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Numerical and experimental investigation of cavitation flows in a multistage centrifugal pump

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Abstract

Cavitation behavior is very important in pumps for long time operation. However, there is difficulty in predicting the cavitation phenomena of pumps by Computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In order to accurately ascertain cavitation behavior, a comparison between CFD and experimental data is a significant and essential process. The purpose of this study is to analyze cavitating behavior in multistage centrifugal pumps numerically and experimentally. For this investigation an experimental set up was used to obtain cavitation performance results. The CFD method was used to investigate the multistage centrifugal pump performance under developed cavitating conditions. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations were discretized by the finite volume method. The two-equation SST turbulence model was adopted to account for turbulent flows. Numerical data were validated with experimental data and a good comparison of results was achieved. Numerically, cavitation performances were obtained for different pump stages and the effects on cavitation were described according to different NPSH (Net positive suction head). The occurrence of cavitation was also described according to NPSH3% in the head drop lines and water vapor volume fraction on the impeller blade. The rapid drop in head at low NPSH was captured for different flow conditions. It was found that for stage to stage performance, the head drop changes could be related to losses inside the pump. It was also shown that the simulation results can truly represent the development of the attached sheet cavitation in the impeller.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Soongsil University, Seoul, 06978, Korea

    Md Rakibuzzaman & Kyungwuk Kim

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Soongsil University, Seoul, 06978, Korea

    Sang-Ho Suh

Authors
  1. Md Rakibuzzaman
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  2. Kyungwuk Kim
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  3. Sang-Ho Suh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sang-Ho Suh.

Additional information

This paper was presented at the ICCHM2T2017, Sejong Hotel, Seoul, Korea, May 28–June 1, 2017. Recommended by Guest Editor Heuy Dong Kim.

Md Rakibuzzaman is a Researcher at Soongsil University, Seoul, Korea. He is currently a Ph.D. student at Soongsil University under the supervision of Prof. Dr. -Ing. Sang-Ho Suh. His research interests include cavitation phenomena in turbo machinery and biomedical engineering.

Kyungwuk Kim is a Researcher at Soongsil University, Seoul, Korea. He is currently a Ph.D. student at Soongsil University under the supervision of Prof. Dr. -Ing. Sang-Ho Suh. His research interests include development of turbo machinery.

Sang-Ho Suh is a Professor of Dept. of Mechanical Engineering at Soongsil University, Seoul, Korea. He received his Ph.D. degree from Stuttgart University in 1989. He has been teaching at Soongsil University since 1990. His research contributions were in the field of fluid machinery and Biofluid engineering. He is currently working on biomedical engineering research includes biofluid circulations (blood, urine and air flows in arteries, ureter, upper airway), development of biomedical devices, and industrial application researches of performance evaluation of pumps and hydraulic turbines, development of automatic waste collecting system, Pneumatic capsule pipeline (PCP).

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Rakibuzzaman, M., Kim, K. & Suh, SH. Numerical and experimental investigation of cavitation flows in a multistage centrifugal pump. J Mech Sci Technol 32, 1071–1078 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-018-0209-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-018-0209-6

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