Hydrodynamic Analysis of a Centrifugal Pump

Abstract

This study performed a 3D CFD of the internal flow characteristics of a centrifugal pump using COMSOL Multiphysics. The physical geometry of the pump was developed as a complete 3D representation including the pump casing, impeller with five blades, inlet passage and outlet region. This study used a numerical simulation to characterize the velocity field, streamline configuration and pressure distribution within the pump at several operating conditions defined by the impeller speed (1000 rpm) and inlet pressure/flow parameters. The results indicate that the highest velocity area within the pump occurs within the impeller region where the transfer of mechanical energy between rotating impeller blades and fluid occurs. Additionally, the configuration of the streamlines also indicates that there is significant swirling and recirculating flow patterns present within the casing of the pump. Furthermore, when analysing the velocity and pressure profiles across the entire arc length between the pump inlet and exit, the outlet region has significantly more variability than the inlet region. Although the inlet region has stable flow characteristics, the outlet region exhibits considerable variability due to blade rotation and casing/flow interaction. Overall, CFD model can adequately replicate key features of the hydrodynamic behaviour associated with centrifugal pump operation, and therefore it can be used to support the design of another centrifugal pump.