2015•Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part C Journal of Mechanical Engineering ScienceRequires access
Numerical investigation of influence of inlet guide vanes on unsteady flow in a centrifugal pump
Wang Yuchuan, Tan Lei, Zhu Baoshan, Cao ShuLiang, Wang Binbin
Open publisher page 40 citations
Abstract
The influence of inlet guide vanes on unsteady flow in a centrifugal pump is numerically investigated. The independences of mesh elements, time steps and turbulence models are studied, and the satisfactory agreement between experimental and numerical results of the centrifugal pump performance validates the reliability and accuracy of the numerical model. The frequency characteristics of pressure fluctuations in impeller and volute are nearly the same for the pump without and with inlet guide vanes in the angle range from −36° to +36°. In the pump impeller, the dominant frequencies are mainly the rotational frequency f i (24.17 Hz) or 2 f i , and in volute they are the blade passing frequency f BPF (145 Hz). For the large inlet guide vanes angles of −60°and +60°, the maximum amplitudes of pressure fluctuations in pump impeller and volute are stronger than that in pump without inlet guide vanes. Therefore, the influence of inlet guide vanes on unsteady flow in the centrifugal pump is slight when the inlet guide vanes angles are regulated in a suitable region.