Effects of Flow Coefficient on Miniature Centrifugal Pump Performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 141 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guiqin Liu ◽  
Weng Kong Chan

In order to help the design of miniature centrifugal pumps, the design method for macrosize centrifugal pumps is reviewed and the critical parameter, the flow coefficient, is examined in this paper for the miniature centrifugal pumps. The performance of the pumps designed is analyzed theoretically, numerically, and experimentally. Both numerical and theoretical results show that the value of the optimized flow coefficient is approximately 1.47. This value is about five times larger than the recommended value using conventional design technique for macrosize pumps. The optimum radius ratio obtained numerically is approximately 0.4. It can be concluded that the design approach for macrosize pumps is not applicable for pumps in the scale of decimeters. The results obtained in the present study provide us guidelines on the design and performance study of the miniature centrifugal pump.

Author(s):  
Shouqi Yuan ◽  
Jinfeng Zhang ◽  
Yue Tang ◽  
Jianping Yuan ◽  
Yuedeng Fu

The research on a centrifugal pump of low specific speed with splitter blades was carried out in recent years by our group, is systematically introduced in this paper. The design method is summarized also. At the beginning, based on the former L9(34) orthogonal test, Particle Imagine Velocity (PIV) tests and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were carried out for several designs with different splitter blade length. Results show that for an impeller with splitter blades the “jet-wake” flow at the impeller outlet is improved, and the velocity distribution inside the impeller is more uniform. This explains that the impeller with splitter blades shows higher performance (especially in head and efficiency). Meanwhile, the numerical simulation results were compared with the test results, which confirm that, CFD technology can be used to observe inner flow distribution and forecast pump performance tendency. Later, a further L9(34) orthogonal test, which adopt the blade number as a new variable, was designed to explore the relationship between geometry parameters of splitter blade and pump performance, and corresponding CFD simulations for the flow field with volute were also done. From the test results the influence of the main design parameters on the hydraulic performance of a centrifugal pump and its reasonable value range are determined. The simulations forecasted pump performance show good consistency with that from tests at the rated point, and the simulated error at other flow rates were analyzed. Thirdly, in order to save research cost, numerical simulations were done for the full flow field including the cavity inside the volute and impeller. By analyzing the distribution law of blade torque and turbulent kinetic energy in the impeller, the value fetching principle for the splitter blade inlet diameter is presented as “the splitter blades torque should be positive”, and by analyzing the distribution of blades loading, the flow distribution rules and pump performance influenced by different splitter blades off-setting angles and inlet diameters were discovered. The disk friction loss, which consuming much energy in centrifugal pumps, was also forecasted at various operating conditions. The results were compared with that from empirical formulas, which show great accordance at the rated point, and the forecasted results at off-design points were analyzed also. Finally, the research results and the design method for the centrifugal pump with splitter blades, such as how to select splitter blade number, the off-setting angle, the inlet diameter and the deflection angle, were summarized.


Author(s):  
Shunya Takao ◽  
Kentarou Hayashi ◽  
Masahiro Miyabe

Abstract In order to improve suction performance, centrifugal pumps with an inducer are used for rocket pumps, liquid gas transport such as LNG, and general-purpose pumps. Since a higher suction performance than conventional pump is required, a splitter blade that consists of a long blade and a short blade is sometimes adopted. However, the design becomes more difficult due to the increased number of parameters. The stable operation over a wide flow rate range are required in the general-purpose pumps. Therefore it is necessary to design them so that unstable flow phenomena such as surges do not occur. However, the design method to avoid them is not well understood yet. In this study, we focused on the splitter blade impeller in a general-purpose low-speed centrifugal pump with an inducer. Six parameters such as leading edge position and trailing edge position of the short blade for both hub-side and tip-side were set as design ones. A multi-objective optimization method using a commercial software was applied to improve suction performance while maintaining high efficiency. Then obtained optimal shape were analyzed by CFD calculation and extracted the feature. Furthermore, optimized impellers were manufactured and confirmed the performance over a wide flow rate range by experiments. In addition, a optimizing design method that improves pump performance at lower cost was studied.


2018 ◽  
pp. 41-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiaorui Si ◽  
Qianglei Cui ◽  
Keyu Zhang ◽  
Jianping Yuan ◽  
Gérard Bois

In order to study the flow characteristics of centrifugal pumps when transporting the gas-liquid mixture, water and air were chosen as the working medium. Both numerical simulation and experimental tests were conducted on a centrifugal pump under different conditions of inlet air volume fraction (IAVF). The calculation used URANS k-epsilon turbulence model combined with the Euler-Euler inhomogeneous two-phase model. The air distribution and velocity streamline inside the impeller were obtained to discuss the flow characteristics of the pump. The results show that air concentration is high at the inlet pressure side of the blade, where the vortex will exist, indicating that the gas concentration have a great relationship with the vortex aggregation in the impeller passages. In the experimental works, pump performances were measured at different IAVF and compared with numerical results. Contributions to the centrifugal pump performance degradations were analyzed under different air-water inlet flow condition such as IAVF, bubble size, inlet pressure. Results show that pump performance degradation is more pronounced for low flow rates compared to high flow rates. Finally, pressure pulsation and vibration experiments of the pump model under different IAVF were also conducted. Inlet and outlet transient pressure signals under four IAVF were investigated and pressure pulsation frequency of the monitors is near the blade passing frequency at different IAVF, and when IAVF increased, the lower frequency signal is more and more obvious. Vibration signals at five measuring points were also obtained under different IAVF for various flow rates.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spyridon D. Kyparissis ◽  
Dionissios P. Margaris

Passive flow control techniques are used to improve the flow field and efficiency of centrifugal pumps and turbomachines, in general. An important phenomenon that mechanical engineers have to take into account is cavitation. It leads to the decrease of the pump performance and total head. In the present experimental study, a centrifugal pump is investigated in cavitating conditions. A passive flow control is realized using three different blade leading edge angles in order to reduce the cavitation development and enhance the pump performance. The experiments are carried out in a pump test rig specially designed and constructed, along with the impellers. The head drop and total efficiency curves are presented in order to examine the effect of the blade leading edge angle on the cavitation and pump performance. Finally, the vapour distribution along with the blades is illustrated for the tested blade leading edge angles.


2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Neumann ◽  
Thomas Schäfer ◽  
André Bieberle ◽  
Uwe Hampel

In this work, we have studied how gas accumulates in an industrial centrifugal pump under various steady-state two-phase flow conditions. Thereby, we considered both horizontal and vertical pump installation positions. Phase fractions within the impeller region of the pump have been quantitatively disclosed using high-resolution gamma-ray computed tomography (HireCT) and applying time-averaged rotation-synchronized CT scanning technique. The study was made for inlet volumetric gas flow rates between 0% and 5%. To account for different inlet flow conditions, which are assumed to occur during unwanted gas entrainment by hollow vortices, we produced disperse and swirling gas–liquid inlet flows. In this way, the influence of inlet flow boundary conditions on the pump performance as well as gas fraction distributions and gas holdup within the impeller wheel region could be successfully analyzed and compared with respect to the impeller alignment. It was shown that the installation position offers only a minor effect on the pump performance in comparison to the inlet flow conditions. In addition, for the first time, thin gas films at the pressure side of the impeller wheel blades could be visualized in an industrial centrifugal pump.


Author(s):  
Carlos Luis Moreno ◽  
Alejandro Fuenmayor ◽  
Gilberto Núñez ◽  
Jesús De Andrade ◽  
Ricardo Noguera ◽  
...  

Centrifugal pump performance is affected when pumping viscous liquids, requiring a larger power input than the same pump handling water. In applications of chemical, civil, environmental, and mechanical engineering that involve centrifugal pumps, it is a challenge to accurately estimate and even more of a challenge to improve their performance when handling viscous liquids. When accurate performance data is needed, difficult experiments must be conducted with the operating viscous flow. The extension of the applicability of numerical techniques for solving fluid dynamics (CFD) permits the consideration of these tools as a definite possibility for predicting the performance of centrifugal pumps with viscous flows. The purpose of this study is to perform a 3D-CFD steady-state simulation of three different configurations of centrifugal pumps. The first is an impeller-diffuser pump (ns = 19) taken from an ESP model. The second is a Francis Pump-Turbine (ns = 28). Finally, the third configuration possesses an impeller and volute (ns = 32). The objective is to characterize and evaluate their performances with four different fluids from 1 to 420 cSt. These are: water at 25°C, SAE10 and SAE30 oils, and Fuel Oil Medium (FOM). For water flow conditions, the numerical results were compared with experimental data, and found to be consistent with global performance parameters. With regard to the higher viscosity fluids, the CFD calculation was compared with those obtained through the standard empirical method (ANSI/HI9.6.7). This resulted in good agreement between the performance results. The commercial software ANSYS-CFX was used for the CFD calculations. The resulting pump performance curve (head, hydraulic efficiency and power output) is consistent with that expected by theory. In general, as the viscosity of fluids increases, the hydraulic energy losses increase. Of the three pumps, slip factor for SAE30 oil was larger for all volumetric flows since it features the best guidance of the flow in the impeller blade passage. For the ns32 pump and the pump-turbine ns28, the volute losses rose from water to FOM, just like the impeller hydraulic losses. For these two turbo machines, the impeller losses were larger than volute losses. For the pumps with volute, the effects of fluid viscosity on the radial forces were evaluated. It was found that the radial forces decrease when the viscosity increases. This paper attempts to contribute to a better understanding of fluid dynamics within centrifugal pump impellers handling viscous fluids, and intends to shed more light on the approaches that performance prediction models should follow in the future.


Author(s):  
Sugeng Hadi Susilo ◽  
Agus Setiawan

The paper discusses the performance of the pump in relation to the impeller. The impeller section is determined by the number and angle of the blades. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the role of the number and angle of impeller blades on the performance (discharge and discharge pressure) of centrifugal pumps based on experiments and simulations. The method used is experiment and simulation. Using a centrifugal pump type GWP 20/4 SW, Maximum Output: 6.5 HP/3500 rpm, Inlet/Outlet: 2 Inch, Dimensions: 475x375x370 mm. Experiments and simulations by varying the number of blades 2, 4, and 6 with a blade tilt angle of 130°, 150°, and 160°. For flow simulation using solid works program. The results show that pump performance is related to discharge pressure, impeller with 2-blades and an angle of 130° the pressure increases 0.45–2.45 bar, for 150° increases 0.14–2.96 bar, and 160° increases 0.29–3.07 bars. For a 4-blade impeller and an angle of 130°, the pressure increases by 0.48–3.12 bar, for 150° it increases by 0.39–3.39 bar, and for 160° it increases by 0.36–3.48 bar. While the impeller for 6-blades with an angle of 130° the pressure increases from 0.6 bar to 3.72 bar, for 150° increases from 1.36 to 4.34 bar, and 160° increases by 0.36–4.74 bar. While it related pump performance to flow rate, increasing the number of blades causes a decrease in flow rate. The highest flow rate is in a 2-blade impeller with a blade angle of 130° is 404.91 l/s. The lowest flow rate is on a 6-blade impeller with an angle of 160° is 279.66 l/s


2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 613-618
Author(s):  
Su-Lu Zheng ◽  
Xiang-Ping Wang ◽  
Rui-Hang Zheng ◽  
Ai-Ping Xia ◽  
Yi-Nian Wang ◽  
...  

The double-channel centrifugal pumps are widely used to transport the two-phase flow including big solid particles in industry and agriculture. However, the related design theory and the design method are immature by far. In practice, the revised design method based on the pure water medium is still the main method for the solid-liquid twophase double-channel pump. Therefore, it is very necessary to deeply study the flow characteristics on the condition of the pure water medium. In this paper, in order to study the flow characteristics inside a prototype double-channel centrifugal pump in the case that the delivered medium is the pure water, the SIMPLE algorithm, RNG κ-ε turbulence model, and frozen rotor method are employed to calculate the incompressible, viscous, three-dimensional internal flow. The calculation results display the variation characteristics of the internal flow field and the external performance. The results show that the predicted pump head drops with the increasing flow rate, which manifest that the pump model is of good operation stability at the whole range of working. At the design point, a strong and large vortex remain appears at the middle section of the double-channel impeller. The computational fluids dynamic technology is competent to assess the internal viscous flow inside a double-channel centrifugal pump.


Machines ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Zhenfa Xu ◽  
Fanyu Kong ◽  
Lingfeng Tang ◽  
Mingwei Liu ◽  
Jiaqiong Wang ◽  
...  

Blade thickness is an essential parameter of the impeller, which has significant effects on the pump performance. The plastic pump generally adopts thick blade due to low strength of plastic. The effects of blade thickness on the internal flow and performance of a plastic centrifugal pump were discussed based on the numerical methods. Two kinds of blade profile, the constant thickness blade (CTB) and the variable thickness blade (VTB), were investigated. The results indicated that, for the CTB, when the blade thickness was less than 6 mm, the pump performance did not change significantly. When the blade thickness exceeded 6 mm, the pump head and efficiency decreased rapidly. The pump head and efficiency of CTB 10 decreased by 42.2% and 30% compared with CTB 4, respectively. For the VTB, with blade thickness in a certain range (6 mm–14 mm), the pump performance changed slightly with the increased of trailing edge thickness. The minimum blade thickness of the plastic centrifugal pump should be 4 mm based on the finite element analysis. A variable thickness blade (VTB 4-8-4) with the maximum thickness located at 60% chord length was proposed to improve the pump performance, and its efficiency was 1.67% higher than that of the CTB 4 impeller.


Author(s):  
Zhengjing Shen ◽  
Wuli Chu

Sediment erosion is recognized as a serious engineering problem in slurry handling such as screw centrifugal pump, which has wide efficiency region and non-plugging performance. In the present study, the screw centrifugal pump was simulated based on the Euler-Lagrange method. The Mclaury model was adopted for the erosion prediction of flow passage components. By analyzing the correlation factor functions contained in the erosion model and performing some preliminary research with a simplified model, particle velocity, particle shape factor and particle concentration were selected as the influencing factors to analysis the quantitative relationship among particle parameters, erosion wear and performance of screw centrifugal pump. The results show that the erosion of volute casing is higher than impeller, and the erosion rate of suction side is higher than pressure side. The particles velocity is positively correlated with erosion wear and pump performance reduction rate. While the increase of particles shape factor shows the opposite trend. Erosion rate is found to be increases sharply and then slowly when particles concentration increases, because of the adhesion effect of sand particles in the volute casing inhibits the total erosion wear. The increase of erosion rate promoted the reduction rate of pump performance, and the pump efficiency decreased more significantly when the erosion rate increased to a certain extent. The results of this study are of great significance for further optimization of hydraulic design and structural design for screw centrifugal pump.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document