Improving Centrifugal Pump Performance and Efficiency Using Composite Materials Through Additive Manufacturing

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing is a rapidly developing technology that enables the fabrication of objects with complex geometries and high levels of customization while keeping the prototyping costs relatively low. In recent years, its application has grown to include the fabrication of end-use parts, creating new opportunities in industries such as the automotive, aerospace, mechanical, and hydraulic engineering industries. The present research paper focuses on the fabrication and evaluation of 3D-printed operational end-use parts of a water pump, which were originally made from cast iron. This approach aims to determine whether AM can be an alternative for metal parts in operational systems such as water pumps. In particular, the impeller of a centrifugal pump is remanufactured using material extrusion AM technology with PPS-CF composite polymer as a fabrication material. Subsequently, the surface roughness of the two parts is measured, and the performance of each part is predicted by creating a CFD model. Additionally, the printed part is compared to the original part by conducting a centrifugal pump performance test for each impeller. The results show that the 3D-printed impeller achieves an approximate 15% increase in overall efficiency compared to the original impeller.