The influence of peak wave-channel clearance on performance characteristics of traveling wave pump

Gucheng Li, Qianming Zhu and Qingqing Gu

Energy, 2025, vol. 325, issue C

Abstract: Pumped storage plays a significant role in addressing the intermittency associated with solar and wind energy. The research on pumped storage is vital for sustainable development, with the pump serving as a key component. Achieving efficient energy conversion necessitates advancements in pumped storage technology, specifically through the development of novel pump designs that overcome limitations such as cavitation and vibration associated with conventional pumps. This study introduces a traveling wave pump that utilizes a traveling wave motion mechanism within a vertical rectangular flow channel to lift water to higher elevations. A simplified two-dimensional traveling wave plate model is employed to examine the influence of peak wave-channel clearance on pump performance using numerical simulations. The findings indicate that reducing the clearance causes a linear increase in time-averaged efficiency and a corresponding decrease in volumetric loss. Under high head conditions, pump performance is particularly sensitive to variations in clearance. A reduction in clearance accelerates high-speed fluid flow above the contraction point while reducing the low-speed zone below it. Furthermore, it weakens the intensity of the high-speed vortex at the leading edge of the traveling wave plate and the leakage vortex beneath the contraction point.

Keywords: Wind energy; Traveling wave plate; Pump; Peak wave-channel clearance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:325:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225017074

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.136065

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