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A newly developed rotor profile for lobe pumps: Generation and numerical performance assessment

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Abstract

This study develops a new lobe pump rotor profile that significantly improves pump performance. Rotor profiles including two traditional designs and two new designs consist of three segments that are generated by circular or/and epicycloidal curves. This study evaluates the performance of four profiles via volume calculation and flow field analysis, considering to the number of lobes. Results demonstrate that the shapes of rotor surfaces affect pump performance remarkably. An epicycloidal profile provides a much advantage than a circular profile. The new rotor profile with three segments was generated by the curves in order of epicycloidal-circular-epicycloidal (ECE profile) obtained performance of 55% higher than the traditional profiles and the order of circular-epicycloid-circular (CEC profile). The analysis in this study also proves that a multi-lobe design of three or four lobes does not increase pump performance, but provides a more stable output and higher capacity than a two-lobe pump.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C.

    Yaw-Hong Kang & Ha-Hai Vu

Authors
  1. Yaw-Hong Kang
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  2. Ha-Hai Vu
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Correspondence to Yaw-Hong Kang.

Additional information

Recommended by Associate Editor Byeong Rog Shin

Yaw-Hong Kang received his B.S., M.S. degrees and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, ROC in 1979, 1984 and 1995, respectively. Dr. Kang has been a visiting scholar in Manufacturing Research Center at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA from Aug. 2006 to Jan. 2007. Dr. Kang’s research interests are in mechanical design, optimal mechanism design, gearing profile design, and micro end milling. He is currently a professor at department of mechanical engineering and a director of MEMS & Precision Machinery Research & Development Center at National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences in Taiwan, ROC.

Ha-Hai Vu received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Taiwan, ROC in July, 2012. Dr. Vu’s research interests include mechanical design, fluid mechanics, biomechanics, and renewable energy. He is currently a researcher at Taiwan R&D Center of NIDEC Corporation.

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Kang, YH., Vu, HH. A newly developed rotor profile for lobe pumps: Generation and numerical performance assessment. J Mech Sci Technol 28, 915–926 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-013-1159-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-013-1159-7

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