CFD Analysis of Centrifugal Pump's Impeller of Various Designs and Comparison of Numerical Results for Various Models

Abstract

The flow through the impeller of a Centrifugal pump is complicated and tedious. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation of a pump provides a complete picture of its operation, and allows identifying most profound design parameters. Many technical applications of Centrifugal pumps cannot be fulfilled without proper analysis, especially regarding pumps parameters i.e. blades angle, material, head, discharge and number of blades. Pressure pulsations may be troublesome during the operation and performance of Centrifugal pumps. The output from the CFD analyses provides a time history of the pressure variation and performance characteristics as the impeller rotates in the volute for various impellers design (blades angles). This paper deals with the design and numerical analysis of Centrifugal pump. A design of Centrifugal pump is carried out and numerically analyzed to get the best performance point. The Centrifugal pumps impellers under consideration were designed and modeled as a "radial" type (6- blades, semi- shrouded) with blades angles (15°,28°;18°,30°) in which the flow noise or pulsation generally remains low. The influence of the outlet blade angle on the Centrifugal pumps performance is analysed with the CFD simulation for different turbulence models. It reveals that the reverse flows exist in the zone near the impellers entrance and exit, resulting in asymmetric and unsteady flow field in the Impeller.