Visual Cavitation Studies of Mixed Flow Pump Impellers

1963 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. Wood

Three mixed flow impellers representing a wide range of design parameters were tested in a closed water loop to obtain correlations of the high-speed photographic records of the cavitation formations with various performance parameters. It was found that cavitation existed for all impellers at much higher values of NPSH than those associated with a finite drop in the impeller head rise. The cavitation formations in the vane channels of the impellers were observed to be cyclic in nature, whereas the cavitation near the leading edge of the vanes was more stable.

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven M. Miner

This paper presents the results of a study using a coarse grid to analyze the flow in the impeller of a mixed flow pump. A commercial computational fluid dynamics code (FLOTRAN) is used to solve the 3-D Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equations in a rotating cylindrical coordinate system. The standardk-εturbulence model is used. The mesh for this study uses 26,000 nodes and the model is run on a SPARCstation 20. This is in contrast to typical analyses using in excess of 100,000 nodes that are run on a super computer platform. The smaller mesh size has advantages in the design environment. Stage design parameters are, rotational speed 1185 rpm, flow coefficientφ=0.116, head coefficientψ=0.094, and specific speed 2.01 (5475 US). Results for the model include circumferentially averaged results at the leading and trailing edges of the impeller, and analysis of the flow field within the impeller passage. Circumferentially averaged results include axial and tangential velocities, static pressure, and total pressure. Within the impeller passage the static pressure and velocity results are presented on surfaces from the leading edge to the trailing edge, the hub to the shroud, and the pressure surface to the suction surface. Results of this study are consistent with the expected flow characteristics of mixed flow impellers, indicating that small CFD models can be used to evaluate impeller performance in the design environment.


1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
William G. Broadhead ◽  
D. Theodore Zinke

Abstract The design of an airbag restraint system presents a classic engineering challenge. There are numerous design parameters that need to be optimized to cover the wide range of occupant sizes, occupant positions and vehicle collision modes. Some of the major parameters that affect airbag performance include, the airbag inflator characteristics, airbag size and shape, airbag vent size, steering column collapse characteristics, airbag cover characteristics, airbag fold pattern, knee bolsters, seat, seat belt characteristics, and vehicle crush characteristics. Optimization of these parameters can involve extremely costly programs of sled tests and full scale vehicle crash tests. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) with regard to airbag design are not specific and allow flexibility in component characteristics. One design strategy, which is simplistic and inexpensive, is to utilize a very fast, high output gas generator (inflator). This ensures that the bag will begin restraining the occupant soon after deployment and can make up for deficiencies in other components such as inadequate steering column collapse or an unusually stiff vehicle crush characteristic. The use of such inflators generally works well for properly positioned occupants in moderate to high-speed frontal collisions by taking advantage of the principle of ridedown. When an airbag quickly fills the gap between the occupant and the instrument panel or steering wheel it links him to the vehicle such that he utilizes the vehicle’s front-end crush to help dissipate his energy, thus reducing the restraint forces. Unfortunately, powerful airbag systems can be injurious to anyone in the path of the deploying airbag. This hazard is present for short statured individuals, out of position children or any occupant in a collision that results in extra ordinary crash sensing time. Currently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing to rewrite FMVSS 208 to help reduce such hazards.


Author(s):  
Leilei Ji ◽  
Wei Li ◽  
Weidong Shi ◽  
Fei Tian ◽  
Shuo Li ◽  
...  

In order to study the effect of different numbers of impeller blades on the performance of mixed-flow pump “saddle zone”, the external characteristic test and numerical simulation of mixed-flow pumps with three different impeller blade numbers were carried out. Based on high-precision numerical prediction, the internal flow field and tip leakage flow field of mixed flow pump under design conditions and stall conditions are investigated. By studying the vorticity transport in the stall flow field, the specific location of the high loss area inside the mixed flow pump impeller with different numbers of blades is located. The research results show that the increase in the number of impeller blades improve the pump head and efficiency under design conditions. Compared to the 4-blade impeller, the head and efficiency of the 5-blade impeller are increased by 5.4% and 21.9% respectively. However, the increase in the number of blades also leads to the widening of the “saddle area” of the mixed-flow pump, which leads to the early occurrence of stall and increases the instability of the mixed-flow pump. As the mixed-flow pump enters the stall condition, the inlet of the mixed-flow pump has a spiral swirl structure near the end wall for different blade numbers, but the depth and range of the swirling flow are different due to the change in the number of blades. At the same time, the change in the number of blades also makes the flow angle at 75% span change significantly, but the flow angle at 95% span is not much different because the tip leakage flow recirculates at the leading edge. Through the analysis of the vorticity transport results in the impeller with different numbers of blades, it is found that the reasons for the increase in the values of the vorticity transport in the stall condition are mainly impacted by the swirl flow at the impeller inlet, the tip leakage flow at the leading edge and the increased unsteady flow structures.


Symmetry ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Zhu ◽  
Ran Tao ◽  
Ruofu Xiao

Mixed-flow pumps compromise large flow rate and high head in fluid transferring. Long-axis mixed-flow pumps with radial–axial “spacing” guide vanes are usually installed deeply under water and suffer strong cavitation due to strong environmental pressure drops. In this case, a strategy combining the Diffusion-Angle Integral Design method, the Genetic Algorithm, and the Computational Fluid Dynamics method was used for optimizing the mixed-flow pump impeller. The Diffusion-Angle Integral Design method was used to parameterize the leading-edge geometry. The Genetic Algorithm was used to search for the optimal sample. The Computational Fluid Dynamics method was used for predicting the cavitation performance and head–efficiency performance of all the samples. The optimization designs quickly converged and got an optimal sample. This had an increased value for the minimum pressure coefficient, especially under off-design conditions. The sudden pressure drop around the leading-edge was weakened. The cavitation performance within the 0.5–1.2 Qd flow rate range, especially within the 0.62–0.78 Qd and 1.08–1.20 Qd ranges, was improved. The head and hydraulic efficiency was numerically checked without obvious change. This provided a good reference for optimizing the cavitation or other performances of bladed pumps.


Author(s):  
S Sarkar

The results presented here are part of a detailed programme measuring the aerodynamics of a high specific speed mixed flow pump impeller over a wide range of operating conditions, including its behaviour in the unsteady stalled regime. The aim is to elucidate the physics of the flow through such an impeller. The noticeable features are the formation of part-span rotating stall cells having no periodicity and organized structure at reduced flow and also the shifting positions of reversal flow pockets as the flowrate changes. Measurements of loss and its variation with span-wise positions and flowrates enable the variation of local efficiency to be determined. The overall flow picture is similar to that expected in an axial flow impeller, though the present impeller displays a narrow stall hysteresis loop almost right through its operating range.


Author(s):  
Behnam Ghalamchi ◽  
Adam Kłodowski ◽  
Jussi T. Sopanen ◽  
Aki M. Mikkola

The main scope of this paper is optimization of high speed rotor systems by using Evolutionary Algorithm. The target of the optimization is finding geometrical parameters of the shaft, in such a way that the critical speeds are not occurring in the operation speed range. Rotating machines have a wide range of applications in industrial machinery and applying numerical optimization techniques helps engineers to improve the performance of rotor bearing systems. A schematic of a turbine rotor system is studied. The rotor is modeled using finite element method and Timoshenko beam elements having four degrees of freedom (DOF) per node — two translational and two rotational. Critical speeds are identified using Campbell diagram. The outcome of the simulation is looking to find the widest safe margin for operation speed range without any critical speed in Campbell diagram within the operation range. Design parameters for optimization are overhang shafts lengths and diameters. Several simulation runs with different variables shows a significant effect of these parameters in dynamic behavior of the system. Comparison of the results with the basic design of turbine rotor reveals that all constraints are satisfied.


Author(s):  
Katsutoshi Kobayashi ◽  
Yoshimasa Chiba

LES (Large Eddy Simulation) with a cavitation model was performed to calculate an unsteady flow for a mixed flow pump with a closed type impeller. First, the comparison between the numerical and experimental results was done to evaluate a computational accuracy. Second, the torque acting on the blade was calculated by simulation to investigate how the cavitation caused the fluctuation of torque. The absolute pressure around the leading edge on the suction side of blade surface had positive impulsive peaks in both the numerical and experimental results. The simulation showed that those peaks were caused by the cavitaion which contracted and vanished around the leading edge. The absolute pressure was predicted by simulation with −10% error. The absolute pressure around the trailing edge on the suction side of blade surface had no impulsive peaks in both the numerical and experimental results, because the absolute pressure was 100 times higher than the saturated vapor pressure. The simulation results showed that the cavitation was generated around the throat, then contracted and finally vanished. The simulated pump had five throats and cavitation behaviors such as contraction and vanishing around five throats were different from each other. For instance, the cavitations around those five throats were not vanished at the same time. When the cavitation was contracted and finally vanished, the absolute pressure on the blade surface was increased. When the cavitation was contracted around the throat located on the pressure side of blade surface, the pressure became high on the pressure side of blade surface. It caused the 1.4 times higher impulsive peak in the torque than the averaged value. On the other hand, when the cavitation was contracted around the throat located on the suction side of blade surface, the pressure became high on the suction side of blade surface. It caused the 0.4 times lower impulsive peak in the torque than the averaged value. The cavitation around the throat caused the large fluctuation in torque acting on the blade.


1960 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 929-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. Wood ◽  
J. S. Murphy ◽  
J. Farquhar

A mixed flow impeller design was tested with six, five, and four vanes in a closed water loop to study the effects of cavitation on hydraulic performance and the results were compared with the work of other investigators. Two idealized flow models for incipient cavitation were derived to illustrate limits of cavitation design. It was found that both vane blockage and solidity effects are important when designing for optimum cavitation performance. Data showing incidence and speed effects plus the tip static pressure profiles in cavitating and noncavitating flow are also presented.


2000 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven M. Miner

This paper presents the results of a study using coarse grids to analyze the flow in the impellers of an axial flow pump and a mixed flow pump. A commercial CFD code (FLOTRAN) is used to solve the 3-D Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equations in a rotating cylindrical coordinate system. The standard k−ε turbulence model is used. The meshes for this study use 22,000 nodes and 40,000 nodes for the axial flow impeller, and 26,000 nodes for the mixed flow impeller. Both models are run on a SPARCstation 20. This is in contrast to typical analyses using in excess of 100,000 nodes. The smaller mesh size has advantages in the design environment. Stage design parameters for the axial flow impeller are, rotational speed 870 rpm, flow coefficient ϕ=0.13, head coefficient ψ=0.06, and specific speed 2.97 (8101 US). For the mixed flow impeller the parameters are, rotational speed 890 rpm, flow coefficient ϕ=0.116, head coefficient ψ=0.094, and specific speed 2.01 (5475 US). Evaluation of the models is based on a comparison of circumferentially averaged results to measured data for the same impeller. Comparisons to measured data include axial and tangential velocities, static pressure, and total pressure. A comparison between the coarse and fine meshes for the axial flow impeller is included. Results of this study show that the computational results closely match the shapes and magnitudes of the measured profiles, indicating that coarse CFD models can be used to accurately predict performance. [S0098-2202(00)02202-1]


Author(s):  
N. Karamanis ◽  
R. F. Martinez-Botas ◽  
C. C. Su

The performance and detailed flow characteristics of a high pressure ratio mixed flow turbine has been investigated under steady and pulsating flow conditions. The rotor has been designed to have a nominal constant incidence (based on free vortex flow in the volute) and it is for use in an automotive high speed diesel turbocharger. The results indicated a departure from the quasi-steady analysis commonly used in turbocharger turbine design. The pulsations from the engine have been followed through the inlet pipe and around the volute; the pulse has been shown to propagate close to the speed of sound and not according to the bulk flow velocity as stated by some researchers. The flow entering and exiting the blades has been quantified by a laser Doppler velocimetry system. The measurements were performed at a plane 3.0 mm ahead of the rotor leading edge and 9.5 mm behind the rotor trailing edge. The turbine test conditions corresponded to the peak efficiency point at 29,400 and 41,300 rpm. The results were resolved in a blade-to-blade sense to examine in greater detail the nature of the flow at turbocharger representative conditions. A correlation between the combined effects of incidence and exit flow angle with the isentropic efficiency has been shown. The unsteady flow characteristics have been investigated at two flow pulse frequencies, corresponding to internal combustion engine speeds of 1600 and 2400 rpm. Four measurement planes have been investigated: one in the pipe feeding the volute, two in the volute (40° and 130° downstream of the tongue) and one at the exit of the turbine. The pulse propagation at these planes has been investigated; the effect of the different planes on the evaluation of the unsteady isentropic efficiency is shown to be significant. Overall, the unsteady performance efficiency results indicated a significant departure from the corresponding steady performance, in accordance with the inlet and exit flow measurements.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document