Alternative Design of Double-Suction Centrifugal Pump to Reduce the Effects of Silt Erosion

Jing Dong, Zhongdong Qian, Biraj Singh Thapa, Bhola Thapa and Zhiwei Guo
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Jing Dong: State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, No. 8 South East Lake Road, Wuhan 430072, China
Zhongdong Qian: State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, No. 8 South East Lake Road, Wuhan 430072, China
Biraj Singh Thapa: Turbine Testing Laboratory, Kathmandu University, P.O. Box 6250, Dhulikhel, Nepal
Bhola Thapa: Turbine Testing Laboratory, Kathmandu University, P.O. Box 6250, Dhulikhel, Nepal
Zhiwei Guo: State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, No. 8 South East Lake Road, Wuhan 430072, China

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-22

Abstract: Large amounts of sediment in the Himalayan rivers causes severe silt erosion to the hydraulic machinery operating along these rivers. In this study, the effects of silt characteristics on the silt-erosion characteristics of a double-suction centrifugal pump was studied and the anti-erosion property of bionic convex domes on silt erosion under these conditions was explored by using computational-fluid-dynamics methods, partly supported by a painted-blade erosion experiment. The results show that the silt size affects the erosion position and erosion strength, whereas the silt concentration mainly affects the erosion strength for the studied range. The bionic convex domes provide an effective solution to improve the silt erosion for most of the investigated silt-laden conditions by decreasing the erosion rate and the erosion area of the blade. The anti-erosion mechanism was studied combined with large eddy simulation. The analysis shows that the relative velocity of water around the blade surface is changed and the mass flow rate of silt particles hitting the blade is reduced by inducing swirling flows around the bionic convex domes.

Keywords: silt erosion; double-suction centrifugal pump; silt characteristics; bionic convex domes (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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