Comparative investigation on axial flow pump rotors of free vortex and non-free vortex design

Comparative computational investigation has been carried out on two axial flow pump rotors having identical basic geometrical and flow rate parameters but differing in the design methods. The two rotors were designed for free vortex (FV) and non-free vortex (NFV) operation. The global as well as pitchwise-averaged and pitchwise resolved blade passage flow characteristics were investigated in detail. It has been concluded that NFV design is an effectual method for increase of specific performance but the increased risk of cavitation requires careful blade optimisation. It was found that the design blade circulation must kept constant near the hub in order to diminish the risk of corner stall. Furthermore, it has been anticipated that for the NFV rotor the efficiency drops more intensely with increase of tip clearance and the noise level may be lower than for the FV rotor.