Eventos Anais de eventos
ENCIT 2022
19th Brazilian Congress of Thermal Sciences and Engineering
Numerical model for analysis of axial-flow pumps designed using the minimum pressure coefficient criterion
Submission Author:
Rodolfo Ramalho , PA
Co-Authors:
Rodolfo Ramalho, André Luiz Amarante Mesquita, Nelson Manzanares Filho
Presenter: Rodolfo Ramalho
doi://10.26678/ABCM.ENCIT2022.CIT22-0693
Abstract
In order to design better performing hydraulic machines, it is important to have a geometry that is capable of guaranteeing the flow characteristics required in the initial project and at the same time reduce the energy loss as much as possible. Computer simulation technologies are an effective form of achieving this goal, as they provide a complete picture of machine performance without the need to manufacture prototypes. Studies have proved that the minimum pressure coefficient criterion is suitable for the design of efficient cascades for both power consumer and power supplier turbomachinery. In order to create an efficient methodology for the design of axial-flow pumps, a numerical study of the minimum pressure coefficient on the suction side of the hub of the blade is presented, with the objective to complement the previous approaches that present only experimental studies of the cascade of turbomachinery designed using this criterion. Thus, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model will be built by applying the finite volume method using the Ansys CFX tool. To solve the RANS (Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes) equations, the k-ω SST turbulence model was used. The validation of this computational model will be carried out with experimental data from axial-flow pumps designed using the classic wing theory and free vortex methodologies. It is intended to obtain an interpretation of the flow through the blade runner operating on design and off design conditions. The characteristic curves of the pump operation were obtained, meeting the criteria of convergence and mesh independence. The operating characteristics of the pumps were developed considering the convergence and mesh independence. The results showed a relation between the pressure field in a blade designed by the criterion of the minimum pressure coefficient and its performance. Comparisons between the curves obtained by numerical and experimental studies validated the methodology and confirmed that the criterion is adequate for the selection of an efficient cascade geometry.
Keywords
Axial-Flow Pump, Minimum Pressure Coefficient, k-omega SST
