Numerical study and optimal blade design of a centrifugal pump by evolutionary algorithms

Abstract

A numerical methodology for hydrodynamic design in centrifugal pumps is developed and tested, considering the possibility to increase the hydraulic efficiency of the pump impeller by improving the blades shape. The simulation and analysis of the incompressible turbulent flow through the test impeller is performed with a commercial CFD code, and the numerical results are in agreement with the corresponding measurements in a laboratory pump impeller. A parametric study is carried out to examine the influence of some blade design parameters on the performance and the efficiency of the impeller, like the blade length, the inlet height, and the leading edge inclination. The values of the above parameters that maximize the hydraulic efficiency of the impeller are then derived by a multiparametric optimization methodology, using a stochastic evolutionary algorithm software. The optimal impeller design exhibits a remarkable efficiency increase compared to the initial impeller design. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.