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Optimizing the hydraulic efficiency of submersible drainage pumps (SDPs) is crucial for energy conservation and performance enhancement, especially in emergency applications. Therefore, this study aims to develop an energy-efficient SDP by designing an optimized impeller model using a numerical scheme and introducing a flow balance block (FBB) as an alternative to modifying the pump casing, thereby reducing internal space and improving performance. Experimental validation of the optimized impeller and FBB was conducted by comparing their performance with the original pump model. The results demonstrated that the optimized impeller increased efficiency by 3.35% at a flow rate of 0.195 m3/min, with an overall average efficiency improvement of 2.33%. Additionally, when the optimized impeller and FBB were combined, the pump's efficiency was further enhanced by 5%, and the flow rate increased by approximately 10%. The study also proposed that the tap bolt method is more effective for installing the FBB than the silicone attaching method. This research provides a comprehensive experimental approach to improving SDP efficiency and offers valuable insights for future pump optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Submersible drainage pumps are used around the world both residentially and industrially for draining water and sewage. However, these pumps are prone to wear and clogging when the flows inward contain particles and air bubbles, and the combined effects of cavitation and erosion directly affect the performance of such pumps and degrade their efficiency. Therefore, it is essential to design a submersible pump that mitigates the adverse effects of cavitation and erosion. Reported here is an energy-efficient submersible drainage pump for use in emergency response. The combined cavitation–erosion effects are established in order to reduce their adverse impact on the pump, and how erosion wear affects the cavitation characteristics of the water in the pump is investigated. An experiment was conducted to verify the numerical results pump, and then, the influences of particle concentration and size on two-stage existing and altered model submersible pumps were analyzed using computational fluid dynamics. The results show that the performance of the altered model pump increased by 4.34%, with the cavitation–erosion effects reduced significantly. In addition, higher particle concentration induced higher erosion rates at both the leading and trailing edges of the impeller blades. Furthermore, the altered model significantly reduced the cavitation–erosion impact on the pump impeller blades compared to the existing model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is considered one of the vital natural resources and factors for performing short- and long-term agricultural practices on Earth. Meanwhile, globally, most of the available freshwater resources are utilized for irrigation purposes in agriculture. Currently, many world regions are facing extreme water shortage problems, which can worsen if not managed properly. In the literature, numerous methods and remedies are used to cope with the increasing global water crises. The use of precision irrigation water-saving systems (PISs) for efficient water management under climate change is one of them and is a highly recommended approach by researchers. It can mitigate the adverse effects of changing climate and help enhance water use efficiency, crop yield, and environmental footprints. Thus, the present study aimed to comprehensively examine and review PISs, focusing on their development, implementation, and positive impacts on sustainable water management. In addition, we searched the literature using different online search engines and reviewed and summarized the main results of the previously published papers on PISs. We discussed the traditional irrigation method and its modernization for enhancing water use efficiency, PIS monitoring and controlling, architecture, data sharing communication technologies, the role of artificial intelligence for irrigation water-saving, and the future prospects of the PIS. Based on the brief literature review, the present study concluded that the future of PISs seems bright, driven by the need for efficient irrigation water management systems, technological advancements, and increasing environmental awareness. As the water scarcity problem intensifies due to climate change and population growth, the PIS is poised to play a critical role in optimizing and modernizing water usage, increasing water use efficiency, and reducing environmental footprints, thus ensuring sustainable agriculture development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small submersible drainage pumps are used to discharge leaking water and rainwater in buildings. In an emergency (e.g., heavy rain or accident), advance monitoring of the flow rate is essential to enable optimal operation, considering the point where the pump operates abnormally when the water level is increased rapidly. Moreover, pump performance optimization is crucial for energy-saving policy. Therefore, it is necessary to meet the challenges of submersible pump systems, including sustainability and pump efficiency. The final goal of this study was to develop an energy-saving and highly efficient submersible drainage pump capable of performing efficiently in emergencies. In particular, this paper targeted the hydraulic performance improvement of a submersible drainage pump model. Prior to the development of driving-mode-related technology capable of emergency response, a way to improve the performance characteristics of the existing submersible drainage pump was found. Disassembling of the current pump followed by reverse engineering was performed instead of designing a new pump. Numerical simulation was performed to analyze the flow characteristics and pump efficiency. An experiment was carried out to obtain the performance, and it was validated with numerical results. The results reveal that changing the cross-sectional shape of the impeller reduced the flow separation and enhanced velocity and pressure distributions. Also, it reduced the power and increased efficiency. The results also show that the pump's efficiency was increased to 5.56% at a discharge rate of 0.17 m3/min, and overall average efficiency was increased to 6.53%. It was concluded that the submersible pump design method is suitable for the numerical designing of an optimized pump's impeller and casing. This paper provides insight on the design optimization of pumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The booster pump is an energy-saving system that controls the number of turns of the pump and optimal operation by installing an inverter to control the discharge pressure of the pump in accordance with the flow rate. The development of an optimum operation algorithm and flow rate information for the individual pumps without flow sensors is critical of a smart booster pump system. The objectives of this study was to investigate the algorithm based flow detection method without use of a flow sensor for each pump. Therefore, it was developed an algorithm-based flow rate detection method of individual pumps without the use of a flow sensor that has not been studied in the conventional booster pump system. The software-based processor development and experimental verification for detecting the flow rate of individual pumps were confirmed. The ensemble error was within 2%. For optimal operation, the result of examining the accumulated flow rate for the sequential operation method and the optimum operation method. The flow measurement accuracy of the system was confirmed by experiment and the development of a booster pump system without a flow sensor was found effective.

Cavitation is an abnormal physical phenomenon which occurs in relatively low–pressure regions in turbomachinery such as pumps and hydraulic turbines. A comparison between the pump and turbine cavitation behavior is a significant and essential process. The work investigates feasibility of turbineusing existing pump and a comparative study of the cavitation characteristics on a centrifugal pump asturbine numerically and experimentally. The current work adopted the Rayleigh–Plesset cavitation model as the source term for inter–phase mass transfer to predict cavitation characteristics.The experimental data were compared with the numerical results and were found to be in good agreement.Results of the comparative study showed that cavitation first occurred at the suction leading edge on the impeller blades and attached cavitation observed on the impeller blade at the lower suction head in pump mode; however, for the turbine mode, the development of vortex cavitation happened at the runner outlet near thetrailing edge on the impeller blades. Also, in the pump, the cavitation became largerfromshroud to the hub and the cavitation rapidly extended from the suction side to the pressure side. On the other hand in the turbine mode, as the cavitation number decreased more vapor bubbles are drawnup at the runner outlet near trailing edge on the blade suction side.

Vision impairment or low vision is the disability to see any objects clearly. It might be caused by old age, an accident, or any other neurological condition. People find it difficult to carry out their regular activities, regardless of the cause of their vision impairment or blindness. As medical researchers are working to find a cure for blindness, contrariwise researchers are using technology to make a vision impairment person's life easier in an affordable way. As a result, a smart cane was developed, although it is expensive for most of blind people. The main objective of this paper is to introduce an affordable smart cane for every visually impaired person. The ultrasonic sensors in this walking stick are used to identify impediments. This system is using an arduino to reduce the processing time between receiving and delivering signals created by ultrasonic sensors. The speech output will guide a blind person to take a safe path making the stroll more comfortable and secure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unsteady behavior of fluid flow such as pressure variation and fluctuation in a hydraulic turbine may lead to operational instability. Such dynamic behaviors effect the performance of rotating machines, which may reduce life span and even have impact on the overall safety of the turbine. The objectives of this study are to analyze the flow characteristics and to undertake a transient Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis of a model turbine to investigate the stability of operational conditions. Flow analysis was conducted by changing the number of revolutions to 100, 200, 300, and 350 rpm. Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations were discretized by the finite volume method and a two equations shear stress transport model was used to account for the three dimensionality of unsteady flows. FFT analysis was performed by monitoring dynamic pressure fluctuation on the rotor and casing. Results revealed that as the number of revolutions increased, the flow gradually became more stable as it approached the rated rotation speed of 350 rpm. Also an experiment was conducted to verify the numerical performance and a good tendency of the results was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multistage centrifugal pumps with variable speed drives are currently widely used in a variety of industrial and commercial applications. However, there are limitations to defining the efficiency of variable speed drive pumps. As an alternative method, energy saving rates can be evaluated with flow patterns and mean duty cycles. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is being used as a good tool to understand this and is less time consuming in terms of analyzing performances the experimental method. Research attention was focused on the energy saving rates of a multistage centrifugal pump for variable flow with variable speed drive through numerical and experiment methods. For this investigation Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations were discretized by the finite volume method and a two equations SST model was used to account for three dimensional steady state flows. In the experimental system, an experimental set-up of a variable flow system was made to obtain energy saving rates and computational results were validated. The energy saving rates of the pumps depend on the flow patterns and specific mean duty cycles on which the machine or system operates. Mean duty cycles were divided into different flow operating conditions and a weighting for the mean value was given for each segment according to interval time. The pump system was operated at 50~70% of maximum flow rates. The energy saving rates were obtained from input power through CFD simulation and experimentally, and the mean duty cycle was obtained from flow patterns in the field of the pump. Energy saving rates were evaluated as a function of mean duty cycle and input power of the system operation. The total energy consumed for the constant speed drive was 25,922 kWh and for the variable speed drive pump was 17,687 kWh through CFD. The total annual energy saving rates were annually 33.81% through computational and 31.77% through experimental method with the variable speed drive system when compared to the constant speed drive system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]