Experimental Investigation on Unsteady Pressure Pulsation in a Centrifugal Pump With Special Slope Volute

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Zhang ◽  
MinGuan Yang ◽  
Bo Gao ◽  
Zhong Li ◽  
Dan Ni
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Centrifugal Pump ◽  
Pressure Pulsation ◽  
High Amplitude ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Stable Operation ◽  
Flow Induced Vibration ◽  
Unsteady Pressure ◽  
Rotor Stator Interaction ◽  
Nonlinear Components

Rotor–stator interaction, a major source of high amplitude pressure pulsation and flow-induced vibration in the centrifugal pump, is detrimental to stable operation of pumps. In the present study, a slope volute is investigated to explore an effective method to reduce high pressure pulsation level, and its influence on flow structures is analyzed using numerical simulation. The stress is placed on experimental investigation of unsteady pressure pulsation inside the slope volute pump. For that purpose, pressure pulsations are extracted at nine locations along the slope volute casing covering sensitive pump regions. Results show that distinct pressure pulsation peaks at fBPF, together with nonlinear components are captured. These peaks are closely related to the position of pressure transducer and operating conditions of the pump. The improvement of rotational speed of the impeller results in rapid increase of pressure fluctuation amplitude at fBPF and corresponding root mean square (RMS) value within 10–500 Hz. A comparison with conventional spiral volute pump is implemented as well, and it is demonstrated that slope volute contributes significantly to the decline of pressure pulsation level.

scholarly journals Improvement of Internal Flow Performance of a Centrifugal Pump-As-Turbine (PAT) by Impeller Geometric Optimization

Mathematics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1714
Author(s):  
Jian Xu ◽  
Longyan Wang ◽  
Stephen Ntiri Asomani ◽  
Wei Luo ◽  
Rong Lu
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Pump ◽  
Pressure Pulsation ◽  
Internal Flow ◽  
Geometric Optimization ◽  
Numerical Results ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Maximum Efficiency ◽  
Stable Operation ◽  
Operating Range ◽  
Rotor Stator Interaction

Rotor-stator interaction (RSI) in the centrifugal pump-as-turbine (PAT) is a significant source of high amplitude of the pressure pulsation and the flow-induced vibration, which is detrimental to the stable operation of PAT. It is therefore imperative to analyze the rotor-stator interaction, which can subsequently be used as a guideline for reducing the output of PAT noise, vibration and cavitation. In addition, it is important for a PAT to have a wide operating range preferably at maximum efficiency. In order to broaden the operating range, this work proposes a multi-condition optimization scheme based on numerical simulations to improve the performance of a centrifugal PAT. In this paper, the optimization of PAT impeller design variables (b2, β1, β2 and z) was investigated to shed light upon its influence on the output efficiency and its internal flow characteristics. Thus, the aim of the study is to examine the unsteady pressure pulsation distributions within the PAT flow zones as a result of the impeller geometric optimization. The numerical results of the baseline model are validated by the experimental test for numerical accuracy of the PAT. The optimized efficiencies based on three operating conditions (1.0Qd, 1.2Qd, and 1.4Qd) were maximally increased by 13.1%, 8.67% and 10.62%, respectively. The numerical results show that for the distribution of PAT pressure pulsations, the RSI is the main controlling factor where the dominant frequencies were the blade passing frequency (BPF) and its harmonics. In addition, among the three selected optimum cases, the optimized case C model exhibited the highest level of pressure pulsation amplitudes, while optimized case B reported the lowest level of pressure pulsation.

Investigation on Rotor-Stator Interaction in a Low Specific Speed Centrifugal Pump

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Zhang ◽  
Minguan Yang ◽  
Bo Gao ◽  
Zhong Li ◽  
Dan Ni
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Pump ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Pressure Pulsation ◽  
Vortical Structure ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
High Amplitude ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Rotor Stator Interaction ◽  
Low Specific Speed ◽  
Specific Speed

In centrifugal pump, due to intense rotor-stator interaction, high amplitude pressure pulsating would be induced, and it has a crucial influence on the stable operating of the pump. In this paper, a low specific speed centrifugal pump is investigated to illustrate unsteady flow within the centrifugal pump. Pressure pulsation signals are attained by mounting 20 monitoring points along the spiral volute, covering all the interested region of the model pump. FFT (Fast Fourier Transform algorithm) is applied to analyze the time-domain pressure signals. Results show that in pressure spectra, evident peaks at blade passing frequency fBPF together with its high harmonics can be identified, and the amplitudes are closely associated with operating conditions of the model pump and the positions of the monitoring points. At nominal flow rate, four vortical regions with high amplitude are captured inside the model pump. And the unsteady vortical structure at the near tongue region is related to the relative position of the impeller with respect to the tongue, and the upstream effect of the volute tongue significantly affects the vorticity distribution on the blade pressure side. At off-design conditions, the interaction pattern between the vortical structure and the volute tongue is significantly affected compared with that at the rated condition, as to the upstream effect of the tongue. At high flow rate, partial vortex would separate from the main vortex, but at low flow rate, the cutting and impingement effects of the tongue are much weaker due to almost all the vortex moving to the narrow side of the tongue. Based on the analysis of rotor-stator interaction in the model pump, some conclusions could be obtained. Pressure amplitudes at fBPF are associated with the positions of monitoring points and operating conditions of the model pump. Vorticity magnitude at blade exit increases as the impeller passes the volute tongue. And the fluid-dynamic blade-volute interaction is dominated by the vorticity shedding from blade trailing edge and their impingement on the volute tongue with subsequent cutting and distortion. And high pressure amplitude is generated with the corresponding high vorticity magnitude observed. So the intense interaction between flow structures (jet-wake pattern) and volute tongue is crucial to unsteady pressure pulsation. Thus, to lower pressure pulsation amplitude and fluid dynamic forces, controlling the vortical structure at blade trailing edge is an effective method.

Unsteady Pressure Pulsation Measurements and Analysis of a Low Specific Speed Centrifugal Pump

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Gao ◽  
Pengming Guo ◽  
Ning Zhang ◽  
Zhong Li ◽  
MinGuan Yang
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Band ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Pressure Pulsation ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Stable Operation ◽  
Centrifugal Pumps ◽  
Pressure Transducers ◽  
Unsteady Pressure ◽  
Low Specific Speed ◽  
Response Pressure

Intense pressure pulsation, resulted from the flow structure shedding from the blade trailing edge and its interaction with the volute tongue and the casing, is detrimental to the stable operation of centrifugal pumps. In the present study, unsteady pressure pulsation signals at different positions of the volute casing are extracted using high response pressure transducers at flow rate of 0–1.55ΦN. Emphasis is laid upon the influence of measuring position and operating condition on pressure pulsation characteristics, and components at the blade passing frequency fBPF and root-mean-square (RMS) values in 0–20.66fn frequency band are mainly analyzed. Results clearly show that the predominant components in pressure spectra always locate at fBPF. The varying trends versus flow rate of components at fBPF differ significantly for different points, and it is considered to be associated with the corresponding flow structures at particular positions of the volute casing. At the near-tongue region, high pressure amplitudes occur at the position of θ = 36 deg, namely the point at the after tongue region. For different measuring points, angular distributions of amplitudes at fBPF and RMS values in 0–20.66fn frequency band are not consistent and affected significantly by the pump operating conditions.

Numerical Investigation of Pressure Pulsation in Vaneless Region of a High Speed Centrifugal Pump

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongshun Zeng ◽  
Min Yang ◽  
Yuqing Zhai ◽  
Zhifeng Yao ◽  
Fujun Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Pump ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Pressure Pulsation ◽  
Simulation Method ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Pressure Pulsations ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Rotor Stator Interaction ◽  
Frequency Components ◽  
Good Agreement

Abstract The pressure pulsation due to rotor-stator interaction (RSI) is unavoidable for high-speed centrifugal pump when operating under different conditions. The frequency components of pressure pulsation in the vaneless region are the most complex, and the pressure pulsation characteristic plays an important role in pump structural stress analysis. A numerical simulation method is used to obtain the hydraulic performances of a high-speed centrifugal pump with 9857 r/min at the range of flow rates between 48.1 to 155.0 m3/h. The head and efficiency under different operating conditions have good agreement with experimental results, with maximum deviations in 3.82% and 5.37%, respectively. The results show that the level of the pressure pulsation from the inlet to the outlet of the impeller increased gradually, and the pressure pulsations between the short blades are greater than that between the long and short blades. In the diffuser, the pressure pulsation is the highest near the tongue, whereas it is lower in the region between the two tongues, and this region is defined as the vaneless region. The pressure contours in the vaneless region almost have no change, while they near the tongue are densely distributed, revealing the mechanism of uneven pressure pulsation distribution. Moreover, there is a high radial velocity distribution near the tongue in the vaneless region, indicating that there may be a jet-wake pattern occured in this region.

Effects of the staggered blades on unsteady pressure pulsations and flow structures of a centrifugal pump

2021 ◽  
pp. 095765092098732
Author(s):  
Ning Zhang ◽  
Bo Gao ◽  
Chao Li ◽  
Dan Ni ◽  
Guoping Li
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Pump ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Pressure Pulsation ◽  
Second Harmonic ◽  
Simulation Method ◽  
Pump Efficiency ◽  
Pressure Amplitude ◽  
Pressure Pulsations ◽  
Unsteady Pressure ◽  
Negative Effect

Effects of the staggered blades on unsteady pressure pulsations of a centrifugal pump with a specific speed ns=147 are investigated by the numerical simulation method. The obtained results are compared with the original blades. To clarify the resulting effects, eight monitoring points are used to extract pressure signals at three typical working conditions, and component at the blade passing frequency fBPF is emphasized. Results show that the pump efficiency and head will be reduced by the staggered blades, and at the nominal flow rate, the reduction is about 1.5% from comparison with the original blades. For all the eight points, the staggered blades contribute to the reduction of pressure amplitudes at fBPF when the pump works at three flow rates. The averaged reduction is 15.5% at the nominal flow rate. However, the negative effect on the second harmonic of fBPF will be caused by the staggered blades, and the corresponding pressure amplitude will increase at 2fBPF. It means that the pressure pulsation energy will be redistributed among the discrete components in pressure spectrum by the staggered blades. From the TKE distribution, it is found that the TKE values on the blade pressure side will be significantly affected by the staggered blades.

Numerical investigation of flow features in the vaneless region of a centrifugal pump by large eddy simulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 395-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xianbei Huang ◽  
Yaojun Li ◽  
Zhuqing Liu ◽  
Wei Yang
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Transport Equation ◽  
Centrifugal Pump ◽  
Reynolds Stress ◽  
Pressure Pulsation ◽  
Third Order ◽  
Production Term ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Blade Passing Frequency ◽  
Rotor Stator Interaction

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to obtain a better understanding of the rotor–stator interaction in the vaneless region of a centrifugal pump. Design/methodology/approach A third-order sub-grid scale (SGS) model containing the rotation rate tensor named the dynamic cubic non-linear model (DCNM) is used for simulating the flow field in a centrifugal pump with a vaned diffuser. The pressure coefficient and velocity distributions are compared with the experimental data. Focusing on the vaneless region, the pressure pulsation, Reynolds stress pulsation and Reynolds stress transport equation are analyzed. Findings The comparison of the calculation results with the experimental data indicates that the DCNM can accurately capture the distributions of pressure and velocity in the vaneless region. Based on the instantaneous pressure signals, the pressure pulsation is analyzed to show that in the vaneless region, the dominant frequency near the impeller is twice the blade passing frequency, whereas it is equal to the blade passing frequency near the diffuser. Further exploration of the Reynolds stress pulsation shows the correlation between the two variables. Additionally, the extreme low frequency of Reynolds stress near the diffuser is found to be related to the rotation instability. To explore the turbulence characteristics in the vaneless region, the Reynolds stress transportation equation is studied. In the vaneless region, the rotation term of the Reynolds stress transport equation is negligible compared to the production term, although the rotation instability is obvious near the diffuser. The production of the Reynolds stress plays the role of redistributing the energy from the uu component to the vv component, except for the region near the impeller outlet. Originality/value The third-order SGS model DCNM has proved to be promising in simulating the rotor–stator interaction. The analysis of the rotation instability and the Reynolds stress transport equation shed light on the further understanding of the rotor–stator interaction.

scholarly journals Effect of the staggered impeller on reducing unsteady pressure pulsations of a centrifugal pump

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Zhang ◽  
Junxian Jiang ◽  
Xiaokai Liu ◽  
Bo Gao
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Pump ◽  
Internal Flow ◽  
Simulation Method ◽  
Low Noise ◽  
Stable Operation ◽  
Pump Efficiency ◽  
Pressure Pulsations ◽  
Pump Design ◽  
Pump Head ◽  
Rotor Stator Interaction

Abstract High pressure pulsations excited by rotor stator interaction is always focused in pumps, especially for its control considering the stable operation. In the current research, a special staggered impeller is proposed to reduce intense pressure pulsations of a centrifugal pump with ns=69 based on alleviating rotor stator interaction. The numerical simulation method is conducted to illustrate the influence of staggered impeller on the pump performance and pressure pulsations, and three typical flow rates (0.8ФN-1.2ФN) are simulated. Results show that the staggered impeller will lead to the pump head increasing, and at the design working condition, the increment reaches about 3% compared with the original impeller. Meanwhile, the pump efficiency is little affected by the staggered impeller, which is almost identical with the original impeller. From comparison of pressure spectra at twenty monitoring points around the impeller outlet, it is validated that the staggered impeller contributes significantly to decreasing pressure pulsations at the concerned working conditions. At the blade passing frequency, the averaged reduction of twenty points reaches 89% by using the staggered impeller at 1.0ФN. The reduction reaches to 90%, 80% at 0.8ФN, 1.2ФN respectively. Caused by the rib within the staggered impeller, the internal flow field in the blade channel will be affected. Finally, it is concluded that the proposed staggered impeller surely has a significant effect on alleviating intense pressure pulsation of the model pump, which is very promising during the low noise pump design considering its feasibility for manufacturing.

Influence of Impeller Sinusoidal Tubercle Trailing Edge On Pressure Pulsation in a Centrifugal Pump At Nominal Flow Rate

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanpi Lin ◽  
Xiaojun Li ◽  
Bowen Li ◽  
Xiao-Qi Jia ◽  
Zuchao Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Pump ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Pressure Pulsation ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Centrifugal Pumps ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Rotor Stator Interaction ◽  
High Speed Rotation ◽  
Operation Stability ◽  
Speed Rotation

Abstract The high-speed rotation of impellers leads to strong rotor-stator interaction, which mainly causes the pressure pulsation of centrifugal pumps. An impeller with a bionic sinusoidal tubercle trailing edge (STTE) can reduce the intensity of the rotor-stator interaction and thus reduce the pressure pulsation of the centrifugal pump. In this study three profiles of STTE were designed based on the pectoral fin structure of humpback whales of which the influence on the pressure pulsation of centrifugal pumps was studied via experiment and numerical simulation. Results show that a reasonable design of STTE can effectively eliminate the high-frequency pressure pulsation in the rotor-stator interaction region of the centrifugal pump. The use of STTE2 and STTE3 profiles affects the amplitude reduction of pressure pulsation at the blade passing frequency (fBPF). Compared with the impeller without the STTE profile, the amplitudes of pressure pulsation with STTE2 and STTE3 profiles are decreased by 47.10% and 44.20% at the pump discharge, while the decrease, at the volute throat are 30.36% and 25.97%, respectively. Detailed flow structures inside the pump show that the STTE profile can inhibit the vortex generation at the blade trailing edge, and the local high-intensity pressure pulsation can be reasonably avoided. This study helps improve the pressure pulsation characteristic of centrifugal pumps and their operation stability.

Effects of Blade Pressure Side Modification On Unsteady Pressure Pulsation and Flow Structures in a Centrifugal Pump

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengshuo Wu ◽  
Wenqi Zhang ◽  
Peng Wu ◽  
Jiale Yi ◽  
Haojie Ye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Distribution ◽  
Centrifugal Pump ◽  
Pressure Pulsation ◽  
Internal Flow ◽  
Flow Structures ◽  
Pressure Side ◽  
Unsteady Pressure ◽  
Operation Conditions ◽  
Impeller Outlet ◽  
Steady State Simulation

Abstract In this paper, the effects of modifying the blade pressure side on unsteady pressure pulsation and flow structures in a low specific speed centrifugal pump are carried out by experimental and CFD. Seven monitor points are arranged in the circumferential direction of the impeller outlet to capture the pressure signals in the volute at the flow rate of 0.2-1.6Qd. Results show that blade PS modification introduced here can significantly alleviate the amplitude of pressure pulsation at blade passing frequency in all concerned operation conditions. The volute domain is replaced by an even outlet region for CFD analysis to study the effects on internal flow field. The SST turbulence model is adopted for steady-state simulation while the DDES based on the SST approach is adopted for transient simulation. Results show that local velocity fluctuation is the dominant reason for pressure pulsation in the volute. After PS modification, the relative velocity distribution at impeller outlet is more uniform and the intensity of shedding vortex at the blade trailing edge decreases significantly. The change of internal flow structure improves the uniformity of circumferential velocity distribution at downstream of impeller outlet, which leads to the decrease of pressure fluctuation amplitude in the volute. Meanwhile, the Local Euler Head distribution and the blade loading of PS are presented and compared. Results show that the reduction of pressure pulsation attributes to the more uniform energy distribution at impeller outlet which is achieved by actively unloading the PS of the modified blades.

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