The characteristics investigation under the unsteady cavitation condition in a centrifugal pump

Numerical simulation and experimental method are combined to investigate the pump inlet and outlet pressure fluctuations, the vibration characteristics and the internal flow instabilities under the unsteady cavitation condition in a centrifugal pump. It is found that the unsteady cavitation starts to generate as the NPSHa is lower than 5.93 m. Apparent asymmetric and uneven cavity volume distribution on each blade and in the impeller can be observed as the NPSHa decreases from 4.39 m to 1.44 m, which includes the cavitation develops from cavitation surge, rotating cavitation to asymmetric cavitation. The flow vortexes in each blade channel are produced in the cavity trailing edges by the shedding and collapse of cavitation, which interfere with each other and aggravate the flow instabilities. The dominant frequencies of the pump inlet and outlet pressure fluctuations are the shaft frequency and blade passing frequency under the unsteady cavitation conditions, respectively. Broadband pulses are obtained from both the pump inlet and outlet pressure pulsations, which results from the random shedding and collapse of unsteady cavitation bubbles. Obvious corresponding relationship between the root mean squares of the vibration measured in different positions and the suction performance curve is found under both the non-cavitation and unsteady cavitation conditions.

     

Experimental study on hydrodynamic performance of a cavitating centrifugal pump during transient operation

An experimental study has been carried out in order to analyze the cavitation of a centrifugal pump and its effect on transient hydrodynamic performance during transient operation. The transient characteristics of the centrifugal pump were tested under various suction pressure and starting conditions. In transient operation of continuous starting and stopping process, instantaneous rotational speed, head, flow rate and suction pressure of the pump were measured. The effect of cavitation on transient performance of the centrifugal pump during transient operation was analyzed, and then the effects of starting acceleration rate and suction pressure of pump on cavitation were presented. Results showed that the cavitation would be delayed during rapid starting period. However, in the condition of low suction pressure and high rotational speed, pump cavitation is inescapable even if the starting period is less than a second. After the serious transient cavitation occurred, the transient performance of centrifugal pump would decline obviously, and the instantaneous head of pump would fluctuate.     

DETECTION OF CAVITATION PHENOMENON IN A CENTRIFUGAL PUMP USING AUDIBLE SOUND

One of the sources of instability in a centrifugal pump is cavitation phenomenon. Cavitation within a centrifugal pump can cause more undesirable effects, such as deterioration of the hydraulic performance (drop in head-capacity and efficiency curves), damage of the pump by pitting and erosion and structure vibration and resulting noise. Cavitation can appear within the entire range of operating conditions; therefore it must, by all means, be prevented. To prevent the onset of the cavitation, we have to know the beginning of cavitation phenomenon in the pump. To detect the beginning of the cavitation process, the emitted noise can also be used, among other possibilities. Experiments have shown that there is a discrete frequency tone within the audible noise spectra, at 147 Hz or BPF/2, which is strongly dependent on the cavitation process and its development. Therefore, the discrete frequency tone at 147 Hz was separated from the noise spectra of cavitating pumps and then used to detect the incipient of cavitation and its development. It was also used to determine the net positive suction head required or the critical value, as well as to prevent cavitation in the pump by means of initiating an alarm, shutdown or control signal via an electrical control system.     

DETECTION OF CAVITATION IN CENTRIFUGAL PUMP BY VIBRATION METHODS

For the purpose of detecting the cavitation of centrifugal pump onsite and real time, the vibration signals on varied operation conditions of both cavitation and non-cavitation obtained through acceleration sensors were analyzed. When cavitation occurs, the cavities near the leading edge of the blade will appear periodic oscillating, which will induce quasi-synchronous vibration. The frequency of the quasi-synchronous vibration symmetrically appears on the two sides of the blade passing frequency, by which the cavitation incipiency can be detected. During the developing process of the cavitation, as the severe complexity of the unsteady flow, it is very difficult to detect the development of cavitation by classical analysis methods. Fractal method of Higuchi is successfully used for detecting the incipiency, fully development of cavitation and the development between them.     

Numerical and experimental investigation of cavitation flows in a multistage centrifugal pump

Cavitation behavior is very important in pumps for long time operation. However, there is difficulty in predicting the cavitation phenomena of pumps by Computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In order to accurately ascertain cavitation behavior, a comparison between CFD and experimental data is a significant and essential process. The purpose of this study is to analyze cavitating behavior in multistage centrifugal pumps numerically and experimentally. For this investigation an experimental set up was used to obtain cavitation performance results. The CFD method was used to investigate the multistage centrifugal pump performance under developed cavitating conditions. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations were discretized by the finite volume method. The two-equation SST turbulence model was adopted to account for turbulent flows. Numerical data were validated with experimental data and a good comparison of results was achieved. Numerically, cavitation performances were obtained for different pump stages and the effects on cavitation were described according to different NPSH (Net positive suction head). The occurrence of cavitation was also described according to NPSH3% in the head drop lines and water vapor volume fraction on the impeller blade. The rapid drop in head at low NPSH was captured for different flow conditions. It was found that for stage to stage performance, the head drop changes could be related to losses inside the pump. It was also shown that the simulation results can truly represent the development of the attached sheet cavitation in the impeller.     

Estimating uncertainty of measurements for cavitation detection in a centrifugal pump

Measurement of noise and vibration signal in audible frequency range to detect cavitation in centrifugal pumps is rather unknown technique. There were already some studies performed on this technique and they showed quite good results. Due to many factors that influence the quality of the measurement, an uncertainty analysis should be performed. This paper deals with estimation of a measurement uncertainty for different kinds of measurement ways to detect the cavitation in a centrifugal pump with noise and vibration signal in audible frequency range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Especially the measurement uncertainties for cavitation detection in broad frequency range and at a discrete frequency were analyzed. Results showed that this technique is reliable despite many possible influences on uncertainty.     

离心泵内部空化流动的定常数值模拟及性能预测

为了研究离心泵内部的空化流动,利用fluent软件中的空蚀模型及混合流体两相流模型,对离心泵的三维湍流空蚀流场进行定常数值模拟,根据模拟计算结果显示的液相和空泡相流动特征,预测了离心泵在设计工况下运行时流道内空化发生的位置和程度;通过分析空蚀发生过程中叶片上的压力分布,揭示出离心泵流道内部流场的内在特性,最后对泵的性能进行了预测,说明数值模拟可以为离心泵在特定工况下运行时的空化性能预测提供依据。     

Use of audible sound for safe operation of kinetic pumps

Safe operation of kinetic pumps, as liquid movers, can be threatened by cavitation phenomenon, among others. Cavitation is the Achilles heel of kinetic pumps. It can deteriorate hydraulic performance, damage the pump by pitting and material erosion, and structure vibration and resulting noise. Cavitation can appear within the entire range of operating conditions; therefore it must, by all means, be prevented. To prevent cavitation in a pump, we have to know the beginning and development of cavitation in the pump. For this purpose, the emitted noise in the audible range can be used, among other possibilities. Experiments have shown that there is a discrete frequency tone within the audible noise spectra, which is in strong correlation with the development of the cavitation process in the pump, and so with the net positive suction head (NPSH) critical value, which corresponds to the 3% drop in the total delivery head. The discrete frequency tone can thus be used to detect the incipient of cavitation and its development as well as to prevent the onset of the cavitation process in the pump and also in situ operation. Two different measurement methods were used to clarify the noise-generating mechanism, which is responsible for the discrete frequency component: by using a microphone and an accelerometer. Experiments have shown that the characteristic discrete frequency tone, which is in close correlation with the cavitation process, is a result of structural vibrations (modes) or resonances caused by implosion of bubbles and bombardment of the inner surfaces of the pump.     

离心泵的汽蚀及预防措施

汽蚀是离心泵失效的重要方面,对离心泵有相当大的影响。本文简要介绍了离心泵图中发生水泵汽蚀的各种原因、汽蚀发生现象的各种分类、汽蚀可能产生的各种危害,提出了实际工业生产中用于预防发生汽蚀的各种措施,如尽量降低离心泵的整体安装量和高度,减少空气吸入泵和管道的空气阻力等等该方法可用来有效抑制高压离心泵的发生汽蚀。     

离心泵蜗壳内非定常流动特性的数值模拟及分析

基于RNG k-ε湍流模型和Zwart-Gerber-Belamri空化模型,对离心泵内部非空化和空化工况下的非定常流动特性进行数值模拟,分析空化模型中凝结项经验系数对数值模拟结果的影响,并根据试验结果修正离心泵空化流动数值模拟中凝结项经验系数;数值模拟得到的离心泵扬程随有效空化余量的变化曲线与试验结果吻合较好,验证数值计算模型和方法的准确性和可靠性。数值模拟结果表明：离心泵非定常流动中,非空化、临界空化和充分发展空化工况下,蜗壳内监测点的压力脉动主频均为叶片通过频率;空化对离心泵蜗壳内压力脉动的影响较大,非空化时压力脉动最大幅值在蜗舌处,空化时压力脉动最大幅值在第1断面附近,其原因是离心泵出现空化时第1断面处旋涡强度增强,且随时间变化剧烈,对流动产生强烈扰动。     

Dynamic stress analysis of sewage centrifugal pump impeller based on two-way coupling method

Current research on the operational reliability of centrifugal pumps has mainly focused on hydrodynamic instability. However, the interaction between the fluid and structure has not been sufficiently considered; this interaction can cause vibration and dynamic stress, which can affect the reliability. In this study, the dynamic stresses in a single-blade centrifugal pump impeller are analysed under different operating conditions; the two-way coupling method is used to calculate the fluid-structure interaction. Three-dimensional unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved with the SST k-o9 turbulence model for the fluid in the whole flow passage, while transient structure dynamic analysis is used with the finite element method for the structure side. The dynamic stresses in the rotor system are computed according to the fourth strength theory. The stress results show that the highest stress is near the loose bearing and that the equivalent stress increases with the flow rate because the dynamic stresses are closely related to the pressure load. The stress distributions on the blade pressure side, suction side, leading edge, and trailing edge are each analysed for different flow rates; the highest stress distribution is found on the pressure side. On the blade pressure side, a relatively large stress is found near the trailing edge and hub side. Based on these results, a stress distribution prediction method is proposed for centrifugal pumps, which considers the interaction between the fluid and structuxe. The method can be used to check the dynamic stress at different flow rates when optimising the pump design to increase the pump reliability.     

Investigation on Reduction of Pressure Fluctuation for a Double-Suction Centrifugal Pump

Double-suction centrifugal pumps have been applied extensively in many areas,and the significance of pressure fluctuations inside these pumps with large power is becoming increasingly important.In this study,a double-suction centrifugal pump with a high-demand for vibration and noise was redesigned by increasing the flow uniformity at the impeller discharge,implemented by combinations of more than two parameters.First,increasing the number of the impeller blades was intended to enhance the bounding effect that the blades imposed on the fluid.Subsequently,increasing the radial gap between the impeller and volute was applied to reduce the rotor-stator interaction.Finally,the staggered arrangement was optimized to weaken the efficacy of the interference superposition.Based on numerical simulation,the steady and unsteady characteristics of the pump models were calculated.From the fluctuation analysis in the frequency domain,the dimensionless pressure fluctuation amplitude at the blade passing frequency and its harmonics,located on the monitoring points in the redesigned pumps(both with larger radial gap)are reduced a lot.Further,in the volute of the model with new impellers staggered at 12°,the average value for the dimensionless pressure fluctuation amplitude decreases to 6% of that in prototype pump.The dimensionless rootmean-square pressure contour on the mid-span of the impeller tends to be more uniform in the redesigned models(both with larger radial gap);similarly,the pressure contour on the mid-section of the volute presents good uniformity in these models,which in turn demonstrating a reduction in the pressure fluctuation intensity.The results reveal the mechanism of pressure fluctuation reduction in a double-suction centrifugal pump,and the results of this study could provide a reference for pressure fluctuation reduction and vibration performance reinforcement of doublesuction centrifugal pumps and other pumps.     

Numerical investigations on cavitating flows with thermodynamic effects in a diffuser-type centrifugal pump

A cavitation model with thermodynamic effects for cavitating flows in a diffuser-type centrifugal pump is developed based on the bubble two-phase flow model. The proposed cavitation model includes mass, momentum, and energy transportations according to the thermodynamic mechanism of cavitation. Numerical simulations are conducted inside the entire passage of the centrifugal pump by using the proposed cavitation model and the renormalization group-based k-? turbulent model coupled with the energy transportation equation. By using the commercial computational fluid dynamics software FLUENT 6.3, we have shown that the predicted performance characteristics of the pump, as well as the pressure, vapor, and density distributions in the impeller, agree well with that calculated by the full cavitation model. Simulation results show that cavitation initially occurs slightly behind the inlet of the blade suction surface, i.e., the area with maximum vapor concentration and minimum pressure. The predicted temperature field shows that the reduction in temperature restrains the growth of cavitating bubbles. Therefore, the thermodynamic effect should be treated as a necessary factor in cavitation models. Comparison results validate the efficiency and accuracy of the numerical technique in simulating cavitation flows in centrifugal pumps.     

Effects of Blade Number on Characteristics of Centrifugal Pumps

The blade number of impeller is an important design parameter of pumps,which affects the characteristics of pump heavily.At present,the investigation focuses mostly on the performance characteristics of axis flow pumps,the influence of blade number on inner flow filed and characteristics of centrifugal pump has not been understood completely.Therefore,the methods of numerical simulation and experimental verification are used to investigate the effects of blade number on flow field and characteristics of a centrifugal pump.The model pump has a design specific speed of 92.7 and an impeller with 5 blades.The blade number is varied to 4,6,7 with the casing and other geometric parameters keep constant.The inner flow fields and characteristics of the centrifugal pumps with different blade number are simulated and predicted in non-cavitation and cavitation conditions by using commercial code FLUENT.The impellers with different blade number are made by using rapid prototyping,and their characteristics are tested in an open loop.The comparison between prediction values and experimental results indicates that the prediction results are satisfied.The maximum discrepancy of prediction results for head,efficiency and required net positive suction head are 4.83%,3.9% and 0.36 m,respectively.The flow analysis displays that blade number change has an important effect on the area of low pressure region behind the blade inlet and jet-wake structure in impellers.With the increase of blade number,the head of the model pumps increases too,the variable regulation of efficiency and cavitation characteristics are complicated,but there are optimum values of blade number for each one.The research results are helpful for hydraulic design of centrifugal pump.     

双向轴流泵装置性能预测与内部流动分析

对一采用S形叶片的双向轴流泵装置进行数值研究,在不同流量工况条件下分析泵的正、反向运转性能,对该泵的瞬时启动过程进行了监测并对泵内的非定常空化现象进行了分析。研究表明,正、反向运转时,泵的性能存在明显的差异,反向的扬程和效率均高于正向;在泵正向启动过程中,叶轮背面进口边产生空化区,反向运转时未发生明显的空化现象;两种运转模式下,叶轮进出口断面上压力脉动特征频率分布相似,但叶轮进口的压力脉动幅值较高。     

Cavitation optimization for a centrifugal pump impeller by using orthogonal design of experiment

Cavitation is one of the most important performance of centrifugal pumps. However, the current optimization works of centrifugal pump are mostly focusing on hydraulic efficiency only, which may result in poor cavitation performance. Therefore, it is necessary to find an appropriate solution to improve cavitation performance with acceptable efficiency. In this paper, to improve the cavitation performance of a centrifugal pump with a vaned diffuser, the influence of impeller geometric parameters on the cavitation of the pump is investigated using the orthogonal design of experiment(DOE) based on computational fluid dynamics. The impeller inlet diameter D_1, inlet incidence angle Δβ, and blade wrap angle φ are selected as the main impeller geometric parameters and the orthogonal experiment of L_9(3*3) is performed. Three-dimensional steady simulations for cavitation are conducted by using constant gas mass fraction model with second-order upwind, and the predicated cavitation performance is validated by laboratory experiment. The optimization results are obtained by the range analysis method to improve cavitation performance without obvious decreasing the efficiency of the centrifugal pump. The internal flow of the pump is analyzed in order to identify the flow behavior that can affect cavitation performance. The results show that D_1 has the greatest influence on the pump cavitation and the final optimized impeller provides better flow distribution at blade leading edge. The final optimized impeller accomplishes better cavitation and hydraulic performance and the NPSHR decreases by 0.63 m compared with the original one. The presented work supplies a feasible route in engineering practice to optimize a centrifugal pump impeller for better cavitation performance.     

离心泵空化余量分析研究

许多泵长期运行处在临界空化工况与初生空化工况之间,会造成叶片表面出现坑蚀和穿孔等破坏,从而使泵因空化而达不到预期寿命。由此选用一种单级单吸离心泵为研究对象,基于湍流模型k-ε和空化模型Zwart,进行非定常空化数值计算结果分析。对于初生空化的判定,以σ≥1.0时叶片表面刚刚发生空化,产生的汽泡对外特性无影响,且以汽体体积分率为变量,其空化区域的汽体体积分数以10%为基础,作为初生空化的判定依据。其研究结果表明:初生空化余量随流量的增大,先缓慢降低,在额定流量工况下,初生空化点所对应的空化余量最小,随着流量的进一步增大,初生空化余量又缓慢增大。通过分析提出在布置泵吸入系统时使其NPSHa大于初生空化余量NPSHR,即NPSHa>NPSHR,并在初生空化余量NPSHR上加上安全余量值,使得泵完全处在无空化工况运行,进而就可以使泵不因空化而缩短预期寿命。     

Investigation of the correlation between noise & vibration characteristics and unsteady flow in a circulator pump

Circulator pumps have wide engineering applications but the acoustics, vibration and unsteady flow structures of the circulator pump are still not fully understood. We investigated the noise and vibration characteristics and unsteady flow structures in a circulator pump at different flow rates. Three-dimensional, unsteady RANS equations were solved on high-quality structured meshes with SST k-ω turbulence model numerically. Measurements were made in a semi-anechoic chamber to get an overview of noise and vibration level of a pump at different flow rates. The 1/3 octave-band filter technique was applied to obtain the explicit frequency spectra of sound, pressure fluctuations and vibration signals and their principal frequencies were identified successfully. The air-borne noise level of the designed condition is lower than that of the off-design conditions, and the highest sound pressure level is found at part-load condition. The acoustic emission from the pump is mainly caused by unsteady flow structures and pressure fluctuations. In addition, both the link between airborne noise and pressure fluctuation, and the correlation between vibration and unsteady hydrodynamic forces, were quantitatively examined and verified. This work offers good data to understand noise and vibration characteristics of circulator pumps and the relationships among the noise, vibration and unsteady flow structures.     

不同叶片冲角离心泵内流诱导振动噪声研究

基于离心泵流动诱导振动噪声的试验测试系统,测量了不同叶片进口冲角模型泵在全流量范围内的振动和噪声信号并对其进行了处理和分析。研究结果表明:叶片进口冲角存在一个最优值,使离心泵的性能最佳;模型泵内部流动诱导的振动对泵体的影响最大,随着叶片进口冲角的增加,在各流量下模型泵噪声信号的轴频和叶频能量峰值均没有明显变化规律,但当叶片进口冲角为9°时,在1750～2250Hz频段内的噪声信号消失。     

Time–frequency analysis of friction-induced vibration under reciprocating sliding conditions

A time–frequency analysis can give an overall view of the behaviour of friction-induced vibration. In this paper, short-time Fourier transform (STFT), Wigner–Ville distribution (WVD), Choi–Williams distribution (CWD) and Zhao–Atlas–Marks distribution (ZAMD) are applied to analyze time–frequency characteristics of friction-induced vibration. The result shows that there is always a frequency change in the time–frequency presentation of vibration in the location where the vibration is bounded. The frequency changes in time–frequency presentations are associated with nonlinearity of vibration systems. The nonlinearity may be counted as the evidence to support the consideration that friction-induced vibrations are bounded by limit cycles due to the system nonlinearity. Based on the time–frequency presentations of vibrations, it may be concluded that the friction vibration system is generally a linear system in the phase of vibration initiation but is a nonlinear system in the phases of vibration being bounded and disappearance.