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JOHN S. ANAGNOSTOPOULOS
School of Mechanical Engineering / Fluids Section
National Technical University of Athens
9 Heroon Polytechniou ave., Zografou, 15780 Athens
GREECE
j.anagno@fluid.mech.ntua.gr
Abstract: The direct flow analysis in hydraulic turbomachines using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD)
methods can provide a quite illuminating picture of the developed flow field and its detailed characteristics. A
numerical model for the simulation of the 3-dimensional turbulent flow in centrifugal pump impellers is
developed in the present work, solving the Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equations with the control
volume approach and on Cartesian grids. The latter can be constructed by a very fast and fully automated
algorithm, whereas an effective numerical technique for solving the partially filled grid cells that are formed on
the irregular boundaries of the computational domain is also incorporated. The computations for the steady
flow field in a particular impeller are presented and analyzed, and the characteristic performance curves are
constructed. The impeller geometry is represented by a number of controllable design variables, providing the
capability of modifying the impeller shape and testing different configurations. This technique, combined with
the automated grid generation algorithm facilitates the investigation and assessment of the effects of impeller
design on its hydrodynamic behaviour. The results of such parametric studies conducted in the present work
show that a remarkable gain in hydraulic efficiency may be achieved by optimizing the impeller geometry.
Key-Words: Centrifugal pumps; Radial flow impeller; Numerical modelling; RANS equations; Cartesian grids;
Design optimization.
reduced number of controlling geometric variables, All the dependent variables are stored at the cell
facilitating the investigation of their individual or centers of a uniform Cartesian mesh and the
combined effects on the flow and the impeller governing equations are discretized with the finite
performance. The results of the predicted flow field volume approach using a hybrid difference scheme
in the pump impeller illustrated in Fig. 1, as well as [10]. The system of the linearized form of the above
of a parametric study concerning the variation of equations is numerically solved by a preconditioned
several design variables are then presented and bi-conjugate gradient (Bi-CG) solver [11]. Fully
discussed. developed velocity profile is assumed for the flow at
the inlet section of the tube, where the reference
pressure is set to zero, and no-slip boundary
conditions are applied at all internal solid surfaces.
Due to the periodic symmetry of the impeller
geometry, the computational domain can be
restricted to a section of 2π/z degrees, where z is the
number of blades, using periodicity boundary
conditions at the lateral planes.
(a)
Figure 1. The examined radial impeller.
2 Numerical Method
2.1 Flow equations
The steady, incompressible, Reynolds Averaged
Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations are employed for
the flow calculations in polar coordinates and a
rotating with the impeller system of reference. The (b)
governing conservation equations are expressed in
vectorized form as follows:
r
Continuity: ∇⋅w = 0 (1)
Momentum:
r r r r r 1 1 r
w ⋅ ∇w = −2ω × w + ω 2 ⋅ r − ⋅ ∇p + ⋅ ∇ ⋅ τ (2)
ρ ρ
r
where w is the relative fluid velocity, ω is the
r
angular rotation speed of the impeller, r is the radial
distance and p, ρ are the fluid pressure and density,
r
respectively. The viscous stress tensor τ includes
both the viscous and the turbulence viscosity terms:
τ ij = 2 µ ⋅ sij − ρ ⋅ wi′ ⋅ w′j (3)
Figure 2. Parameterization of the impeller
where µ is the fluid dynamic viscosity and sij is the
geometry: a) side view; b) top view.
strain tensor. The second term on the right side of
the above relation represents the Reynolds stresses
due to turbulent motion. Since the Reynolds number
in a typical pump is high (Re > 104), the standard k-ε 2.2 Geometry parameterization
model is adopted for the turbulence closure [9], by The geometry of the particular radial flow impeller
solving additional conservation equations for the examined here (Fig. 1) corresponds to a model
turbulence kinetic energy production, k, and its impeller constructed in the Lab, and can be
dissipation rate, ε. represented using a relatively small number of
parameters; most of them are shown in Fig. 2 and
WSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON FLUID MECHANICS Issue 7, Vol. 1, July 2006 ISSN: 1790-5087 765
the impeller. The computational domain is extended where Ai are the linking coefficients between the
to a certain radial distance beyond the impeller variable ΦP and its neighboring values at the
outlet (here up to r = 125 mm, not shown in Fig. 2), adjacent grid cells, and SU, SP include the rest source
to prevent any backward influence of the free vortex terms. The geometric coefficients γi and γv represent
conditions set at the exit boundary. the free portion (not blocked by the solid boundary)
The blades are constructed as circular arcs, and of the cell faces and volume, respectively, and they
they have constant width and both edges rounded, are automatically computed by a pre-processing
allowing for both pump and turbine operation mode algorithm, along with the rest geometric quantities.
of the impeller. The rest parameters constitute the The fluid variables (velocities, pressures, etc) are
free design variables that can be modified in order to evaluated at the centroid of the Cartesian cells,
improve the performance and hydraulic efficiency which may not coincide with the geometric centre of
of the impeller for this particular nominal operation a boundary cell (Fig. 3). The wall boundary
point. conditions are also set automatically to every
Table 1. Impeller standard dimensions. boundary cell (e.g. cells P1 to P4 in Fig. 3), with the
aid of a special algorithm that computes the normal
Parameter Size distance from the wall and the exact bounded area
Suction tube Di = 60 mm within each grid cell.
Inlet diameter D1 = 70 mm In addition to its simplicity and generality, that
makes PFC method easily applicable to 3-
Exit diameter D2 = 190 mm
dimensional geometries of any complexity, the
Exit width b2 = 9 mm conservation property is retained and the accuracy
Hub size Dh = 80 mm of the boundary representation remains satisfactory
Hub height Lh = 20 mm even with a coarse grid, and without affecting the
Shroud inlet Rs = 10 mm stability of the solver.
Shroud inlet Ls = 25 mm
Blades number 9 P2
Inlet angle β1 = 26 deg E
r2
Mu =
∫ r1
[(rr × nr ) ⋅ p + (rr × τrw ) ⋅ cot β ]⋅ b ⋅ dr
(9)
+
∫ (rr × τrw ) ⋅ dA
A
r
where n is the local unit vector normal to the
r
surface, τ w the wall shear stress, β the blade angle,
and b the impeller width. The first integral term on
the right represents the torque developed on the
impeller blades due to the pressure and the friction
forces, and includes both the pressure and the
suction side of the blades. The second integral
Figure 4. Detail of the grid lines arrangement. stands for the torque on the internal shroud and hub
surfaces, and contains only the friction forces, since
the pressure forces does not have a circumferential
2.4 Hydraulic efficiency calculation component.
The hydraulic efficiency ηh of the impeller is
defined as the ratio of the net energy added to the
passing fluid, divided by the energy given at the 3 Results
impeller shaft. The specific energy (energy per unit 3.1 Flow analysis
weight of the fluid) can be expressed by the At first the numerical model is applied to calculate
corresponding heads, H and Hu, therefore the the flow field developed in the standard design
efficiency is given by: impeller (Table 1), for various load conditions and
H for a constant rotation speed of 1500 rpm. The
ηh = (5)
Hu ‘nominal’ volume flow rate is taken 31 m3/h to
comply with the corresponding laboratory model
The net fluid head H is obtained by energy pump design point.
balance at the inlet and the outlet of the impeller, Fig. 5a shows the resulting contours of pressure
using the following flux-weighted relation (Fig. 2b): and the velocity vectors at two grid levels that cross
⎛ p 2 − p1 c 22 − c12 ⎞ the impeller normal to- and through its axis of
∫
1
Η = H 2 − H1 = ⋅ ⎜ ⎟ ⋅ dq (6)
⎜ ρ g + 2g
rotation. Increased flow velocity can be observed at
Qu ⎟
⎝ ⎠ the blade inlet due to the blockage of the flow,
whereas on the contrary the pressure is reduced.
where c is the absolute velocity of the fluid, Qu the
Further downstream the contours become smooth
volume flow rate through the impeller and g the
between the blades and the pressure increases
gravity acceleration, while the subscripts 1 and 2
continuously towards the exit of the computational
denote impeller inlet and exit conditions,
domain.
respectively. The right-hand side integral is
The minimum pressure appears, as expected, at
approximated by a summation over the radial flow
the suction side and near the leading edge of the
rates δq at all grid cells facing the inlet or the exit
blade (Fig. 5b). The flow seems to enter almost
circumference of the impeller
parallel to the blade (Fig. 5b) and the streamlines
The impeller head Hu can be calculated from the
follow a regular pathway between the blades, except
definition equation of the absorbed power at the
of the upper section near the shroud, where some
shaft:
recirculation can be observed (Fig. 5c).
N u = ρ ⋅ g ⋅ Qu ⋅ H u (7) Fig. 6 illustrates the corresponding flow field for
a much reduced flow rate, equal to 20% of the
where Nu is analogous to the torque Mu developed ‘nominal’. The different flow characteristics can be
on the impeller: clearly observed: The pressure gradients are lower
Nu = ω ⋅ M u (8) throughout the domain and the minimum values are
higher (Fig. 6a, 6b). However, a strong recirculation
The latter can be computed based on the
is established within almost the entire blade-to-blade
conservation of angular momentum law, via the
region which, according to the theory, rotates in the
following relation (Fig. 2b):
reverse direction than the impeller.
WSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON FLUID MECHANICS Issue 7, Vol. 1, July 2006 ISSN: 1790-5087 767
(a) (a)
(b)
(b)
(c)
(c)
20 90
(a) Figure 9. Modified shroud geometry: a) Ls = 19
18 87 mm; b) Ls = 50 mm.
Efficiency, ηh (%)
Head, H (m)
16 84 17 94
standard
design
14 81
Efficiency, ηh (%)
16 91
Head, H (m)
12 Hydraulic efficiency 78
Net fluid head 15 88
10 75
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Flow rate, Q (m3/h) 14 Hydraulic efficiency 85
Net head
3 -0.2
(b)
13 82
20 30 40 50
Shroud geometry, Ls (mm)
2 -0.4
Pmin (bar)
Nu (KW)
impeller were then computed and they are compared two extremes of Fig. 14, and using the impeller with
with the standard design ones in Fig. 11. This graph the previously found optimum shroud shape. The
reveals that a remarkable enhancement of the particular hub design shows only a slight effect on
hydraulic efficiency can be achieved, and moreover the hydraulic efficiency, less than one percentage
this gain is observable at all loading conditions. The unit, throughout the entire variation range. It seems
net head with the optimum shroud is also increased that its role in guiding the flow is not so important,
at higher loads, whereas the minimum pressure and its contribution to the friction losses is small
values do not drop below –0,4 bar, even for the and not strongly depended on its shape. However, a
greatest flow rate tested (comp. Fig. 8b). more projected hub (Fig. 14a) causes greater
blockage and results in higher inlet flow velocities,
20 95 thus reducing the minimum pressure developed at
the blade inlet (Fig. 14c).
18 91
Efficiency, ηh (%)
Head, H (m)
16 87
(a) (b)
14 83
Head, optimum
Efficiency, optimum
12 Head, standard 79
Efficiency, standard
10 75
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 16 90
standard design
Flow rate, Q (m3/h) (c)
15.8 89
Efficiency, ηh (%)
Head, H (m)
Efficiency, ηh (%)
Inverse design method for centrifugal impellers
Pmin (bar)
-0.3 91
and comparison with numerical simulation
-0.4 90
tools, International Journal for Computational
Fluid Dynamics, Vol.18, no.2, 2004, pp. 101-
-0.5 Hydraulic efficiency 89 110.
Minimum pressure [5] M. Zhang, and H. Tsukamoto, Unsteady
-0.6 88 Hydrodynamic Forces due to Rotor-Stator
0 10 20 30 40
Hub height, Lh (mm) Interaction on a Diffuser Pump with Identical
Number of Vanes on the Impeller and Diffuser,
Figure 14. Modified hub geometry: a) Lh = 40 mm, ASME Transactions, Journal of Fluids
Dh = 60 mm; b) Lh = 0; c) Performance curves. Engineering, Vol.127, 2005, pp. 743-751.
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centrifugal pump, and it is applied for direct flow boundaries, Journal of Computational Physics,
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Acknowledgement: turbulent flow past an airfoil with trailing edge
The project is co-funded by the European Social separation, A.I.A.A. Journal, Vol.21, 1983, pp.
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