Numerical simulation of transient flow performance during different periods in centrifugal pump

The instantaneous variations of the hydraulic characteristics take place in centrifugal pumps during their start up, shutdown and other variable speed operations. In this paper, the variable speed method was proposed to simulate the transient internal flow field and the external performance of the pump during starting and stopping periods. [JP2]The terms of accelerations due to variable speeds in the flow governing equations were analyzed[JP] in a multiple reference of frame (MRF). A transient CFD simulation was performed for a typical centrifugal pump by using ANSYS CFX with the standard k ε turbulence model.[JP2]The entire simulation process was composed of four stages: start up, normal run, shutdown and post shutdown. The function of rotating speed with regard to time was set by CEL language directly into the impeller domain in the pre processor of the software to conduct variable speed simulation. The variations of the flow field in the centrifugal pump were obtained from the transient simulation. The change laws of flow rate, head and other performance parameters over time were also analyzed and summarized.

Numerical simulation of transient flow performance during different periods in centrifugal pump