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Aiming at the chattering problem generated in the machining process of thin-walled parts with complex curved surfaces, a process optimization strategy based on the non-uniform allowance of ɛ influence factor is proposed from the finishing margin with the goal of simplicity and practicality. Firstly, the machining allowance is planned using the ɛ influence factor, and then the theoretical evaluation of the chattering stability of milling operations for uniform allowance blades and non-uniform allowance blades based on the ɛ influence factor by semi-discrete time-domain analysis is carried out and compared, and the results show that the stabilizing region of the optional spindle speed and depth of cut is increased by about 50%, thus effectively improving the productivity. Finally, through the test machining of the whole impeller and the surface contour inspection of the whole impeller, it is verified that the process optimization strategy based on the non-uniform allowance of ɛ influence factor has an obvious effect on the suppression of chattering, which is instructive for the machining and manufacturing of thin-walled parts with complex curved surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The life of compressor impeller is very short under extreme working conditions, so it is necessary to explore the life extension method and mechanism. Since the crack initiation location cannot be accurately predicted in advance, the hole drilling strategy of prefabricated hole will determine the remaining life of impeller after cracks appear. This article presents a strategy of prefabricated hole to extend the fatigue crack propagation life (FCPL) of compressor impeller. The stress distribution of impeller during operation is simulated by finite element method, and the crack initiation location is determined. The Forman-Newman-de Koning model is used to investigate the effects of hole drilling strategy and rotational speed on FCPL, and the three-dimensional crack propagation process is simulated. In addition, this paper investigates the main phenomena and influencing mechanism for the extension of FCPL due to prefabricated hole. It is found that the prefabricated hole can attract the crack propagation path, and make the crack pass through the hole more easily. At this time, the crack propagation driving force will decrease sharply, and the crack propagation rate will decrease accordingly, thus extends the FCPL. Even if it cannot pass through the hole, the optimal hole drilling strategy can extend life by 104.23%. The life extension effect of prefabricated hole increases with the increase of speed. The design in this paper can reduce the economic cost to a great extent, and provides a new idea for the life extension problem of complex models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy efficient electric motors save energy thus reduce operating costs. Since there are several losses affecting the motor efficiency, fan design plays an important role to minimize these losses. This study examines the effects of the design parameters of a radial bladed fan on the motor efficiency in a 132 frame with a power of 7.5 kW. The parametric analysis was carried out with the computational fluid dynamics method, and the results were used for the multiobjective genetic algorithm (MOGA) optimization study with the highest efficiency and the lowest motor body temperature objectives. The hub height, hub radius, distance to body cover, blade rising angle, fan cover entrance distance, blade edge angle, blade center radius, blade edge radius, blade end radius, and center edge distance were selected as optimization parameters. 151 simulations were performed. The results showed that the most important parameter for fan efficiency is the hub height which is the parameter that determines the height of the fan impeller diameter. According to the results, the optimum fan design increased the efficiency by 8% compared to the original fan and reduced the winding temperature by 8 °C. The optimized fan design was manufactured and tested against imulation data. This study contributes to sustainable development goals by improving motor efficiency that reduces the cost, designing of new components, and cooling the fan effectively that reduces the amount of copper used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reveal the internal flow loss characteristics of a multi-stage pump, the unsteady calculation of the internal flow field of a seven-stage centrifugal pump was carried out, and the entropy production theory and Q criterion were utilized to analyze the unsteady flow characteristics of each flow component under different flow rates. The research results show that as the flow rate increases, the entropy production value and the energy loss inside the flow components also increase accordingly. The viscous dissipation entropy production caused by fluid viscosity is very small, and the turbulent dissipation entropy production caused by turbulent fluctuations and wall dissipation entropy production are the main sources of energy loss. The impellers, diffusers, and outlet chamber are the main regions of energy loss in the multistage pump. The entropy production value of the first-stage impeller is significantly higher than that of other impellers, while the entropy production value of the first-stage diffuser is significantly lower than that of other diffusers. Through vortex structure analysis, it is found that the high entropy production regions in the impeller are concentrated in the impeller inlet area, the blade suction surface, and the impeller outlet area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The application referred to within the paper is the development of a centrifugal impeller that equips a pump destined for active thermal control systems (mechanically pumped fluid loop) of spacecrafts. The current paper addresses the challenges in manufacturing a critical component of a centrifugal pump for space active thermal control systems of satellites, namely, the closed centrifugal impeller. Compared to the classical technologies, there is an obvious advantage of additive manufacturing of closed impellers, due to the possibility of creating complex geometries, which boost the hydraulic performances of the part and, implicitly, of the pump. In this regard, the authors performed a comparative analysis between a closed impeller obtained by classical machining and three manufactured by additive technology (selective laser melting) by means of dimensional inspection, non-destructive testing, and experimental evaluation. The study performed here showed that the additively manufactured closed impellers exhibited similar hydraulic performances to the classical one, without the need for performing post-processing of internal surfaces. Also, in terms of dimensional and geometrical stability, the additively manufactured closed impellers were within the imposed tolerances, demonstrating the feasibility of obtaining such complex parts by using additive manufacturing. Subsequently, the allocated time for manufacturing decreased by 75% for the closed impellers manufactured by additive technologies, and the need for using four technological processes was decreased to only two, printing and post-processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the energy consumption of the double-suction pump, this study optimizes the impeller of the pump based on the Nonlinear Programming Quadratic Lagrangian (NLPQL) algorithm in OptiSLang. Taking the weighted efficiency as the optimization objective, 28 design parameters of the impeller are selected as the input variables, 300 groups of sample schemes are generated through the Advanced Latin Hypercubic Sampling method, and an automatic numerical simulation platform is setup to optimize the impeller under different working conditions. A metamodel of optimal prognosis is built by OptiSLang based on sample data and system response, seven variables with high sensitivity are screened out, and the NLPQL algorithm is adopted to carry out the optimization design to obtain the optimized model. The optimized model is, then, verified by the numerical simulation, and it is analyzed and compared with the original model from external characteristic curves and internal flow mechanism. The results show that: the match between the optimized design variables and the optimization objective is good; the weighted efficiency of the optimized pump is increased by 4.3%, the high efficiency zone is obviously enlarged and the shaft power is significantly decreased; the flow lines in the optimized impeller are obviously improved, the vortex is eliminated, and the velocity distribution is more uniform; the low pressure zone at the inlet of the vane is obviously reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the impact of baffles in the inhalation chamber on the external characteristics and operational stability of a double inhalation centrifugal pump under low flow conditions, the flow field simulation software ANSYS CFX and the shear stress transport formulation were employed to numerically simulate the internal flow field of a double inhalation centrifugal pump with and without baffles. Two models were subjected to performance curve simulation and prediction, with the internal flow field, pressure pulsation, and impeller force of the two models being compared and analyzed under three small flow conditions of 0.6Qd (rated flow), 0.5Qd, and 0.4Qd. The velocity and vortex distribution inside the semi-spiral inhalation chamber, as well as their impact on the flow state in front of and inside the impeller, were analyzed. Research has demonstrated that the addition of baffles can enhance the pump head and efficiency in flow conditions of 0.5Qd–0.8Qd. However, there is a tendency for obstruction of flow in conditions below 0.5Qd. Baffles can reduce the amplitude of pressure pulsation within the impeller and the radial force exerted by the impeller as a whole. Consequently, the incorporation of baffles within the inhalation chamber during flow conditions of 0.5Qd–0.8Qd can enhance the operational efficacy of the pump. Nevertheless, within the flow range of <0.5Qd, the pump's performance will decline. This study serves as a foundation for the design of double inhalation centrifugal pumps with semi-spiral inhalation chambers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the overall performance of regenerative flow pump (RFP) to achieve efficient and stable operation over a broad range, this paper employs numerical simulation to study the internal flow conditions of RFP models with three different inclination coefficients (Ic = −0.25, Ic = 0, Ic = 0.25). The analysis focuses on the pressure distribution, energy exchange, velocity variation, and vorticity distribution characteristics within the impeller and channel. The comparison indicates that at Ic = −0.25 with an outward channel, the flow within the pump is stabilized, and the rate of pressure growth and exchange intensity are increased. When Ic = 0 with a semi-circular channel and Ic = 0.25 with an inward channel, there are narrower flow space at the channel's outer diameter, impeding effective fluid motion along the channel and inducing chaotic flow. This condition escalates flow losses and adversely affects the hydraulic performance of the RFP. Additionally, the analysis based on the vorticity transport equation reveals that the Coriolis force term significantly contributes to the generation and transport of vortex in the impeller, while the vortex stretching term dominates the transport of vortex in the channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the gas–liquid two-phase flow characteristics in a stirred tank equipped with a double-layer punched impeller. Numerical simulations are conducted to analyze flow dynamics, gas holdup, bubble sizes, and distributions under various operational conditions. The results show a high degree of agreement between experimental and simulated power values and gas holdup distributions, validating the reliability of the computational fluid dynamics–population balance model coupling approach. The combination of the punched four-inclined-blade up-pumping turbine and the punched Rushton impeller exhibits excellent bubble dispersion characteristics, with overall small bubble sizes. Increasing the rotational speed can enhance turbulence within the flow field and accelerate the liquid phase velocity, which facilitates gas diffusion and improves gas–liquid mixing efficiency. Additionally, higher rotational speed further intensifies the shear effect of the punched impeller, resulting in a reduction in average bubble size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the evolution of vortex structures in the impeller channel of a multiphase pump. By capturing the vortices in the impeller channel using the vorticity and Q‐criterion, the generation location of the vortex structures is analyzed, and the pressure fluctuations induced by vortices in the main flow passage of the impeller are studied in terms of their time‐ and frequency‐domain characteristics. The relationship between the vorticity and the amplitude of pressure fluctuations at the main frequency of the impeller is further investigated. This study develops a method of identifying vortices in the impeller channel of the multiphase pump, and reveals the intrinsic connection between the vortices and pressure fluctuations in the main flow passage. These findings offer some suggestions for eliminating the influence of vortices and enhancing the pressurizing capabilities of multiphase pumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the variations in the flow field of centrifugal pumps with different cavitation numbers, this study utilized the shear stress transport k–ω turbulence model and Zwart–Gerber–Belamri cavitation model to examine the correlation between stall vortices and cavitation flow. The findings indicate that cavitation consistently coincides with the formation of stall vortices, and the distribution of cavitation mirrors the pattern of stall vortex structure. Cavitation tends to develop and aggregate around stall vortices, obstructing a significant portion of inlet areas within the flow channel. As the cavitation number decreases, both the area and intensity of stall vortices increase. For cavitations margins σ = 0.41, 0.23, and 0.15, we observed propagation frequencies of stall vortices at fs = 2.7, 1.8, and 0.9 Hz respectively, as these frequencies decrease relative to impeller movement until reaching near-stationary states. The pressure pulsations in various flow channels exhibit distinct phase differences; smaller cavity numbers result in larger phase disparities along with a gradual reduction in pressure pulsation amplitude. These discoveries present effective strategies for controlling and reducing both cavity formation and pressure fluctuations within centrifugal pumps, thereby enhancing overall stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) blood pump is an open‐source benchmark cardiovascular device introduced for validating computational and experimental performance analysis tools. The time‐resolved velocity field for the whole impeller has not been established, as is undertaken in this particle image velocimetry (PIV) study. The level of instantaneous velocity fluctuations is important, to assess the flow‐induced rotor vibrations which may contribute to the total blood damage. Methods: To document these factors, time‐resolved two‐dimensional PIV experiments were performed that were precisely phase‐locked with the impeller rotation angle. The velocity fields in the impeller and in the volute conformed with the previous single blade passage experiments of literature. Results: Depending on the impeller orientation, present experiments showed that volute outlet nozzle flow can fluctuate up to 34% during impeller rotation, with a maximum standard experimental uncertainty of 2.2%. Likewise, the flow fields in each impeller passage also altered in average 33.5%. Considerably different vortex patterns were observed for different blade passages, with the largest vortical structures reaching an average core radii of 7 mm. The constant volute area employed in the FDA pump design contributes to the observed velocity imbalance, as illustrated in our velocity measurements. Conclusions: By introducing the impeller orientation parameter for the nozzle flow, this study considers the possible uncertainties influencing pump flow. Expanding the available literature data, analysis of inter‐blade relative velocity fields is provided here for the first‐time to the best of our knowledge. Consequently, our research fills a critical knowledge gap in the understanding of the flow dynamics of an important benchmark cardiovascular device. This study prompts the need for improved hydrodynamic designs and optimized devices to be used as benchmark test devices, to build more confidence and safety in future ventricular assist device performance assessment studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracorporeal centrifugal blood pumps are used to treat cardiogenic shock. Owing to the imbalanced excitation or initial assembly configurations, the variation in the impeller axial position has the potential to affect the blood pump performance. This study compared the hydrodynamics and hemolysis outcomes at different impeller axial positions via numerical simulations. The result shows that pressure difference of the blood pump decreased with increasing impeller axial position, with decreasing by 4.5% at a flow rate of 2 L/min. Under axial impeller motion close to the top pump casing, average wall shear stress and scalar shear stress reached their maximum values (64.2 and 29.1 Pa, respectively). The residence time in the impeller center hole and bottom clearance were extended to 0.5 s by increasing impeller axial position. Compared to the baseline blood pump, hemolysis index increased by 12.3% and 24.3% when impeller axial position is 2.5 and 4.0 mm, respectively. As a novelty, the findings reveal that the impeller axial position adversely affects hemolysis performance when the impeller is close to the pump casing. Therefore, in the development process of centrifugal blood pumps, the optimal axial position of the impeller must be defined to ensure hemodynamic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work gives a rheological study of the flow structure generated by an anchor agitator completely submerged in a cylindrical tank with a flat bottom. To better understand the phenomenon of the fluid mechanics that takes place in the agitated medium, several geometric configurations of anchor have been realized. The investigation of the flow generated was made by using the CFX.12 calculation code, which provides a very good visualization of the phenomenon of fluid mechanics. The results obtained from our work can be very supportive to the existing similar models in the literature, which can mature the knowledge and understanding of researchers on the behaviors of various anchor impellers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Specific modal vibration caused by bolted joint in rotor-AMBs system. • Accurate macroscopical rotor-AMBs mechatronic model with microscopic contact model. • Modelling of partial separation in the contact interface due to the AMBs supporting. • A novel time-variant additional stiffness matrix related to contact status. • Influence of bolted joint parameters on system response validated by experiments. Rotor-active magnetic bearings (rotor-AMBs) systems nowadays have been widely used in fluid machinery and the impeller and the shaft are commonly connected by bolted joint. However, when a certain pre-tightening force is applied to the bolted joint and the interface contact between the shaft and the impeller is formed, causing flexible modal vibrations when rotor is levitated. The mechanism of this modal vibration needs to be revealed to ensure stable operation of the machine. In traditional modelling, the effect of the interface contact is equated to an additional stiffness matrix by massless spring units, whose certain contact stiffness is uniformly distributed over the interface. Particularly, the calculation of contact stiffness and the effect of AMBs are neglected, resulting in the inaccurate response compared to experiments. Based on traditional modelling, we consider that there is partial separation in the contact interface due to the AMBs supporting and a novel additional stiffness matrix related to contact status is proposed by calculating the real-time contact area. The contact stiffness is calculated by microscopic contact model based on fractal theory and surface topography measurement. Finally, numerical simulation shows that the interface contact influences the system robustness and the unstable mode is excited. The increase of pre-tightening torque and contact radius both will increase the steady vibration amplitude, with the former being the major contributor. Moreover, the influence and order of the vibration are quantitatively validated by the experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By establishing the characterization model of variable sectional area distributions, a cascade design method of torque converter based on variable sectional area distribution is proposed. Additionally, the corresponding collaborative design method for multi-impeller turbomachinery is proposed and further studied. The design cases of the impellers with different sectional area distributions are constructed through the response surface method, and the corresponding hydrodynamic characteristics are further compared and explored. However, the design of different impeller sectional area distributions for the optimal performance of the whole turbomachinery requires the collaborative design of each component's distribution results rather than a simple combination of such optimal impeller's area distribution result. Thus a collaborative design strategy is proposed, which can improve the pump's capacity performance by 8.83%, the maximum torque ratio performance can also increased by 6.33%, which proves that such a collaborative design method is an effective optimization design approach to improve the performance of the torque converter without altering the overall dimension. The experimental results of the optimal prototype show that the torque ratio reaches 5.33% higher than the original value, which indicates that such a collaborative optimization method for multi-impeller turbomachinery is effective and reliable. [Display omitted] • Sectional area distribution is critical for multi-impeller turbomachinery. • Proper area distribution can enhance curative effect for stamping turbomachinery. • The raising-area pump and even-area turbine contribute to torque ratio performance. • Collaborative optimization of area is effective for torque converter performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the influence of tip clearance on the working characteristics of high-altitude fans, this paper takes the MIX-140 high-altitude fan as the research object. Five different tip clearance (TC) models are selected. The CFD method is used to analyze the changes in the working characteristics of the fan under different flow rates and TCs in ground and high-altitude environments. The reliability of the numerical method is verified through a fan test bench. The results show that the tip leakage flow caused by the TC will continuously deteriorate the working characteristics of the fan. Under the rated flow rate in the ground environment, for every doubling of the blade's TC, the static pressure difference will decrease by 5%, the efficiency will decrease by 2%, and the power will decrease by 3%. In a high-altitude environment, the flow rate corresponding to the maximum shaft power point of the fan will continuously increase with an increase in the tip clearance, which will bring about additional energy consumption. For high-altitude fans, the deformation caused by the high-speed rotation of the impeller needs to be taken into account. Undoubtedly, it is advantageous to choose the smallest possible tip clearance value. The results of the analysis and test methods in this paper will provide a basis for designing the tip clearance of high-altitude fans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Producing tailor-made crystals demands knowledge of the influence of hydrodynamics and nucleation kinetics. In this paper, the hydrodynamic conditions in a dual-impeller crystallizer and their influence on the key nucleation parameters of the batch cooling crystallization of borax at different impeller off-bottom clearances were investigated. Two different impeller configurations were used—a dual pitched-blade turbine (2 PBT) and a dual straight-blade turbine (2 SBT). Hydrodynamics was analyzed in depth based on the developed computational fluid dynamics model. The experimental results on mixing time and power input were used to validate the numerical model. The results show that the properties of the final product are affected by the impeller position in both dual-impeller configurations. An increase in the impeller off-bottom clearance in both systems results in a decrease in the mean crystal size. The hydrodynamic conditions generated at C/D = 1 in the 2 PBT impeller system and at C/D = 0.6 in the 2 SBT impeller system favored an earlier onset of nucleation compared to other impeller positions. It was found that the eddy dissipation rate and the Kolmogorov length scale correlate highly with the mean crystal size, suggesting that the size is affected by the shear stress in the vessel, rather than the overall convective flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of the performance of counter-rotating impeller systems in mixed-flow pumps. The analysis evaluates the impact of varying rotor velocity ratios and blade geometry on head rise, efficiency, and hydraulic losses. Through detailed CFD simulations, the counter-rotating system demonstrates significant improvements in head and efficiency at low flow rates, with model B achieving up to 20% higher efficiency near the best efficiency point (BEP). However, increased hydraulic losses offset efficiency gains at higher flow rates. While the findings provide valuable insights for optimizing the design of counter-rotating systems in mixed-flow pumps, experimental validation is needed to confirm the results and ensure real-world applicability. The study lays the groundwork for future work in refining counter-rotating pump designs to minimize hydraulic losses and slippage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the real stress and deformation state of impeller during the operation of centrifugal pump, the fluid-structure coupling numerical simulation of impeller of centrifugal pump model was carried out based on the software platform of Ansys Workbench and the computational fluid dynamics analysis software CFX. The strength of impeller of centrifugal pump under the combined action of centrifugal force and CFD pressure load was calculated. The position of the maximum stress on the impeller under the action of cyclic alternating stress during rotation is determined. Finally, nCode Designlife software was used to predict the fatigue life of the impeller. The results show that the maximum stress is located at the interface between the blade outlet edge and the cover plate, and the cyclic cyclic stress is the main cause of the fatigue damage of the impeller. The impeller meets the design of infinite life fatigue strength, and the impeller has no risk of fatigue failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SATAKE MultiMix Corporation developed a new type of pitched paddle impeller for low power consumption turbulent mixing for wastewater treatment and its performance was evaluated by measuring power consumption, mixing time, and particle suspension. The power number of the new impeller was lower than that of the existing pitched paddle, which could be constructed by modifying the correlation equation. For the same power consumption per unit volume, the mixing performance was almost the same as that of other axial flow impellers. The particle suspension performance was also the same as that of other axial flow impellers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to obtain the transient characteristics of a low-speed centrifugal pump during the start-up and shutdown stages, dedicated experimental tests were conducted with eight different valve opening conditions. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to reveal the linear correlation between variables. According to the results, the stable rotational speed decreases with increasing valve opening (rotational speed decreases from approximately 1472 to 1453 r/min), while the stable shaft power exhibits an increasing trend (shaft power increases from approximately 0.242 to 0.390 kW). The stable time and zeroing time of each parameter during start-up and shutdown processes vary, with the flow zeroing time significantly increasing with the relative flow, reaching up to 10.468 s, while the shaft power zeroing time is roughly between 1.219 and 1.375 s. The results demonstrate that with increasing valve opening, the stable and zeroing time of flow significantly increase (|r| greater than 0.95), while the stable and zeroing time of rotational speed, power, and head display a smaller sensitivity on the valve opening (|r| less than 0.6). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the dihydrate–hemihydrate recrystallization method was employed to produce β-hemihydrate gypsum. The effects of thermodynamic conditions such as temperature, sulfuric acid concentration, and phosphoric acid concentration on the removal of F and P impurities were investigated. Kinetic studies revealed that the throughflow impeller, when compared to the conventional impeller, demonstrates a higher removal rate for soluble phosphorus, while having little impact on soluble fluorine. This study contributes to the utilization of PG resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The axial-flow impellers are widely applied to industry due to their excellent hydraulic performance and simple structure, but they may be affected by their eccentricity during operation. This study compared and studied the effects of the axial-flow eccentricity of an impeller on hydraulic performance, impeller radial force, and downstream pressure pulsation of the unit. The research results indicate that impeller eccentricity has a small effect on hydraulic performance. Compared with the design conditions, the efficiency, power, and head changes caused by impeller eccentricity are all less than 1%, but the impeller eccentricity leads to a sharp increase in the radial force of the impeller. Under the design conditions, the average value of the radial force of the impeller is 31.38 N; under eccentric conditions, the average value of the radial force of the impeller increased by nine times, reaching 316.30 N. By analyzing the pressure pulsation signals decomposed by the VMD method, it is shown that the influence of eccentricity on pressure pulsation is mainly reflected in the increase in impeller frequency on pressure pulsation. Under design conditions, the corresponding amplitude of the impeller frequency is 2.6; under eccentric conditions, the amplitude corresponding to the impeller frequency increased by 100 times, reaching 274.4. This study elucidates the specific effects of axial impeller eccentricity, providing theoretical guidance for the safe and stable operation of axial-flow units, and has important engineering significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper focuses on the optimization of large-flow coefficient centrifugal compressors, utilizing a mature centrifugal compressor impeller with a flow coefficient of 0.16 under design point condition in engineering as the research subject. Due to the more complex flow mechanism and more design parameters in the impeller with large flow coefficient, the traditional artificial optimization method is insufficient. In present paper, the impeller with a large flow coefficient is optimized using the concept of combining physical principles and artificial intelligence tools. Firstly, the impeller underwent a redesign based on the theory of maximum flow capacity, with the aim of reducing the Mach number at the impeller inlet to enhance the compressor's performance. And the efficiency of the impeller at the design point has been increased from 88.6% to 89.9%. In order to further improve the performance of the impeller, an optimization algorithm grounded in gradient variation was employed to facilitate the automatic compressor optimization, and the flow losses at the impeller's top under low-flow conditions has been mitigated. The results of three-dimensional numerical simulation showed that the operating range of the new impeller is 7% wider than that of the original impeller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the large volume and poor reliability, the traditional positive displacement pump in on-orbit filling is hard to satisfy the requirement of light weight and strong reliability for circulating filling pump. Therefore, the regenerative flow pump (RFP) structure, which possesses the characteristics of low flow rate and high head, was proposed to explore the variation rules of RFP's hydraulic performance under the on-orbit filling environment, further to reveal the energy exchange mechanism in combination with the internal flow field. The results illustrate that, the longitudinal vortex guides the circulation flow inside RFP to complete energy exchange process, making the RFP's performance present different variation tendency under different factors. With the rotating speed increasing, the density of the conveying medium decreasing, the dynamic viscosity of the conveying medium increasing, and the air content decreasing, the pressure growth rate of RFP was accelerated. The exchange flow between the pump channel and impeller is more intense, the intensity of the longitudinal vortex is stronger, the work capacity of the pump is enhanced, and the RFP's head is increased. However, due to the existence of the dissipation loss, the changing trend of hydraulic efficiency is opposite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study numerically investigates the mechanisms for generating and suppressing the leading edge vortex (LEV) in a vaned diffuser of a centrifugal compressor, aiming to enhance the compressor's stable operating range. Detailed analyses focus on the mechanisms of the rotating stall and the initiation process of the LEV. Notably, the end wall contouring method is applied to vaned diffuser to suppress the LEV and improve diffuser stability. The suppression mechanisms of the LEV are examined to deepen the understanding of stability enhancement mechanisms. Results demonstrate that, under stall conditions, the vaned diffuser experiences two-cell rotating stalls moving opposite to the impeller rotation direction, each rotating at approximately 12% of impeller rotation speed. The formation of diffuser stall is attributed to a longitudinal vortex developing from the LEV and causing the passage blockage. The increasing spanwise distortion of leading edge (LE) incidence angles and circumferential distortion of static pressures at the diffuser inlet promote the evolution of the longitudinal vortex from LEV. The end wall contouring of vaned diffuser effectively enhances the compressor's stable operating range by 15.10% and 8.90% toward lower flow rate conditions for machine Mach numbers 1.3 and 1.2, respectively. At near-stall points, the end wall contoured diffuser reduces spanwise distortion of LE incidence angles and circumferential distortion of static pressures at the diffuser inlet, mitigates the LE flow separation and corner separation, suppresses the generation and development of the LEV, delays the onset of rotating stall in vaned diffuser, and thereby improves the stable operating range of centrifugal compressor stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impeller of the multi-blade centrifugal fan significantly impacts the fan's internal flow field and aerodynamic performance. To improve the axial flow distribution along the impeller and suppress the blade passage backflow at the impeller outlet of multi-blade centrifugal fans, a method of variable chord length blade design is proposed. Simultaneously, optimization models are established with static pressure and efficiency as objectives. By altering the control points of the Bezier curve, the leading-edge profile of the impeller is optimized. The results indicate that using variable chord length blades can expand the operating range of the multi-blade centrifugal fan. The maximum flow rate improvement reaches 10.6%. Significant enhancements in the aerodynamic efficiency of the multi-blade centrifugal fan are observed at low flow rates, with a maximum improvement of 4.9%. The variable chord length blade design method enables adjustment of the axial flow distribution at the impeller outlet to better match the impeller's flow requirements. This leads to increased outlet flow on both the shroud and hub sides of the impeller, consequently reducing the backflow area on both sides and improving the blade passage backflow phenomenon. Moreover, variable chord length blades facilitate a more uniform circumferential flow distribution at the impeller outlet, reducing the diversion pressure of the volute tongue, mitigating flow separation within the blade passage, weakening the interaction between the impeller and the volute tongue, and lowering energy losses in the impeller–volute tongue regions. Consequently, this enhances the aerodynamic performance of multi-blade centrifugal fans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sharp decrease in the efficiency of a mixed flow pump within over-load flow rates presents a challenge for coastal drainage pumping stations. To address this issue, two different structures of advanced inlet guide vanes (AIGV), full-adjustable (FA) and half-adjustable (HA) structures, are designed to approach a better energy performance improvement strategy. Entropy production theory is applied into transient flow field to reveal their influence mechanism on the spatial distribution of energy dissipation. The primary findings are as follows: (1) AIGVs effectively solve the sharp decrease in the energy performance of mixed-flow pumps within the over-load flow rate range, broadening its efficient operation range. (2) The decrease in the axial velocity under the effect of AIGV explains the primary fluid physics of the increased efficiency. (3) The improvement in the match between the impeller inflow angle distribution and the impeller blades structure suppresses the generation and transmission of the flow separation on the pressure side, and reduce the near-wall energy dissipation. The novel HA-AIGV obtains a better flow control effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a very large eddy simulation analysis of the unsteady flow in the pre-stall to stall transition process of an axial-flow pump, with the aim to elucidate the spatiotemporal evolution of large-scale flow structures during the performance breakdown of the pump. The transient flow is investigated utilizing a time-dependent flow rate computation scheme. The results demonstrate that, as the flow rate is dynamically reduced, the reduction in pump head is found lags behind the reduction in flow rate by approximately 15 impeller revolutions. The leading edge separation on the blade suction side (SS) evolves into a leading edge separation vortex (LSV) in conjunction with the dynamic reduction in flow rate. The attached flow on the SS in the vicinity of the hub and blade trailing edge squeezes the mainstream outwards, resulting in the formation of a cross passage vortex (CPV) on the tip side of the passage. The combined effect of the LSV, CPV, and tip-clearance flow induces a penetrating upstream flow in the tip region of the impeller, which gives rise to a swirling backflow within the inlet pipe. At stall, the CPV is stably attached to the SS and extends upstream of the leading edge of the neighboring blade. Furthermore, a trailing edge backflow is observed near the junction of the blade trailing edge and the hub, and it collides with the inflow near the hub, resulting in the formation of a hub-attached vortex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the leading edge cavitation of a double-suction centrifugal pump, focusing on its periodic evolution process and unsteady characteristics. The calculation of external characteristics and the simulation of the leading edge cavitation in the double-suction centrifugal pump were performed based on the turbulent viscosity correction model. The cavitation was studied under three working conditions (0.5, 0.9, and 1.2 times the design flow rate). The position and structural characteristics of the leading edge cavitation were identified. The instability phenomenon and vortex motion in the impeller passage caused by cavitation were analyzed. The results indicate the inlet flow of the impeller and the pressure distribution on the blade surface are the primary factors influencing the characteristics of the leading edge cavitation. The inlet flow of the impeller determines the position of the leading edge cavitation, while the pressure distribution on the blade surface dictates the specific shape and structure of the cavitation. Throughout the development cycle of cavitation, the position of the flow instability region within the impeller shifts from the off-flow area of the leading edge to the tail of the cavitation region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the gas–liquid interaction processes in a spiral-vane-type multiphase pump, the influence of the operating parameters on the interaction forces between the two flow phases was studied. The results show that the gas–liquid interaction forces in the impeller domain of the spiral-vane-type pump are significantly stronger than those in the diffuser domain. Specifically, the drag is four orders of magnitude greater than the lift and the virtual-mass force, and the turbulent dispersion force is the smallest. The inlet gas volume fraction (IGVF) of the multiphase pump was found to have little effect on the drag near the hub, and the effect is greater near the shroud. Increasing the IGVF was found to increase the proportions of lift and virtual-mass force in the multiphase pump to varying degrees, while the turbulent dispersion force remained almost unaffected. The influence of the rotational speed on the gas–liquid interphase forces in the multiphase pump mainly occurs in the impeller domain, and the specific performance of each force varies greatly with the axial position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are few studies on the effects of spatial distribution of hydrodynamics on the micro-mixing in stirred reactors. In this work, a statistical approach is introduced to quantitatively assess the spatial distributions of hydrodynamic parameters, using the turbulent dissipation rate as an example. According to the results, the effects of impeller geometry and angular velocity on the turbulent dissipation rate can be well described in terms of the volume-averaged values and spatial distribution functions. In the present study, a more uniform distribution of the turbulent dissipation rate is achieved by the multiple impellers with an inclinational angle of 15° at the same rotational speed. However, increasing the inclinational angle can decrease the volume-averaged value. The cumulative percentage of area-averaged turbulent dissipation rate is well modeled by an exponential function. The effects of impeller types on the meso- and micro-mixing processes are also investigated. It is found that the micro-mixing process has more significant influences than the meso-mixing process in the bottom region and near the free surface. The effects of impeller types on the micro-mixing performance are further investigated using the Villermaux–Dushman reaction system, both experimentally and numerically. An empirical correlation that considers the spatial distribution of turbulent parameters for the reaction rate of I2 synthesis is proposed. The results show that the predictions of segregation index, which represents micro-mixing performance, are improved by a numerical model coupled with the new reaction rate model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under unsteady operating conditions in turbomachinery, the performance is unable to respond rapidly enough to follow characteristic curves for the steady condition. To design a reliable turbomachinery under unexpected unsteady conditions, we evaluated the dynamic transfer matrix of a three-dimensional centrifugal impeller. The working fluid is incompressible air. To make the current results more applicable in a broader sense such as pumps, all parameters and results were normalized. The experimental results showed a more significant negative slope in the unsteady performance curve compared to that in the steady performance curve. This was mainly caused by the phase delay of the pressure rise to the pulsating flowrate. We clarified the changes in gain and phase delay under unsteady conditions by conducting numerical simulations. The numerical results showed that the unsteady pressure rise was primarily generated by inertia and power terms in the unsteady energy conservation equation. The power term was predominantly influenced by the angular momentum flowrate difference and the change rate of angular momentum. Each term was quantitatively evaluated, and its contribution to the unsteady pressure rise was discussed. Within the range of frequencies tested in this study, the transfer matrix for the three-dimensional centrifugal impeller could be effectively approximated through a first-order lag approximation considering a series-connected derivative system. We believe that our findings can be extended to centrifugal pumps when disregarding the compressibility effects such as cavitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A numerical study was conducted to identify the mechanisms involved in the destabilisation of centrifugal compressors with vaneless diffusers. A stability analysis—carried out on the rotating and fixed parts of the studied machines—showed that the vaneless diffuser is a limiting component at a low mass flow rate. It was demonstrated that the reorganisation of stall patterns into recirculation in the inducer stabilises the impellers' flow fields. As the destabilisation of vaneless diffusers has been a recurrent topic in the literature, many models have shown that it is the inlet-flow angle that drives the loss of stability. Models from the literature have estimated critical angle values using the geometry of the diffuser. Thus, for a given stage, expressing the diffuser inlet-flow angle as a function of the mass flow rate allows one to estimate its stability limit. However, this law needs to be calibrated to consider each compressor's geometrical and aerodynamic specificities. This calibration can be achieved through single-passage steady simulations performed at stable operating points with high mass flow rates. With this methodology, a designer can estimate the stability limit of a centrifugal compressor with a vaneless diffuser from single-passage RANS calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective transport of high-viscosity fluids in wastewater treatment systems is heavily contingent upon the operational efficiency of centrifugal pumps. However, challenges arise in operating these pumps under such conditions due to the detrimental impact of viscosity. This study is focused on enhancing the performance of centrifugal pumps by examining the influence of design and impeller configuration. By employing CFD analysis in ANSYS, this study examines the effects of varying inlet and outlet impeller diameters as well as different numbers of impeller blades on pump performance. The investigation entails three core stages: pre-processing, encompassing the creation of geometry, meshing, and study configuration; processing, which involves defining physics settings, selecting the solver type, and specifying boundary conditions; and post-processing, dedicated to the interpretation of results derived from model creation and solution. Leveraging Genetic Aggregation for response surface modelling facilitates the pinpointing of effective design configurations rooted in specific pump performance goals, thereby resulting in noteworthy performance enhancements. Notably, an optimal pump design featuring a 5-blade impeller with inlet and outlet diameters of 55.92 mm and 207.78 mm, respectively, yielded significant improvements of 26.51% in head, 2.53% in static efficiency, and 62.30% in incipient net positive suction head (NPSHi). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cavitation phenomena in pumps are major determinants of the lifespan of both the impeller and the pump itself, causing significant vibration and noise, which are critical concerns for pump designers. This study focuses on the influence of various geometric factors of the impeller, including the shape of the blade leading edge, blade inlet angle, number and thickness of blades, surface roughness, wrap angle, impeller outlet width, inlet hub diameter, and tip clearance. The pump analyzed in this study, which exhibited issues of vibration and noise in actual industrial settings, was evaluated by varying only the shroud diameter based on Gulich's theory, while keeping other parameters constant, to assess the effects on cavitation phenomena across five different impellers. Single-phase analysis was initially conducted to evaluate the performance of each pump model, with the reliability of the numerical analysis methods validated by comparison with experimental data. Furthermore, to analyze cavitation phenomena, a multiphase flow analysis was performed using the Rayleigh–Plesset model within a computational fluid dynamics framework. Quantitative analysis of cavitation occurrence, NPSH3% head-drop performance, and bubble volume was conducted. The results confirmed that the M1 model, featuring a shroud diameter of 560 mm, exhibited superior cavitation resistance. Variations in cavitation occurrence observed under three different flow conditions demonstrated a nonlinear trend, but overall, improvements were noted within a specific diameter range. This study offers valuable insights and data for pump design applicable in real-world industrial settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On this paper, ORC thermal efficiency increased 22.54%, ORC utilization increased 22.79%, and ORC Exergetic efficiency increased 22.78% from the HMB design. Author has analysis to change the specification of Feed Pump, and additional Preheater, result analysis, when increasing n-pentane flow rate and saturation temperature, the heat (Q) flowing into the reinjection well decreased from 52502.9 kW to 23488.17 kW, and exergy destruction decreased from 28536 kW to 20427 kW where this exergy injected into the reinjection well, means that some energy and exergy has been utilized before being flowed into the reinjection system. On the Turbine, increase in Gross Power (WTurbine) 25.40% with gross power modification 17418 kW from Gross Power 13890 kW and increase net power 15102 kW and 12050 kW. In the ACHE, increase heat (Q) 27.10% from 76030 kW to 96633 kW which need to cool n-pentane, increase in heat (Q) followed by increasing in power Fan motor 14.66% where the air flow rate increases from 218798 ACFM to 294442 ACFM which need to cooled n-pentane. The power of the Feed pump increases 31.69% to 1600 kW from 1215 kW, this is because change in impeller diameter causes an increase in flowrate, pressure and motor power need to rotate the pump. On the Recuperator there is decrease in work (Q) 47.93%, this is because heating n-pentane to reach saturation temperature assisted by the presence of an additional preheater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high-speed multi-stage centrifugal pump building upon a transient investigation into the hydrodynamic characteristics, is conducted for 16 sets of clocking positions. The most significance of the pump head has a maximum increase of 3.6% at 0.8Qd. Phase differences emerge in the pressure pulsations at the impeller-guide vane gaps across stages. It results in waveform distortions that are primarily influenced by impeller clocking effects. Innovative average energy flux density analysis shows that impeller-guide vane clocking positions have the greatest influence on pressure pulsations near their gaps. The cumulative propagation of pressure pulsations has a relatively minor effect on fluid domains. Worst stability is observed when impellers rotated with a 3/4 maximum offset angle and guide vane positions remain unchanged. The best clocking position solution was adapted in a prototype pump for performance and operational stability measuring, achieving an efficiency of 53.67% and 1 mm/s vibration. This paper aims to provide valuable insights for enhancing the energy efficiency and operational safety of multi-stage pumps, offering beneficial guidance for engineering practices within the field of fluid machinery applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study investigates the characteristics of sediment disturbance caused by impeller rotation in reservoirs of inland rivers with high sediment content in China. A scaled experimental model, reflecting typical environmental conditions of inland water reservoirs in Northwest China, was established in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, following the principle of similarity. Methods: The study integrates numerical simulations using Ansys Fluent software and corroborates the findings through hydraulic experiments. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and the κ-ε Realizable model were employed to simulate the solid-liquid mixing process, which was verified against the experimental model. Results: The results indicate that increasing the impeller velocity from 2 rad/s to 8 rad/s, while submerged at a depth of 1000 mm in the flow field, enhances the rate of bottom sediment suspension. Furthermore, the rate of suspended sediment discharge from the model outlet increased with inflow velocity ranging from 0.1 m/s to 0.8 m/s. A decrease in the impeller's submersion depth from 600 mm to 1200 mm was found to reduce the maximum disturbance radius affecting the bottom sediment. Discussion: The reliability of the simulation was confirmed by comparing the software results with experimental data. This study provides insights into the mechanisms of sediment-laden flow disturbance in the reservoir areas of inland rivers in China and lays the groundwork for more comprehensive investigations into sediment discharge in these environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flow rate is a significant factor in the operation of centrifugal pumps. The characteristic curve of the pump head is frequently employed in the calculation of the flow rate. Nevertheless, this may be subject to alteration because of prewhirl on the suction side of the pump. Calculating the changes in the head's characteristic curve reveals a change in hydraulic losses. The impact of prewhirl on hydraulic losses is investigated by experimental and numerical analysis of two radial centrifugal pumps. It is demonstrated that the primary changes occur in the pump impeller losses. Relative velocity is a significant factor in this context. Alterations in the pumps' configurations result in a range of secondary flows and shock losses at the leading edge of the blades. A physical model, derived on the basis of the relative velocity, is used to predict the characteristic curves of radial centrifugal pumps with prewhirl with a high degree of accuracy. The results demonstrate a notable enhancement in comparison to modelling techniques that do not incorporate the fluctuating hydraulic losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regenerative pumps are considered a promising option for hydrogen recirculation in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systems. The geometry of the impeller exerts a direct influence on the pressurization process within the regenerative pumps. However, the influence has not been explored systematically in any available publications. This study investigates the effects of geometric parameters on pump performance and provides design guidelines for hydrogen regenerative pumps. A three-dimensional (3D) numerical model is developed and validated. The effects of critical geometric parameters, including the number of blades, impeller radius, and impeller radius ratio, on the performance of the regenerative pumps are then analyzed. Based on the analysis, this work recommends 35 blades and an impeller radius ratio of 0.65. To establish a correlation between operational performance and micro-flow mechanisms, the fluid velocity distribution at the interface of the rotating and stationary domains is quantitatively analyzed. Results indicate that a reduction in the flow rate results in increased axial velocity and decreased tangential velocity. The increased axial velocity enhances mass transfer, thus increasing the pressure and diminishing the efficiency, whereas the decreased tangential velocity intensifies the impact of the fluid on the blades, leading to increased shock losses and reduced efficiency. • The effects of the number of blades, impeller radius, and impeller radius ratio on the performance of hydrogen regenerative pumps are revealed. • The optimal values of the number of blades and impeller radius ratio are proposed. • The fluid flow velocities at the interface of rotating and stationary domains are quantitatively analyzed. • The flow mechanism of regenerative machines is elucidated through numerical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydraulic and structural vibration sources of pumping station are investigated in current research. Based on a vertical shaft tubular pumping station project in an eastern province of China, a three-dimensional fluid-solid coupling model of the pumping station is established, including the fluid in the flow channel, concrete structure, and hydraulic machinery. Two-way fluid-structure interaction (FSI) method is used to calculate the coupled vibration responses of the pumping station. Based on the FSI simulation results, the hydraulic and structural vibration sources of the pumping station are explored from the frequency perspective based on the Fourier transform theory and the vibration energy transmission perspective based on the time-delayed transfer entropy method. Research results show that the fluid pulsation generated by the rotation of the impeller is the main hydraulic vibration source, and the rotating impeller is the main structural vibration source that causes the vibration of the unit and the concrete structure. This research could provide a scientific basis for structural vibration control, vibration reduction, and isolation design of the pumping station. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle distribution, wear failure, and particle passage performance in a two-stage mixed-transported pump are investigated by coupling computational fluid dynamic (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM). Results exhibit good agreement with the experimental data. The velocity and trajectory of a 10 mm particle are examined under three different concentrations. Consequently, the relationship between particle motion and the wear on the impeller and volute is revealed. The results indicate that low-speed particles lead to particle packing at the inlet of the first stage. The force variation of particles is closely related to the number of collisions with the wall. The wear on the suction side of the second-stage impeller and the second-volute wall are significantly less than that on the first-stage. Finally, the particle passage coefficient P is defined, demonstrating that the particle passage performance of the second-stage pump is better than that of the first-stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blowers are widely used in tasks such as ventilation, exhaust, drying, cooling, heat dissipation, or conveying medium, and they usually consume a lot of energy. There is an inevitable gap between the rotating impeller and static volute casing due to manufacturing tolerance and thermal deformation. The circulating flow in the gap has an important effect on the performance of the blower. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to investigate the performance of the blower under different flow conditions and gaps, and the accuracy of the numerical simulation was verified by performance experiments. The results show that the flow separation under low flow conditions in the impeller channel can be suppressed by the circulating flow. However, the efficiency of the blower is decreased because a part of the power is used to maintain the circulating flow. Under design conditions, efficiency is reduced by 5.3~8.2%, depending on the gap sizes. Due to the increased flow rate in the impeller channel caused by the gap circulating flow, the net flow rate of the impeller under design conditions is about 12% higher than the inlet flow rate of the blower. Therefore, it leads to an increase of about 12% in impeller efficiency calculated by the net flow rate compared with the inlet flow rate. Finally, the flow field distribution on the impeller channel under different gap conditions was compared, and the effects of the gap on the blower performance were analyzed from the perspective of flow field structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a new global gas dynamics optimization method, which was applied to a multi-objective optimization task of centrifugal compressor performance with the aim of determining the improvement probability for achieving high efficiency across a wide operating range. Initially, the original nondominated neighbor immune algorithm (NNIA) was extended to solve constrained multi-objective optimization problems for the first time, which mainly incorporated a procedure for handling inequality and equality constraints without additional parameters. Subsequently, an adaptive topological back-propagation multilayer feed-forward artificial neural network (BP-MLFANN) was trained using the modified NNIA to quickly evaluate the fitness value of the centrifugal compressor stage performance during the optimization. The feasibility of the method was validated using the first stage of a refrigeration centrifugal compressor. The results indicated a substantial enhancement in the stage efficiency of the optimized impeller at the Near-stall, Design, and Near-choke operating points, with increasement of 1.8%, 1.9%, and 4%, respectively, as compared to the baseline stage. The flow field analysis shows that the impact loss at impeller leading edge and flow separation in the passage reduced greatly, the mixing process between the leakage flow and mainstream in the channel is significantly weakened, thus the flow field becomes more uniform after optimization. The new global gas dynamics optimization method provides a reference for the development of efficient and rapid optimization techniques for centrifugal compressor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerodynamic instability plays an important role in compressor design and may cause performance degradation and fatigue damage. In this paper, an experimental study on the evolution of aerodynamic instability is carried out on a compressor that combines the performance benefits of an axial stage and centrifugal stage. The spatiotemporal characteristics of unsteady wall pressure were obtained using fast-responding pressure transducers over a range of operating conditions. The results show that the axial stage works on the positive slope of the performance characteristic curve from choke to stall at low-speed operating conditions, and mainly features rotating instability. Rotating stall is also observed in the impeller (IMP) and diffuser passages. At medium-speed operating conditions, the centrifugal stage suffers a high-frequency mild surge, alternating with rotating stall. With the increase in back pressure, the mild surge diminishes, and rotating stall persists. This behavior is similar to a two-regime-surge, which has been reported for centrifugal compressors. At high-speed operating conditions, the compressor directly reaches surge without other instabilities. Further analysis of the spatial pattern of the rotating stall revealed the existence of a high-pressure region near the volute tongue, resulting in obvious pressure distortion along the circumferential direction at the volute inlet. This induced the amplitude difference of stall cells in corresponding diffuser passages. The disturbance caused by stall cells propagates upstream through the blade passage, and the largest pressure disturbance induced by the stall cell propagation appears in a circumferential position 45 deg downstream of the volute tongue at the impeller inlet and the axial stage inlet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the condensation mechanism and pressure fluctuation of a steam centrifugal compressor are deeply studied based on a non-equilibrium condensation model. The wet steam model is generated to predict the flow characteristics and the condensation of the steam centrifugal compressor. The effect of different inlet temperatures on the steam condensation characteristics is deeply explored. Numerical results show that the steam condensation phenomenon on the high span surface is increasingly obvious, and the mass fraction of liquid steam first increases and then decreases with the increase in temperature. The droplet particle diameter and the droplet number gradually increase with the increase in temperature. It is also found that the blade loading on the impeller blade also becomes more unstable with the increase in inlet temperature. The amplitude spectrum of pressure fluctuation on the both sides of impeller blade and diffuser blade is analyzed through the fast Fourier transform. The pressure fluctuation in the flow channel becomes severe first and then becomes stable with the increase in temperature, which is well consistent with the variation trend of liquid mass fraction. The quantitative relationship between condensation strength and operating temperature is established to explore the variation trend essence of surface-average wetness fraction of different span surfaces at different inlet temperatures, which further reveals the condensation sensitivity to temperature at different blade heights. It is further found that the condensation strength on the low span surface and the average wetness fraction of steam condensation in the flow field increasingly decrease with the increase in inlet temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pump as turbine (PAT) is widely used in micro hydropower stations and chemical industries as an economical energy recovery device. The special impeller with forward-curved blades can significantly improve the efficiency of PAT and expand its high-efficiency range due to the suitable blade profile, which is more appropriate for PAT's operation mode than the backward-curved blades. To study the influence of the forward blade on a double-suction centrifugal PAT performance, three forward-curved blade schemes with different blade angle conditions are compared with the original backward-curved blade scheme. The three forward-curved blade schemes have the highest efficiency when the inlet angles are 60°, 90°, and 120°, respectively, and the appropriate blade outlet angle. The results showed that the forward-curved blade is suitable for high-flow rate operating conditions in double-suction centrifugal PAT. The PAT with a forward-curved blade impeller has higher efficiency and a broader high-efficiency region than the backward-curved blade impeller. The double-suction centrifugal PAT's main energy loss comes from the impeller's turbulent loss. The forward-curved blade reduces the impeller's turbulence loss and improves the PAT's efficiency at large flow rates. The research in this paper provides a theoretical basis for the design and application of double-suction centrifugal PAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]