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Research Article
Characteristics of Centrifugal Pumps Working in Direct or
Reverse Mode: Focus on the Unsteady Radial Thrust
Copyright 2013 Anthony Couzinet et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
Experimental and numerical investigations have been carried out to study the behaviour of a centrifugal pump operating in direct
mode or turbine mode. First of all, the complete characteristics (head, power, and efficiency) were measured experimentally using
a specific test loop. The numerical data obtained from a CFD study performed with the ANSYS CFX software and based on steady
state and unsteady approaches were compared to the experimental results. The representation in the 4 operating quadrants shows
the various operating zones where the head is always positive. Then, the unsteady radial forces were analysed from transient
computations. The results obtained for the pump operation are consistent with the literature and extended to the nonnormal
operating conditions, namely, for very high flowrate values. The evolution of the radial load during turbine operation is presented
for various partial flow operating points.
20 2
18 1.8
16 1.6
14 1.4
12 1.2
10 1
8 0.8
6 0.6
4 0.4
2 0.2
0 0
0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4
Ns = 14.6 (Guo and Okamoto, 2003)
Ns = 14.6 (Guo and Okamoto, 2003) Ns = 23 (Guo and Okamoto, 2003)
Ns = 23 (Guo and Okamoto, 2003) Ns = 37.6 (Guo and Okamoto, 2003)
Ns = 37.6 (Guo and Okamoto, 2003) Ns = 55.6 (Guo and Okamoto, 2003)
Ns = 55.6 (Guo and Okamoto, 2003) Ns 70 pump
Ns 70 pump Ns 70 PAT
Ns 70 PAT
Figure 3: Dimensionless power curves of PAT in pump and turbine
Figure 2: Dimensionless head curves of PAT in pump and turbine modescomparison to Derakshan et al.
modescomparison to Derakshan et al.
1
and = /3 5 versus the dimensionless flow rate = 0.9
/3 . 0.8
The curves are consistent with the experimental results 0.7
presented by Derakhshan et al. [9, 13, 14] for volute centrifugal
0.6
pumps with a specific speed varying from 15 to 60. All
0.5
these results are compared in the same figures. The positive
0.4
flowrates correspond to the operating points in pump mode
whereas the negative flowrates correspond to the operating 0.3
points in turbine mode. This convention was adopted for all 0.2
representations. 0.1
The efficiency curves are plotted in the same way in 0
0.6 0.4 0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6
Figure 4. Whatever the specific speed considered, the effi-
ciency values obtained in pump or turbine operation are
similar. In fact, the PATs efficiencies are quite good because Ns = 14.6 (Guo and Okamoto, 2003)
the hydraulic design of this centrifugal pump is similar to Ns = 23 (Guo and Okamoto, 2003)
the Francis turbines and the head losses for pump or turbine Ns = 37.6 (Guo and Okamoto, 2003)
mode are similar. Ns = 55.6 (Guo and Okamoto, 2003)
Ns 70 pump
Based on their test campaign, Derakhshan and Nour- Ns 70 PAT
bakhsh [14] proposed several correlations which depended
on the specific speed. The purpose of these correlations was Figure 4: Dimensionless efficiency curves of PAT in pump and
to assess the hydraulic performance of the pump operating in turbine modescomparison to Derakshan et al.
turbine mode, based on the characteristics at the pump best
efficiency point. So, the dimensionless BEP characteristics of
the tested PAT are defined as following:
obtained on four centrifugal pumps with similar geometry
, , , , in which only the hydraulics of the impeller was modified
= = = = , (1) to change the specific speed from 14.6 to 55.6; it seems
to be unsuitable for centrifugal pumps with high specific
speeds.
where , , , and are the head, flow rate, power, and
efficiency.
These correlations are illustrated in Figure 5 and com- 4. Numerical Approach
pared with Derakshans experimental results. The charac-
teristics predicted from the correlations proposed for the All numerical simulations were carried out with ANSYS CFX
centrifugal pump of this study are illustrated in this figure. 11, and the computations were performed on workstations
This prediction method is based on the experimental results with the following technical characteristics: HP xw86008
4 International Journal of Rotating Machinery
2.5 2.5
2 2
1.5 1.5
h
q
1 1
0.5 0.5
0 0
0 20 40 60 80 0 20 40 60 80
3 3
Ns (m, m /s) Ns (m, m /s)
(a) (b)
2.5
1.5
0.5
0
0 20 40 60 80
Ns (m, m3 /s)
Exp. by (Derakshan and Nourbakhsh, 2008)
Ns 70
Corel. (Guo and Okamoto, 2003)
(c)
Figure 5: Dimensionless BEP characteristics of PATSexperiments by Derakhshan and Nourbakhsh [14] and tested pump.
Xeon processors (3.16 GHz), RAM 16 Gb, Windows XP. The multiblock approach based on hexahedral elements. In com-
average number of processors is equal to 10. parison with nonstructured or hybrid approaches, this type
of computation grid gives better meshing quality in the
impeller while it simultaneously keeps a reasonable number
4.1. Computational Domain. The numerical model of the
of cells. Furthermore, considering the control-volume finite-
centrifugal pump is comprised of the volute, a six-blade
element method (CVFEM) formulation implemented in the
impeller with balancing holes, and a leakage gap at the back
ANSYS CFX computation code, the use of structured grids
of the impeller. So as to obtain the best possible comparison
remains the best guarantee to obtain accurate numerical
with the test campaign, all the geometrical details of the pump
solutions.
are taken into account as described in Figure 6. However, the
The meshing is generated with the ICEM CFD soft-
surfaces of the various parts of the computational domain
ware. The inlet duct, the impeller, and the volute are fully
need to be cleaned to ensure optimum meshing quality.
meshed, and the size of the generated grids reaches 450,000,
The computational domain is broken down into three
4,900,000, and 2,300,000 elements, respectively. A view of the
parts: the inlet duct, the rotating domain, and the volute.
meshing of the impeller is illustrated in Figure 7.
The positions of the interfaces between the rotating part
The meshing is refined in the vicinity of the walls in
and the stationary parts are defined in Figure 6. Each colour
order to correctly obtain the peripheral velocity gradients
represents one of the three parts of the computational
and the friction effects: the average value of y+ is equal to
domain. The inlet and outlet of the domain are positioned,
50; specific cell thickness progression laws in the meridian,
respectively, at 2D upstream and 3D downstream.
hub-to-shroud, and blade-to-blade directions are applied to
ensure good grid quality: near wall orthogonality is enforced,
4.2. Hexahedral Structured Meshing. The meshing for the and the minimum angle observed in the domain corresponds
computational domain was constructed from a structured to 23 (less of 1% of the cells are smaller than 30 ).
International Journal of Rotating Machinery 5
5. Overall Characteristics of
the Centrifugal Pump
5.1. Definition of the Reduced Variables. Based on the defini-
Y tions proposed in Knapps article and based on the laws of
0 0.100 0.200 X similarity of centrifugal pumps, it is possible to determine a
0.050 0.150 Z
(m) set of reduced variables for the flowrate and the speed velocity
as a function of the head of the pump:
Figure 6: Cross-section of the computational domain.
1 = 1 = . (2)
2
8000
14
6000
13 4000
2000
Power (W)
Head (m)
12
0
11
2000
10 4000
6000
9
8000
8 10000
0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
Time (s) Time (s)
(a) (b)
Figure 8: Time evolutions of head and power for an unsteady computationoperating point: rpm/ = 0.6 .
below:
0.0
6.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 = . (4)
2 2
1.0
The components of this factor are illustrated in Figure 11 for
the three following operating points: 0.5 , , and 2.2 .
2.0 For each operating point, we compared the solutions in
steady state and unsteady modes. The force directions are
correctly predicted with the steady state approach since the
3.0
fluctuations of direction are low, but the amplitude may be
N1H widely underestimated in particular for underflow operating
Experimental data points.
Numerical results The direction of the radial thrust with respect to the
volute varies with the operating point, and it is depen-
Figure 10: Comparisons between experimental data and numerical
results obtained from unsteady approach. dent on the type of machine, as Gulich explains [21].
This direction goes towards the outlet for underflow con-
ditions and in the opposite direction for excess flowrate
conditions. Although this result is widely known for excess
the values corresponding to the other two quadrants give flowrates up to 1.5 (normal pump operating conditions),
more realistic results showing an asymptote = 0 in the simulated operating point at 2.2 corresponds to an
quadrant 2 with very significant fluctuations along this abnormal operating point where the head and torque are
asymptote. negative, which allows us to extent these results (direction
Based on the fluctuating values of the reduced vari- and amplitude of the radial force) to abnormal operating
ables, an average curve is plotted to describe the numerical points.
behaviour of the curve 1 = (1 ) in the 4 operating To select the suitable equipment which will be installed
quadrants, and it is compared to the experimental results in hydroelectric power stations, it is crucial to predict
in Figure 10. We can see a very good correlation between the hydraulic performance of centrifugal pumps in PAT
the experimental measurements and the numerical results. operation. As we mentioned in the introduction and the
The maximum difference occurs for the points located first part of this paper, there are correlations which should
in the vicinity of the 1 = 0 axis: whether in the make it possible to assess the performance in turbine mode,
quadrant 1 or 2 that is to say on either side of the based on pump operation data. However, the prediction
axis, these operating points correspond to high flowrate of the hydraulic load is also extremely important in order
values. It is worth reminding that the development of to guarantee the mechanical integrity of the pump in this
cavitation within the pump is not taken into account in new operating mode. As a matter of fact, except for turbine
the numerical model. For these operating points, the head pumps, the pumps which operate in turbine mode (pumps
drop generated by the appearance of cavitation may explain as turbine, PAT) are not specifically designed for these
these differences. However, it seems rather unlikely that the operating ranges. This is why we have studied the radial
use of Rayliegh-Plesset models to simulate the cavitating thrust for several operating points in PAT: 0 , 0.4 ,
flow will improve the prediction of the overall variables 0.6 , 1.2 , and 4 . In particular, we analysed the load
because the pressure drop due to the appearance of cavitation fluctuations which may appear depending on the operating
is significantly underestimated with this type of model conditions. For underflow operating points, it appears that
[19, 20]. the fluctuating components of the radial thrust are gen-
erated by a low-frequency hydraulic imbalance. Therefore,
6. Radial Thrust and Forces Fluctuations on the numerical representation of this physical phenomenon
the Impeller requires several simulated impeller rotations. For example,
8 impeller rotations were simulated for the operating point
At the nominal operating point, the centrifugal pump 0.6 .
impellers are (in practice) correctly balanced, and the radial The temporal evolution of the radial load is illustrated
thrust becomes negligible. Further from the nominal oper- in Figure 12 for the various simulated flowrates. The com-
ating point, the flow becomes unsuitable, and local stalls ponents of the factor are plotted for each iteration. At
8 International Journal of Rotating Machinery
1.5 kr , y
1
1
0.5Qn -unsteady 0.8
0.5
0.5Qn -steady 0.6
2.2Qn -unsteady
kr
0
1.5 1 0.5 0 0.5 1 0.4
kr , x
2.2Qn -steady 0.5 0.5Qn 0.2
1 0
Qn -steady and unsteady 2.2Qn 0 1 2 3 4
Q/QpBEP
1.5
Pump mode
Figure 11: Components of radial thrust in pump mode 0.5 , , PAT mode
and 2.2 .
Figure 13: Averaged amplitude of the unsteady radial force.
1.5 kr , y
The instantaneous pressure field is illustrated in Figure 14
1 for six different instants, and the corresponding radial thrust
is represented by a superimposed vector. The computation
code gives access to the radial force in the rotating frame,
0.5 but it can be recomputed in the stationary frame if the
angular position of the impeller is known, which makes it
0 possible to represent this force over time. The amplitude
1.5 1 0.5 0 0.5 1 and direction of the radial thrust change with the relative
kr , x
position of the impeller, and this evolution is pseudoperiodic.
0.5 This physical phenomenon is due to the rotating stalls
which occur in a few channels of the impeller and move
1 with the rotation of the impeller. They are induced due to
complex interactions [2224] which appear in underflow
4Qn conditions and lead to interaction between the pumping and
1.5
turbining effects. These phenomena also exist for turbine
0 Qn 1.2Qn pumps, and they have been studied by several authors
0.6 Qn 4 Qn [22, 25, 26].
Then, the time spectrum of the radial thrust is calculated.
Figure 12: Components of radial thrust in PAT mode. Two main frequencies are then identified in Figure 15. Then
is the rotating frequency of the pump, while the low
frequency corresponding to the displacement of the rotating
stall is equal to 0.6 . This result is known for hydraulic
the same time, the average amplitude of the radial force is
turbines: these characteristic frequencies are located between
illustrated in Figure 13 as a function of the flowrate. The
0.5 and 0.8 , depending on the geometry of the turbine
behaviour of the radial thrust in PAT operation is similar
[2628]. Furthermore, the frequency of passage of one blade
to that obtained in pump operation. The minimum radial
at each impeller rotation (6 ) which is detected by the
force is obtained for the best efficiency point in turbine mode
head fluctuation spectrum is not clearly identified on this
(1.2 ). The PAT configuration exhibits radial force levels
spectrum.
similar to those obtained in pump operation. For the excess
flowrate point, the fluctuating part of the radial force is very
low in comparison to the average value, and its direction 7. Conclusions
remains constant and opposite to the turbine inlet (Figure 12).
For the operating points with underflow and in particular for The performance of a centrifugal pump with a specific speed
operating points close to runway, the radial force becomes of 70 in pump and turbine operating modes was measured on
a rotating force centred on the impeller. Finally, the average a dedicated test loop. These measurements are compared to
amplitude of the radial force increases when the flowrate the results obtained by Derakshan concerning four centrifu-
decreases. gal pumps with volute from 14 to 56. The results obtained
International Journal of Rotating Machinery 9
Pressure
(contour 1)
140000
130588
121176
111765
102353
92941
83529
74118
(Pa)
64706
55294
45882
36471
27059
17647
8235
1176
T1 T2 T3 10588
20000
(a)
Pressure
(contour 1)
140000
130588
121176
111765
102353
92941
83529
74118
(Pa)
64706
55294
45882
36471
27059
17647
8235
1176
T4 T5 T6 10588
20000
(b)
Figure 14: Instantaneous pressure field and radial trust evolution for the following operating point: rpm/ = 0.6 .
Time spectrum of radial trust The overall characteristics stemming from experimental
0.6fn results and from numerical solutions are very similar. In tur-
300000 bine operation, the comparisons remain good if an unsteady
approach is used. The hydraulic load is then studied in order
250000 to verify the complete validity of the numerical approach. In
pump operation, the conventional V shape of the radial
200000 thrust versus flowrate curve is extended to the abnormal
operating points (excessive flowrates such as < 0 and <
TF(Fr )
150000 0). In turbine operation, the average radial thrust has a similar
fn V shape where the minimum value is obtained for the best
100000
efficiency point in turbine mode. Furthermore, for underflow
6fn operating points close to the runway point, the radial force is
50000
a rotating force whose rotating frequency corresponds to 0.6
0 times the rotation frequency of the pump. This result agrees
0 50 100 150 200 250 with the results from the literature concerning turbine pump
(Hz) operation.
The good comparisons with the experimental data show
Figure 15: Spectrum of the fluctuations of radial thrust. that the URANS modelling is able to solve the large energy
scales maintained by a forcing mechanism due to the rotation
of the impeller. As regards applications in rotating machinery,
the traditional URANS approaches are a credible alternative
show that the correlation proposed by Derakshan seems to be in comparison to advanced turbulence models which require
unsuitable for high values of . a much higher CPU time to be allocated.
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