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Numerical analysis and experimental investigation on impeller-volute match characteristics

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Abstract

Impeller-volute match is an essential issue of pump dynamic characteristics and it is very important for the understanding of the flow features in the pumps and the vibration symptom of the device. Advanced performance diagnosis and smart operation and maintenance are profoundly dependent upon the perceiving of the rotor-stator interaction. In order to describe the interaction more comprehensively, the related flows were described by both theoretical approach and numerical simulations. Both velocity distribution and area-ratio aspect were theoretically indicated and a critical condition of non-shock criterion was proposed. Numerical efforts were therefore carried out and unveiled the flow regime as well as the pressure variations. The frequency properties of the pressure variations indicated that both the shaft rotation frequency and the blade passing frequency (BPF) dominated the contents, which implicitly demonstrated the accurate simulation work. Vibration content was lastly tested to validate the numerical results and the rotor-stator interaction effects. No significant shaft rotation contents appeared in the tested vibration signals due to the precise shaft support. Other than the blade passing frequency, both sub-synchronous and super-synchronous contents of BPFs appear under nearly all conditions. It is noted that the experimental means used here are able to get sufficient information of the pump operation.

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Abbreviations

A V :

Volute section area

A Vc :

Clearance area between tongue and impeller outlet

A Vtho :

Area of throat section

b 2 :

Impeller outlet width

c 2 :

Absolute velocity

c 3 :

Velocity in volute

c m2 :

Meridional velocity

c u2 :

Circumferential component of absolute velocity

D 2 :

Impeller outlet diameter

f :

Frequency

f i :

Body force

G k :

Production term

H :

Head

k :

Turbulence kinetic energy

n :

Shaft rotation speed

n s :

Specific speed

p :

Pressure

\(\bar p\) :

Local average pressure

Q :

Capacity

Q d :

Flow rate under design condition

R G :

Degree of reaction

S Mi :

Source term

t :

Time

T :

Impeller rotation period

u 2 :

Circumferential velocity

u i :

Fluid velocity

w 2 :

Relative velocity

Z :

Blade number

β 2 :

Blade trailing angle

Δc u2 :

Decrease deficit of cu2 due to slip

Δp :

Relative intensity of the local pressure fluctuation

η :

Efficiency

ε :

Turbulence dissipation rate

ϵ :

Circumferential blade thickness

θ :

Angular coordinate

μ eff :

Effective viscosity

ρ :

Fluid density

ϕ 2 :

Flow rate coefficient

ϕ 2,BEP :

Flow rate coefficient under BEP

ϕ 2, ideal :

Flow rate coefficient under non-shock condition

ψ :

Head coefficient

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by State Key Laboratory of Compressor Technology (Anhui Laboratory of Compressor Technology) (SKL-YSJ202002) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51879120).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212100, China

    Yongyan Ni

  2. State Key Laboratory of Compressor Technology, Anhui Laboratory of Compressor Technology, Hefei, 230031, China

    Xiao Wang

  3. National Research Center of Pumps, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China

    Zhongyong Pan

Authors
  1. Yongyan Ni
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  2. Xiao Wang
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  3. Zhongyong Pan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yongyan Ni.

Additional information

Yongyan Ni is currently an Associate Professor at School of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, China. She received her Ph.D. degree from Jiangsu University, China, in 2008. Her research interests include ship hydrodynamics, pumping systems and water jet propulsion.

Xiao Wang is an Engineer of the State Key Laboratory of Compressor Technology, Hefei, China. He received his Master degree in Fluid Mechanics from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. His research interests include turbomachine design and analysis.

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Ni, Y., Wang, X. & Pan, Z. Numerical analysis and experimental investigation on impeller-volute match characteristics. J Mech Sci Technol 36, 5491–5500 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-022-1014-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-022-1014-9

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