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331–343 (2008)
ABSTRACT: CFD has the potential of assisting an engineer in arriving at improved designs. However, to be
effective, this requires a much closer cooperation and mutual understanding between the pump specialist and the
expert in CFD, than it is presently in existence. This conclusion is based on actual case histories from past
experience, as well as considerations of the physical meaning of certain mathematical expressions. The presented
discussion relates, primarily, to the design of centrifugal pumps. However, there are strong indications that
analogical situations exist also in other fields of fluids engineering.
Keywords: centrifugal pumps, CFD, flow pattern, impeller, volute, noise, pump design
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Velocity
m/sec
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1 ∂P ∂V ∂V ∂V
Fx − = Vx x + Vy x + Vz x
ρ ∂x ∂x ∂y ∂z
1 ∂P ∂V y ∂V y ∂V y
Fy − = Vx + Vy + Vz (1)
ρ ∂y ∂x ∂y ∂z
1 ∂P ∂V ∂V ∂V
Fz − = Vx z + Vy x + Vz z
ρ ∂z ∂x ∂y ∂z
∂Vx
Let us have a look at the term Vx .
∂x
As velocity means the derivative of distance with
respect to time (Vx = δx / δT) , therefore, the above Fig. 5 Axes, along which the normal velocity
components shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 were
term can be reduced to:
measured.
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Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics Vol. 2, No. 3 (2008)
And the head added to that acted-upon volume of Eq. (5) tells us that Ho increases with Qbo. The
liquid is equal to (Yedidiah, 2003): latter, as follows from Eq. (3), increases with the
Cuo product (Lo δRo). This explains the effects shown
h o = Uo (4) in Fig. 9.
g
The above discussions demonstrate that when
Consequently, the total head added to the total applying CFD to the study of the effects of the
volume of the pumped liquid by that strip of the impeller-passages on the performance of a
blade is equal to (Yedidiah, 2003): centrifugal pump, it is mandatory to take into
account a significantly larger amount of
Qbo
H o = U o Cuo (5) parameters than those which are presently
gQq included in any known CFD programs. In
This increase in the head of the liquid will particular, that recirculation is only one of the
generate a pressure gradient which will accelerate numerous factors which affect the flow through
the liquid in the direction opposite to the direction an impeller (Ref. 18). The above conclusion is
in which the increase of that pressure takes place. also confirmed by the following case history.
The magnitude of that acceleration will, of course,
increase with the increase in Ho.
ΔH
mm
Hg
Original
Impeller
r
36
r
63
Orignial Impeller
Orignial
Impeller
r Rb
51 Ra
Lo
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teamwork to be successful, each member of the In a correctly designed impeller, the magnitude of
team has to know and to understand what the the relative velocities w, within the passages
others are doing. This includes the knowledge of created by the overlapping portions of the blades,
how, where and when the use of CFD is the best is, in most cases, selected to vary linearly with the
choice for a given task. radius. In that case, Eq. (7) can be approximated
Below, we shall discuss two design problems, by the following expression:
where CFD might be capable of providing
2πR
extremely useful assistance to pump designers. ( − σ)BR C m = w d Bdc d (8)
z
6. A DESIGN PROBLEM IN WHICH CFD In Eq. (8), BR is the width of the impeller at any
MIGHT PROVE EXTREMELY USEFUL given radius R, wd is the calculated relative
velocity at the center of any inscribed circle of
When a liquid is flowing between the blades diameter d, and Bdc is the width of the impeller at
without separation, the law of continuity the center of the same inscribed circle.
mandates that the flow should satisfy the At the first sight, Eq. (8) seems to have no
following condition (Yedidiah, 2007) (see relevance to the actual pump performance. After
Fig. 13): all, in a real pump, the liquid never flows in
2πR b f congruent partial passages. Also, the magnitudes
(
z
− σ) B R
∫ a
C m ds =
∫ wB dn
e
d (6) of Cm are never the same across the total length of
any arc a-b of a given radius R. Still, a study of
In Eq. (6), BR signifies the width of the impeller how far the geometry of the passages deviates
at any given radius R, ds signifies the length of an from the condition expressed by Eq. (8) provides
element of a given arc of radius R, Bd signifies the the pump designer with useful information.
width of the impeller at the center of an inscribed Let us see what will happen when our original
circle of diameter d (Fig. 13). assumption that the magnitudes of Cm across any
arc of a given radius R are identical is not correct.
Let the actual magnitudes of Cm , within certain
partial passages, be equal to Cm (1+c). For a
given flow rate, this means that there may exist an
b f
e a
equal number of passages, in which the
d
n
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In an impeller with backward-curved blades, the with straight, radial blades, the liquid may even
returning liquid will usually penetrate only a short return all the way back into the impeller-eye. This
distance into the impeller passages before it will has been confirmed by the experiments reported
be expelled into the volute for a second time. In and discussed in Yedidiah (2002) and Yu, Cua
most cases, this means that the liquid will have to and Leo (2001). This can be clearly seen in the
make at least one additional turn around the impeller passages facing the tongues of the
impeller before exiting the volute. In an impeller (double) volute in Fig. 18.
Θ n
m
Fig. 17 Effect of the distance between the base circle Fig. 18 Effect of volute geometry on the flow within
of the volute and the impeller rim on the flow an impeller (Yu, Cua and Leo, 2001;
within an impeller (schematic). Yedidiah, 2002).
VOLUTE DIFFUSOR
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At present, we do not know of any method which can hardly be regarded as a reliable means for
is capable of determining the optimum relative predicting the level of noise which a given design
distance between the impeller-rim and the base will develop.
circle of a volute. Only CFD is offering logical We can expect that experts in CFD will find a
tools which are capable of leading us to the more reliable way for predicting the intensity of
desired solutions. that noise in the future. In that case, it will be
The above study also illustrates the enormous possible to predict the maximum noise levels of
amount of knowledge which is needed for several different designs, and to select this one,
arriving at a desired solution. At the present which has been found capable to operate within
explosion of information, we cannot expect a the acceptable limits of noise. This, however, will
single person to become an expert in more than not solve a different problem.
one single area of engineering. The only obvious To the best of the author’s knowledge, it took a
solution to that situation is teamwork. To arrive at mainframe, high-speed computer 15 hours to
meaningful useful solutions, there is a need for arrive at the results presented in Ballesteros-
close cooperation and mutual understanding Tajadura et al. (2006). If we shall add to this the
between experts in CFD and centrifugal pump time spent by the engineering and the auxiliary
specialists. staff, and take into account that this has been
Finally, an engineer also needs to keep in mind spent on only one single design, we arrive at the
that the capability of a logical tool for solving a conclusion that the use of CFD for predicting the
given problem does not always mean that its use levels of noise of a number of different designs is
is the best choice for the given task. This is rather a very costly and time-consuming venture,
illustrated by the following case history. considering that there is known a much simpler
and by far less expensive way of reducing the
9. A CASE HISTORY IN WHICH THE USE noise generated at the passing frequency of the
OF CFD HAS PROVEN INFERIOR TO blades (Ref. 18: Figs. 11-17 and 11-18).
OTHER APPROACHES The author has applied this method in 1965, long
before CFD became a popular subject of study.
An improved design tool means that it provides a This solution, while it can hardly be classified as
faster, more reliable, and less expensive means being based on fluids dynamics, has proven to be
for achieving the targeted objective(s). In many so simple, effective and inexpensive that the
cases, only CFD might be able to satisfy the author made it a standard feature of all his
above requirements, particularly in situations subsequent pump designs. Since the introduction
where a significant amount of trial and error work of that design feature, the author has never again
is required. However, in practice, there exist encountered any problem of excessive noise
many areas in which CFD offers very little caused by the passing frequency of the blades.
advantage over other known design procedures.
Such a case history is discussed below. 10. CONCLUSIONS
Ballesteros-Tajadura et al. (2006) presented the
results of a study in which CFD has been used in Properly applied, CFD has the potential of
an attempt to reduce the noise generated by a providing the practicing engineers with enormous
centrifugal fan. This study has correctly predicted assistance in their quest for better designs.
that the most intensive noise will occur at the However, to know how, where and when the use
passing frequency of the blades. of CFD is the best choice for a given task requires
The fact that the passing frequency of the blades an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the
is a major source of noise is known to the pump problem(s) to be handled.
engineers for more than half a century (Yedidiah, At the present explosion of information, this
1996: 229–231). What an engineer needs to know requires close cooperation between the pump
is whether the intensity of that noise will be experts and the specialists in CFD. Such
within acceptable limits. The graphs presented in cooperation, however, can be effective only if
the published paper seemed to show a good each member of a team knows and understands
agreement between the predicted and the tested what the others are doing.
intensities of noise. However, the author also The presented discussion, as well as the studies in
presented tests results which showed that the Yedidiah (2003, 2004, 2007 & Ref. 18), indicates
predicted intensities were significantly different that the needed mutual understanding between the
from the tested ones. This means that the pump experts and the specialists in CFD can be
approach used in Ballesteros-Tajadura et al. (2006)
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