Pressure pulsation characteristics in a disc pump under different flow conditions

Abstract

To elucidate the origins and evolution of unsteady internal flow and pressure pulsations in a disc pump under different operating conditions, three-dimensional unsteady numerical simulations were performed using the RNG k–ε turbulence model. Pressure signals were extracted from monitoring points at multiple locations within the impeller and analysed in both the time and frequency domains. The results show that pressure pulsations inside the disc pump exhibit pronounced periodicity. Rotor–stator interactions involving the blades, connecting columns, and stationary components are identified as a major source of pressure pulsation. At the monitoring points located near the connecting columns, namely Y2 and Y8, two distinct pressure peaks appear within each pulsation cycle, corresponding to disturbances induced by the blades and the connecting columns, respectively. Moreover, the pressure pulsation intensity shows a region-dependent response to flow rate: the pulsation amplitude in the blade-free region increases with increasing flow rate, whereas the bladed region exhibits the opposite trend.