Experimental Investigation of Transient Characteristics of a Double Suction Centrifugal Pump System during Starting Period

The starting phase for pumps in water transportation pipelines is crucial and has significant transient characteristics which merit further study in order to evaluate the operational stability of the pumping system. This paper presents the results of a study in which the relative steady operating conditions and starting period of a large double-suction centrifugal pump were monitored in real time, including pressure fluctuations, shaft run-out and vibration at the bearing. The transient characteristics of a double-suction centrifugal pump under different operating conditions have been analyzed using fast Fourier transform (FFT) and continuous wavelet transform (CWT). Results indicate broadband frequency components within the spectrum of pressure fluctuations in the volute casing under all test conditions, and the central frequency of the broadband frequency gradually decreases as flow rate increases and approaches the blade frequency, which is the primary reason for an increase in blade-frequency amplitude. This may produce a vibration frequency that is similar to the natural frequency of a certain part of the double-suction centrifugal pump during the starting period, which causes the resonance phenomenon. The radial force is also large during the starting period, which causes eccentric wear of the seal ring at the impeller inlet.