. The computational results show that gas volume fraction has a certain influence on the performance of the centrifugal pump,and the efficiency and head of the pump are on the decline with the increase of it.Static pressure in the impeller increases in the radial direction,but the pressure gradient in the flow direction is different under the different gas volume fractions. The gas volume is distributed mainly in the ipsilateral direction of impeller back shroud in the flow channel of the volute. On the suction side of the blade inlet there is an obvious low-pressure area,which causes bubbles agglutination and higher gas volume fraction. With the gas entering passage flow,gas volume fraction in the suction decreases and the pressure surface rises gradually. Higher gas volume fraction causes air blocking phenomenon in the flow passage and the discharge capacity reduces. The increase of gas volume makes the turbulent motion within the impeller more and more intense,which leads to more and more energy loss.

Influence on the Solid−Liquid Two-Phase Flow from Cross-Section Area of Slurry Pumps for Deep-Sea Mining

To explore the mechanism of solid-liquid two-phase flow in deep-sea mining pumps,this paper investigates the influences of the impeller cross-section area on the multi-phase flow in the slurry pump.Experimental and numerical results are presented for two-phase flow in four impellers with different cross-section areas.They show that the degree of vortex strength and the passing capacity of particles increase as the cross-section area of the impeller.In addition,the correlations between the two-phase flow and cross-section area have been revealed by a mathematical model taking the force of the flow field into account.The simulation results confirm the theoretical analysis,while the experimental pump performances validate the numerical calculation.The influence of the cross-section area on two-phase flow and pump performance could provide theoretical support for the design of high-performance deep-sea mining slurry pumps.

Effects of Particle Concentration on the Dynamics of a Single-Channel Sewage Pump under Low-Flow-Rate Conditions

Single-channel sewage pumps are generally used to transport solid-liquid two-phase media consisting of a fluid and solid particles due to the good non-clogging property of such devices.However,the non-axisymmetric structure of the impeller of this type of pumps generally induces flow asymmetry,oscillatory outflow during operations,and hydraulic imbalance.In severe cases,these effects can jeopardize the safety and stability of the overall pump.In the present study,such a problem is investigated in the framework of a Mixture multiphase flow method coupled with a RNG turbulence model used to determine the structure of the flow field and the related motion of transported particles.It is shown that under different inlet particle concentrations,the flow field in the pump exhibits periodic variations of the pressure.The volume fraction of solid particles at the trailing edge of the suction surface of the blade is the largest,and solid particles tend to be concentrated at the outer edge of the pump body.With a rise in import particle content,the pressure and volume fraction of particles in the sewage pump also increase;for a fixed inlet particle concentration,the pressure pulsation amplitude increases with an increase in the flow rate.In addition,under small flow conditions,as the inlet particle concentration increases,the flow field leaving the sewage pump diaphragm near the outlet of the volute becomes more turbulent,and even a secondary back-flow vortex appears.

Internal flow structure,fault detection,and performance optimization of centrifugal pumps

This review mainly summarizes the latest developments in the internal flow field and external characteristics of centrifugal pumps.In particular,the latest findings of centrifugal pumps focused on turbulence and cavitation models,flow visualization methods,and fault detection based on noise and vibration.The external characteristics,cavitation,and vibration of the centrifugal pump were extensively discussed.In addition,advanced multi-objective optimization methods for improving impeller’s efficiency and reducing net positive suction head(NPSH)were briefed.Although some progress was made in this field,there remain many unsolved problems,such as monitoring and modeling of cavitation,rotational stall phenomenon,and discrepancies between simulation and measurement.In the future,researchers are encouraged to employ multi-dimensional flow visualization technologies and high-performance computing facilities to advance existing understandings on these issues and create new research directions.

Theoretical analysis of effect of solid phase on cavitation performance of deep-sea mining pump

In view of the present situation of low cavitation performance of deep-sea mining slurry pump, the effect of solid phase on the cavitation performance of deep-sea mining pump is analyzed theoretically. The relationship between gas and liquid phases are established by cavitation nucleon theory and mass energy equation as well as solid phase and liquid phase, and then we explored the relationship between gas phase and solid phase. The results show that the critical bubble radius and solid-phase concentration flow rate during the cavitation can be related to the liquid pressure. Eq.(19) show that the larger the solid particle concentration and the solid phase flow, the earlier the cavitation will occur, and pump anti-cavitation performance will decline.

Investigation of Self-Priming Process of a Centrifugal Pump with Double Blades

The gas-liquid two-phase flow patterns of a centrifugal pump during the self-priming process were investigated numerically and experimentally.The Euler-Euler multiphase model and SST k-ω turbulence model were applied for simulating the self-priming process.Meanwhile,the changes of motor speed and self-priming height were considered in the simulation.The overall transient two-phase flow features and water level distributions were mapped.Results showed that the self-priming process was divided into three stages.The liquid level in inlet-pipe rose in oscillation during self-priming process.The variations of water level during self-priming process of numerical simulation and test result agreed well.The inlet-pipe(Ver)was filled at 22 s and 24 s respectively numerically and experimentally.The bubble cloud circulated in the volute during middle stage of self-priming process,and breakup into smaller bubbles by shear force and tongue,and then discharged into chamber.The bubbles in the outlet-pipe mainly included bubbly flow and slug flow at the last stage of self-priming process,which is morphologically consistent with the test results.Also,during the self-priming process,the reflux liquid was pressed by blades and fully mixed with gas;that is the way to realizing the function of self-priming.

基于DPM模型的离心泵非定常固液两相流及磨损计算（英文）

In this paper, the discrete phase model （DPM） and semi-empirical wear model were used to simulatethe unsteady solid-liquid two-phase flows and wear in a centrifugal pump, to explore the solid particle movementand the wear of the pump. The liquid phase was solved by the fluid governing equations in the Euler coordinatesystem; the solid particle phase was treated as a discrete medium and solved by the equations of particle motion inLagrange coordinate. The solid-liquid phase coupling was performed using iterative numerical method. An IS typecentrifugal pump was selected in the simulation. Water and sand particle were chosen as the continuous phase andthe discrete phase, respectively. The particle volumetric ratio at the pump inlet was in the range of 0.5%-3%with the particle size of 0.05-0.2 mm. The flow characteristics of the solid-liquid two-phase flows, the trajectoryof the particle cluster and the distribution of wear rate in the centrifugal pump were obtained by the simulation.

气液两相流下离心泵性能分析的数据处理方法

This paper presents what should be best practice data reduction procedures for pump performance analysis with emphasis on two-phase inlet flow conditions.This becomes a mandatory step especially when pumps performances are degraded in case of liquid gas mixture at inlet section.Most of following recommendations are based on existing rules that must be recalled for researchers and end users performing centrifugal pump tests and more specifically when comparing the results between each other or/and withCFDapproaches.