A Review of Tip Clearance in Propeller, Pump and Turbine

Yabin Liu, Lei Tan and Binbin Wang
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Yabin Liu: State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Lei Tan: State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Binbin Wang: Geochemical and Environmental Research Group, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77845, USA

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-30

Abstract: Propellers, pumps, and turbines are widely applied in marine equipment, water systems, and hydropower stations. With the increasing demand for energy conservation and environmental protection, the high efficiency and the stable operation of pumps and turbine have been drawing great attention in recent decades. However, the tip clearance between the rotating impeller and the stationary shroud can induce leakage flow and interact with the main stream, introducing complex vortex structures. Consequently, the energy performance and the operation stability of pumps and turbines deteriorate considerably. Constant efforts are exerted to investigate the flow mechanism of tip-clearance flow and its induced influence on performance. However, due to various pump and turbine types and the complexity of tip-clearance flow, previous works are usually focused on a specific issue. Therefore, a systematic review that synthesizes the related research is necessary and meaningful. This review investigates related research in the recent two decades in the perspectives from fundamental physics to engineering applications. Results reveal the vortex types, trajectory, evolution, and cavitation behaviors induced by tip-clearance flow. It is concluded that the influence characteristics of tip clearance on energy performance are closely related to the machinery type. Tip-clearance size and tip shape are found to be crucial parameters for tip-leakage vortex (TLV). The proposed optimization schemes are also demonstrated to provide inspiration for future research. Overall, this review article provides a coherent insight into the characteristics of tip-clearance flow and the associated engineering-design applications. On the basis of these understandings, comments on conducted research and ideas on future research are proposed.

Keywords: tip clearance; cavitation; leakage flow; vortex; pump and turbine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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