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 OF 3-D DENSE SOLID-LIQUID TWO-PHASE TURBULENT FLOW IN A NON-CLOGGING MUD PUMP

A mathematical model is set to evaluate the 3-D dense solid-liquid two-phaseturbulent flow in a non-clogging mud pump, the flow feature in the impeller channel is simulatedwith the tool of IPSA. Meanwhile, resort to TECPLOT as the post-processor, the simulation results isvisualized. The results show the main flow characteristics: There exists backflow and aberrantvelocities at inlet area and a relative velocity slip between two phases; A jet-wake flow pattern isdiscerned around the shroud-suction side area; The relative velocity vector of solid phase iscloser to the pressure surface than that of liquid phase and the trend is more obvious with theincrease of diameter; The kinetic energy of turbulence k and the dissipation rate e reach theirpeaks at the corner of pressure and suction surface. The simulation results show a good agreementwith the experimental flow features in the impeller channel, which prove the turbulent model used isvalid and provide a theoretical design basis to non-clogging pumps.

A Numerical Study on the Effect of the Backflow Hole Position on the Performances of a Self-Priming Pump

A self-priming pump is a centrifugal pump that has the ability to prime itself. Typically, its performance dependson the configuration of its reflux hole. In this study, the ANSYS FLUENT software is used to investigate the effectsof three different radial positions of the reflux hole on gas-liquid two-phase distribution, pressure pulsation, andimp during self-priming. The research results indicate that: (1) The effective channel size for the reflux liquid toenter the volute varies depending on the location of the reflux hole. The effect of the impeller rotation on thereflux liquid becomes more obvious as the setting distance of the reflux aperture decreases. (2) The position ofthe reflux hole significantly affects the gas phase mass fraction inside the impeller, resulting in a significant reductionin the time it takes for the mass fraction to exceed 80%. (3) The position of the reflux hole significantly affectsthe average pressure on each monitoring surface. (4) Placing the reflux hole at a excessively distant radial distancecan result in an excessive vertical component. (5) The self-priming performance of the pump can be improved tosome extent by placing the return hole at a small radial distance.

Design and Experimental Analyses of Small-flow High-head Centrifugal-vortex Pump for Gas-Liquid Two-phase Mixture

The design method of small-flow high-head centrifugal-vortex pump was presented. This pump, configured with inducer, complex-centrifugal impeller and open-vortex impeller, was put forward to deliver gas-liquid two-phase mixture. An HTB-5/60 type sample pump was developed and tested on a closed-loop test rig. Experimental studies on performance and cavitation tests for gas-liquid two-phase mixture were carried out compared with pure-water experimental results. Also the effect of gas phase on pump was analyzed and discussed. The experimental results show that performance and cavitation characteristics of the sample purnp deteriorates progressively with increasing volume fraction of gas. When the total capacity Qm is between 4.5 m^3·h^-1 and 6 m^3·h^-1 and the gas flow rate qg below 0.66 m^3·h^-1, or qg/Qm is lower than 15%, the characteristic curves are approximately parallel to those in pure water test, but the performance deteriorates sharply until an abrupt flow-cutting at a critical volume fraction of gas. This pump is found suitable for transporting gas-liquid two-phase mixture when working around rated capacity of 5 m^3·h^-1 with qglQm below 15%.

An improved large eddy simulation of two-phase flows in a pump impeller

An improved large eddy simulation using a dynamic second-order sub-grid-scale （SGS） stress model has been developed to model the governing equations of dense turbulent particle-liquid two-phase flows in a rotating coordinate system, and continuity is conserved by a mass-weighted method to solve the filtered governing equations. In the cur- rent second-order SGS model, the SGS stress is a function of both the resolved strain-rate and rotation-rate tensors, and the model parameters are obtained from the dimensional consistency and the invariants of the strain-rate and the rotation-rate tensors. In the numerical calculation, the finite volume method is used to discretize the governing equations with a staggered grid system. The SIMPLEC algorithm is applied for the solution of the discretized governing equations. Body- fitted coordinates are used to simulate the two-phase flows in complex geometries. Finally the second-order dynamic SGS model is successfully applied to simulate the dense turbu-lent particle-liquid two-phase flows in a centrifugal impeller. The predicted pressure and velocity distributions are in good agreement with experimental results.

Numerical simulation of predicting and reducing solid particle erosion of solid-liquid two-phase flow in a choke

Chokes are one of the most important components of downhole flow-control equipment. The particle erosion mathematical model, which considers particle-particle interaction, was established and used to simulate solid particle movement as well as particle erosion characteristics of the solid-liquid two-phase flow in a choke. The corresponding erosion reduction approach by setting ribs on the inner wall of the choke was advanced. This mathematical model includes three parts： the flow field simulation of the continuous carrier fluid by an Eulerian approach, the particle interaction simulation using the discrete particle hard sphere model by a Lagrangian approach and calculation of erosion rate using semiempirical correlations. The results show that particles accumulated in a narrow region from inlet to outlet of the choke and the dominating factor affecting particle motion is the fluid drag force. As a result, the optimization of rib geometrical parameters indicates that good anti-erosion performance can be achieved by four ribs, each of them with a height （H） of 3 mm and a width （B） of 5 mm equaling the interval between ribs （L）.

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.

Three-dimensional CFD simulation of inlet structure flow in pumping station based on Eulerian solid- liquid two-phase flow model

Sediment deposition in the pumping station has a huge negative impact on unit operation.The three-dimensional CFD method has been used to simulate inlet structure flow in pumping station based on the Eulerian solid- liquid two-phase flow model. The numerical results of the preliminary scheme show that sediment deposition occurs in the forebay of pumping station because of poor flow pattern therein. In order to improve hydraulic configuration in the forebay,one modified measure reconstructs water diversion weir shape,and another measure sets a water retaining sill in the approach channel. The simulation results of the modified scheme prove that back flow in the forebay has been eliminated and the sediment deposition region has also been reduced.

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.

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.

Study on the Effect of Solid Particles on Jet Flow and Base Thermal Environment for Solid-Liquid Bundled Rocket

Compared with using liquid rocket engines,there are a lot of high-temperature solid particles in the solid-liquid bundled rocket,which make the rocket base thermal environment worse.In order to study the influence of high-temperature solid particles on the base thermal environment,firstly,the effect of particle diameter on the jet distribution and the thermal environment in a single solid motor jet was analyzed using a numerical simulation method,and the results were compared with those of a ground test.Further,the effects of high-temperature solid particles on the jet and the thermal environment of the solid-liquid bundled rocket were analyzed and compared with flight data.The results show that high-temperature solid particles can increase the jet temperature and reduce the jet velocity.The larger the particle diameter,the greater the impact on the jet core temperature.The role of high-temperature solid particles cannot be ignored in the study of the base thermal environment.

基于CFD-DPM的离心泵内颗粒性质对泵性能与磨损的影响

为揭示离心泵在输送固液两相流时颗粒密度和粒径对泵性能和磨损的影响,采用Realizable k-ε湍流模型(液相)和DPM离散相模型,对模型泵内固液两相流动进行定常数值模拟,研究固液两相流场中颗粒的运动轨迹以及磨损规律。结果表明:随着颗粒密度和粒径的增大,模型泵的扬程和效率均下降;密度、粒径越大的颗粒,其运动轨迹越易偏向叶片工作面;随着颗粒密度的增加,叶片工作面以及蜗壳内的磨损程度加剧,但是叶片背面的磨损减轻,颗粒相应地在叶片工作面和蜗壳外壁边缘聚集;随着颗粒粒径的增大,蜗壳整体磨损程度加重,其中蜗壳的隔舌区域、Ⅱ区域和Ⅵ区域磨损程度最严重;叶片整体磨损程度逐渐降低,且叶片工作面磨损程度大于叶片背面。

泥浆射流泵冲蚀磨损特性

为了研究泥浆射流泵的冲蚀磨损特性,基于欧拉-拉格朗日方法对泥浆射流泵内部的固液两相流动开展了数值模拟,重点对泥浆射流泵内部液固两相流的冲蚀磨损规律进行了研究。结果表明:泥浆射流泵喉管进口和喉管中后段是产生冲蚀磨损的主要部位,吸入室和扩散管未产生明显冲蚀磨损。颗粒质量流量从1 kg/s增大到1.8 kg/s时,泥浆射流泵最大冲蚀速率增大了93.7%;泥浆流速从2 m/s增大到5 m/s时,最大冲蚀速率增大了11.48倍;颗粒直径从200μm增大到450μm时,最大冲蚀速率先减小后增大。相较于颗粒质量流量和颗粒直径,泥浆流速对射流泵内表面的冲蚀磨损影响更大,但产生冲蚀磨损的主要部位不会随泥浆流速、颗粒质量流量和颗粒直径发生明显改变。研究成果可为射流泵的设计提供参考。

多泥沙河流立式轴流泵叶片磨损特性

为探究多泥沙河流引水立式轴流泵的磨蚀问题,基于particle固液两相流模型与Tabakoff磨损模型,研究6个流量工况下5种泥沙粒径和5种含沙率组合的轴流泵装置内泥沙颗粒运动规律及其对轴流泵叶片磨损的影响.结果表明:流量变化对泥沙颗粒运动轨迹影响显著,小流量下泥沙颗粒向叶片工作面运动的趋势更为明显,叶片更容易被磨损,磨损位置主要在叶片进水边及叶片外缘;粒径变化对泥沙颗粒运动轨迹影响也较为显著,大粒径泥沙颗粒更容易撞向叶片工作面而加重磨损,含沙率为0.05,粒径从0.01 mm增大到1 mm时,叶片最大磨损率从0.001 kg·m^(-2)·s^(-1)增加到0.0244 kg·m^(-2)·s^(-1);含沙率变化对泥沙颗粒运动轨迹影响较小,但泥沙浓度增加会加重磨损,粒径为0.5 mm,含沙率从0.01增加到0.2时,叶片最大磨损率从0.0018 kg·m^(-2)·s^(-1)增加到0.061 kg·m^(-2)·s^(-1);叶片磨损强度和叶片磨损面积均与泥沙粒径和含沙率呈正相关,粒径和含沙率越大,叶片受到的磨损强度及磨损面积越大.

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.

Study on pressure wave propagation in two-phase flow in liquid oxygen feed pipe between pumps

A study on the character of pressure wave propagation was proposed for the gas liquid oxygen two-phase flow in the pipe between pumps.According to the practical working conditions,the homogenous model based on the compressibility theory regarding a single bubble in an infinite liquid,and Redlich-Kwong gas equation was derived a model for the low temperature and high pressure case,especially considering the change of the ratio of density of gas to one of liquid.The numerical tests were conducted.The results not only show the agreement between numerical simulation for this model and experiment at the normal temperature and pressure is good,but also show that the modifications of the model for the low temperature and high pressure condition are necessary.The study is of reference to further study of oscillation restrain and relative pipe tests.

Estimation of solid concentration in solid-liquid two-phase flow in horizontal pipeline using inverse-problem approach

In this study,an inverse-problem method was applied to estimate the solid concentration in a solid-liquid two-phase flow.An algebraic slip mixture model was introduced to solve the forward problem of solid-liquid convective heat transfer.The time-average conservation equations of mass,momentum,energy,as well as the volume fraction equation were computed in a computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulation.The solid concentration in the CFD model was controlled using an external program that included the inversion iteration,and an optimal estimation was performed via experimental measurements.Experiments using a fly-ash-water mixture and sand-water mixture with different solid concentrations in a horizontal pipeline were conducted to verify the accuracy of the inverse-problem method.The estimated results were rectified using a method based on the relationship between the estimated results and estimation error;consequently,the accuracy of the corrected inversion results improved significantly.After a verification through experiments,the inverse-problem method was concluded to be feasible for predicting the solid concentration,as the estimation error of the corrected results was within 7%for all experimental samples for a solid concentration of less than 50%.The inverse-problem method is expected to provide accurate predictions of the solid concentration in solid-liquid two-phase flow systems.

颗粒体积浓度对半开式叶轮离心泵泄漏涡和磨损的影响

固液两相流条件下半开式叶轮离心泵中颗粒冲击、泄漏涡发展和颗粒轨迹之间存在紧密交互作用,导致过流部件的磨损行为复杂多变。该研究结合双向耦合欧拉-拉格朗日方法和颗粒磨损Finnie模型,对不同颗粒体积浓度下半开式叶轮离心泵固液两相流场进行求解,分析了颗粒体积浓度对泄漏涡结构特征、颗粒运移轨迹和磨损特性的影响,揭示了颗粒体积浓度、叶顶间隙泄漏涡和过流部件表面磨损规律的关联机制。结果表明:随着颗粒体积浓度的增加,颗粒的频繁撞击加剧了叶片压力面进水边和后盖板磨损程度,叶片吸力面出水边的磨损范围向进水边方向延伸;颗粒体积浓度小于1%时,颗粒的轴向运动和叶顶间隙泄漏涡的阻碍作用导致颗粒易与叶片前缘靠近叶根处和吸力面出水边靠近叶顶的区域发生撞击,诱发严重磨损,且呈现点状磨损;当颗粒体积浓度大于3%时,叶轮后盖板的整体磨损强度大于叶片,颗粒体积浓度的增加造成流入叶顶间隙层的颗粒数增加,颗粒对叶顶间隙泄漏涡的冲击导致涡流的破碎、分离、再融合,加剧不稳定流动,泵的扬程和效率均明显下降。该研究可为固液两相半开式叶轮离心泵优化设计和安全稳定运行提供理论参考。