Unsteady Flow Numerical Simulations on Internal Energy Dissipation for a Low-Head Centrifugal Pump at Part-Load Operating Conditions

Xiaoran Zhao, Yongyao Luo, Zhengwei Wang, Yexiang Xiao and François Avellan
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Xiaoran Zhao: State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering & Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Yongyao Luo: State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering & Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Zhengwei Wang: State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering & Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Yexiang Xiao: State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering & Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
François Avellan: EPFL—Laboratory for Hydraulic Machines, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-20

Abstract: Dredge pumps are usually operated at part-load conditions, in which the low-solidity centrifugal impeller could experience large internal energy dissipation, related to flow separation and vortices. In this study, SST k - ω and SAS-SST turbulence models were used, in steady and unsteady simulations, for a low-head centrifugal pump with a three-bladed impeller. The main focus of the present work was to investigate the internal energy dissipation in rotating an impeller at part-load operating conditions, related to flow separation and stall. The unsteady nature of these operating conditions was investigated. Performance experiments and transient wall pressure measurements were conducted for validation. A methodology for internal energy dissipation analysis has been proposed; and the unsteady pressure fluctuations were analyzed in the rotating impeller. The internal power losses in the volute and the impeller were mostly found in the centrifugal pump. The rotating stall phenomenon occurred with flow separation and detachment at the part-load operating condition, leading to a dissipation of the internal energy in the impeller. The rotating impeller experienced pressure fluctuations with low frequencies, at part-load operating conditions, while in the design operating condition only experienced rotating frequency.

Keywords: centrifugal pump; internal energy dissipation; vortex flow; rotating stall (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: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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