Cavitating Flow in the Volute of a Centrifugal Pump at Flow Rates Above the Optimal Condition

Cavitation is regarded as a considerable factor causing performance deterioration of pumps under off-design conditions, especially at overload conditions. To investigate the unsteady cavitation evolution around the tongue of a pump volute, and its influence on the flow field within passages of the impeller, numerical calculations and several hydraulic tests were performed on a typical centrifugal pump with a shrouded impeller. Emphasis was laid on the cavitation evolution and blade-loading distribution at flow rates above the optimal value. Results indicated that vapor is likely to first emerge from the tongue of the volute rather than at the leading edge of the blades at overload conditions. In contrast to the designed condition, the flow distribution in each passage is obviously different. The flow rate of the passage reaches a maximum just past the location of the tongue, while the minimum flow rate value is projected to appear at the passage upstream. The cavitation at the tongue squeezes the flow area at the outlet of the corresponding flow passage of the tongue, thereby causing a huge growth in the flow rate at the impeller outlet.