CFD analysis of cavitation phenomena in mixed-flow pump

Abstract

This paper deals with the CFD analysis of cavitating flow in the mixed-flow pump with the specific speed of 1.64 which suffers from a high level of noise and vibrations close to the optimal flow coefficient. The ANSYS CFX package has been used to solve URANS equations together with the Rayleigh-Plesset model and the SST-SAS turbulence model has been employed to capture highly unsteady phenomena inside the pump. The CFD analysis has provided a good picture of the cavitation structures inside the pump and their dynamics for a wide range of flow coefficients and NPSH values. Cavitation instabilities were detected at 70% of the optimal flow coefficient close to the NPSH3 value (NPSH3 is the net positive suction head required for the 3% drop of the total head of the pump).