scholarly journals Numerical Analysis of Pressure Fluctuation Intensity for a Low-Speed Sewage Centrifugal Pump

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 929672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Pei ◽  
Shouqi Yuan ◽  
Wenjie Wang

Sewage centrifugal pumps can operate at different flow rates with variable rotating speeds to meet different performance requirements and achieve certain energy consumption criteria in pipeline systems. In this paper, the unsteady pressure field has been investigated numerically by CFD calculation to evaluate the transient pressure variation in a single-blade pump running with low rotating speeds. Based on the CFD results, the pressure fluctuation intensity was analyzed quantitatively by defining the standard deviation of the pressure fluctuation of a revolution period. The analysis of the results shows that the flow rate can influence the fluctuation intensity distribution obviously, and the same intensity distribution law can be found in the volute domain for the same flow rates with different rotating speeds. Obvious asymmetrical distributions can be observed in both front and back side chamber channels, and the pressure fluctuation intensity in back side chamber is weaker than in front side chamber. This work can obtain the knowledge of unsteady pressure phenomenon for typical flow rates in the low-speed running single-blade pump and can provide basis to optimize and to obtain more reliable pump at variable rotating speeds.

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 159380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Pei ◽  
Wenjie Wang ◽  
Shouqi Yuan ◽  
Jieyun Mao

Pressure fluctuations are the main factors that can give rise to reliability problems in centrifugal pumps. The periodically unsteady pressure characteristics caused by rotor-stator interaction have been investigated by CFD calculation in a residual heat removal pump. Side chamber flow effect is also considered for the simulation to accurately predict the flow in whole flow passage. The pressure fluctuation results in time and frequency domains were considered for several typical monitoring points in impeller and diffuser channels. In addition, the pressure fluctuation intensity coefficient (PFIC) based on standard deviation was defined on each grid node for entire space and impeller revolution period. The results show that strong pressure fluctuation intensity can be found in the gap between impeller and diffuser. As a source, the fluctuation can spread to the upstream and downstream flow channels as well as the side chamber channels. Meanwhile, strong pressure fluctuation intensity can be found in the discharge tube of the circular casing. In addition, the obvious influence of operational flow rate on the PFIC distribution can be found. The analysis indicates that the pressure fluctuations in the aspects of both frequency and intensity can be used to comprehensively evaluate the unsteady pressure characteristics in centrifugal pumps.


2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Pei ◽  
Shouqi Yuan ◽  
Friedrich-Karl Benra ◽  
Hans Josef Dohmen

In this paper, the periodically unsteady pressure field caused by rotor-stator interaction has been investigated numerically by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculation to evaluate the transient pressure variation in a single-blade pump for multiconditions. Side chamber flow effect is also considered for the simulation to accurately predict the flow in a whole-flow passage. The strength of the pressure fluctuation is analyzed quantitatively by defining the standard deviation of the pressure fluctuation of a revolution period. The analysis of the results shows that higher pressure fluctuation magnitudes can be observed near the blade pressure side and high gradients of fluctuation magnitudes can be obtained at the trailing edge near the pressure side of the blade. An asymmetrical distribution of fluctuation magnitudes in the volute domain can be clearly obtained. On the cylindrical surface around the impeller outlet, although the absolute pressure value is higher for the Q = 11 l/s condition, the magnitude distribution of fluctuations is lower, and a relatively symmetrical fluctuation distribution is obtained for the Q = 22 l/s condition when clearly asymmetrical distributions of fluctuation magnitude can be observed for the design point and for large flow rates. Obvious periodicity can be observed for the pressure fluctuation magnitude distribution on the circumference with different radii in the volute domain, and some subpeaks and subvalleys can be found. The effects of unsteady flow in the side chambers on the entire passage flow cannot be neglected for accurately predicting the inner flow of the pump. The results of unsteady pressure fluctuation magnitude can be used to guide the optimum design of the single-blade pump to decrease the hydrodynamic unbalance and to obtain more stable performance of the pump.


2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Qi Jia ◽  
Bao-Ling Cui ◽  
Zu-Chao Zhu ◽  
Yu-Liang Zhang

Abstract Affected by rotor–stator interaction and unstable inner flow, asymmetric pressure distributions and pressure fluctuations cannot be avoided in centrifugal pumps. To study the pressure distributions on volute and front casing walls, dynamic pressure tests are carried out on a centrifugal pump. Frequency spectrum analysis of pressure fluctuation is presented based on Fast Fourier transform and steady pressure distribution is obtained based on time-average method. The results show that amplitudes of pressure fluctuation and blade-passing frequency are sensitive to the flow rate. At low flow rates, high-pressure region and large pressure gradients near the volute tongue are observed, and the main factors contributing to the pressure fluctuation are fluctuations in blade-passing frequency and high-frequency fluctuations. By contrast, at high flow rates, fluctuations of rotating-frequency and low frequencies are the main contributors to pressure fluctuation. Moreover, at low flow rates, pressure near volute tongue increases rapidly at first and thereafter increases slowly, whereas at high flow rates, pressure decreases sharply. Asymmetries are observed in the pressure distributions on both volute and front casing walls. With increasing of flow rate, both asymmetries in the pressure distributions and magnitude of the pressure decrease.


Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 556
Author(s):  
Guangtai Shi ◽  
Zongku Liu ◽  
Xiaobing Liu ◽  
Yexiang Xiao ◽  
Xuelin Tang

Tip clearance has a great effect on the flow and pressure fluctuation characteristics in a multiphase pump, especially at multiple operating points. The phase distribution and pressure fluctuation in tip clearance in a multiphase pump are revealed using the CFD (computational fluid dynamics) technology and high-speed photography methods. In this paper, the phase distribution, the gas-liquid two-phase velocity slip, and the pressure fluctuation intensity are comprehensively analyzed. Results show with the increase of the tip clearance, the multiphase pump pressurization performance is obviously deteriorated. In the meantime, the gas accumulation mainly occurs at the hub, the blade suction side (SS), and the tip clearance, and the maximum gas-liquid two-phase velocity difference is near the impeller streamwise of 0.4. In addition, the tip clearance improves the gas-liquid two-phase distribution in the pump, that is, the larger the tip clearance is, the more uniform the gas-liquid distribution becomes. Furthermore, the gas leads to the maximum pressure fluctuation intensity in the tip clearance which is closer to the tip leakage flow (TLF) outlet, and has a greater effect on the degree of flow separation in the tip clearance.


Author(s):  
Qian-qian Li ◽  
Da-zhuan Wu

Due to the distinctive characteristic of massive flow rates, double-suction centrifugal pump has been extensively applied in lots of perspectives, such as drainage, irrigation, transportation projects and other hydraulic engineering realms. Nevertheless, the significance of the pressure fluctuation inside the double-suction centrifugal pump, which is getting more and more prominent under the soaring demands for low noise and comfortable living environment, could not be underestimated. Consequently, how to reduce the pressure fluctuation as far as possible and enhance the running stability of the pump is always the research hotspot. In this study, the double-suction centrifugal impeller with abominable vibration performance is redesigned to improve the internal flow and reduce the flow-induced noise. What’s addition, the two redesigned impellers wearing splitter blades were compared in staggered arrangement with different angles for the purpose of ulteriorly decreasing the pressure fluctuation. On the basis of Realizable k-ε model and SIMPLEC algorithm, the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations (URANS) were resolved by means of CFD simulation and the flow performance and the vibration performance were validated with the experiments. The results illustrate that the redesigned impeller with multi-blade could raise the hydraulic performance and reduce the pressure fluctuation inside the pump. When the impeller of each side was laid with the staggered angle of 12 degrees, the pressure distribution tended to be more uniform and the pressure fluctuation was well ameliorated. Through the pressure fluctuation analysis in time domain and frequency domain, the pressure change inside the pumps could be evaluated quantitatively and accurately, hence different pumps could be contrasted in detail. The consequences of this paper could provide reference for pressure fluctuation reduction and vibration performance reinforcement of double-suction centrifugal pumps as well as other vane pumps.


Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Huang ◽  
Guitao Zeng ◽  
Bo Qian ◽  
Peng Wu ◽  
Peili Shi ◽  
...  

The pressure fluctuation inside centrifugal pumps is one of the main causes of hydro-induced vibration, especially at the blade-passing frequency and its harmonics. This paper investigates the feature of blade-passing frequency excitation in a low-specific-speed centrifugal pump in the perspective of local Euler head distribution based on CFD analysis. Meanwhile, the relation between local Euler head distribution and pressure fluctuation amplitude is observed and used to explain the mechanism of intensive pressure fluctuation. The impeller blade with ordinary trailing edge profile, which is the prototype impeller in this study, usually induces wake shedding near the impeller outlet, making the energy distribution less uniform. Because of this, the method of reducing pressure fluctuation by means of improving Euler head distribution uniformity by modifying the impeller blade trailing edge profile is proposed. The impeller blade trailing edges are trimmed in different scales, which are marked as model A, B, and C. As a result of trailing edge trimming, the impeller outlet angles at the pressure side of the prototype of model A, B, and C are 21, 18, 15, and 12 degrees, respectively. The differences in Euler head distribution and pressure fluctuation between the model impellers at nominal flow rate are investigated and analyzed. Experimental verification is also conducted to validate the CFD results. The results show that the blade trailing edge profiling on the pressure side can help reduce pressure fluctuation. The uniformity of Euler head circumferential distribution, which is directly related to the intensity of pressure fluctuation, is improved because the impeller blade outlet angle on the pressure side decreases and thus the velocity components are adjusted when the blade trailing edge profile is modified. The results of the investigation demonstrate that blade trailing edge profiling can be used in the vibration reduction of low specific impellers and in the engineering design of centrifugal pumps.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehsan Abdolahnejad ◽  
Mahdi Moghimi ◽  
Shahram Derakhshan

Abstract Optimal transfer of two-phase solid-liquid flow (slurry flow) has long been a major industrial challenge. Slurry pumps are among the most common types of centrifugal pumps used to deal with this transfer issue. The approach of improving slurry pumps and consequently increasing the efficiency of a flow transmission system requires overcoming the effects of slurry flow such as the reduction in head, efficiency, and wear. This study attempts to investigate the changes in the pump head by modifying the slip factor distribution in the impeller channel. For this purpose, the effect of splitter blades on slip factor distribution to improve the pump head was investigated using numerical simulation tools and validated based on experimental test data. Next, an optimization process was used to determine the characteristics of the splitter (i.e., length, number, and environmental position of the splitter) based on a combination of experimental design methods, surface response, and genetic algorithm. The optimization results indicate that the splitters were in a relative circumferential position of 67.2% to the suction surface of the main blade. Also, the optimal number and length of splitter blades were 6 and 62.8% of the length of the main blades, respectively. Because of adding splitter blades and the reduction in the flow passage, the best efficiency point (BEP) of the slurry pump moved toward lower flow rates. The result of splitter optimization was the increase in pump head from 29.7 m to 31.7 m and the upkeep of efficiency in the initial values.


Author(s):  
Steffen Melzer ◽  
Tim Müller ◽  
Stephan Schepeler ◽  
Tobias Kalkkuhl ◽  
Romuald Skoda

In contrast to conventional multiblade centrifugal pumps, single-blade pumps are characterized by a significant fluctuation of head and highly transient and circumferentially nonuniform flow field even in the best-efficiency point. For a contribution to a better understanding of the flow field and an improvement of numerical methods, a combined experimental and numerical study is performed with special emphasis on the analysis of the transient pressure field. In an open test rig, piezoresistive pressure sensors are utilized for the measurement of transient in- and outflow conditions and the volute casing wall pressure fluctuations. The quality of the numerical simulations is ensured by a careful adoption of the real geometry details in the simulation model, a grid study and a time step study. While the power curve is well reproduced by the numerical simulations, the time-averaged head is systematically overpredicted, probably due to underestimation of losses. Transient pressure boundary conditions for the numerical simulation show a better prediction of the measured pressure amplitude than constant boundary conditions, whereas the time-averaged head prediction is not improved. For a more accurate prediction of the transient flow field and the time-averaged characteristics, the utilization of scale-resolving turbulence models is assumed to be indispensable.


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