Suppression of the secondary flow in a suction channel of a large centrifugal pump

Abstract

The suction channel configuration of a large centrifugal pump with a 90-degree bend was studied in detail to suppress the secondary flow at the impeller inlet for improving suction performance. Design of experiments (DOE) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) were used to evaluate the sensitivity of several primary design parameters of the suction channel. A DOE is a powerful tool to clarify the sensitivity of objective functions to design parameters with a minimum of trials. An L9 orthogonal array was adopted in this study and nine suction channels were designed, through which the flow was predicted by steady state calculation. The results indicate that a smaller bend radius with a longer straight nozzle, distributed between the bend and the impeller, suppresses the secondary flow at the impeller inlet. An optimum ratio of the cross sectional areas at the bend inlet and outlet was also confirmed in relationship to the contraction rate of the downstream straight nozzle. These findings were obtained by CFD and verified by experiments. The results will aid the design of large centrifugal pumps with better suction performance and higher reliability. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.