High-efficiency design of a mixed-flow pump

High-efficiency design of a mixed-flow pump has been carried out based on numerical analysis of a three-dimensional viscous flow.For analysis,the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with a shear stress transport turbulence model were discretized by finite-volume approximations.Structured grid system was constructed in the computational domain,which has O-type grids near the blade surfaces and H/J-type grids in other regions.The numerical results were validated with experimental data for the heads and hydraulic efficiencies at different flow coefficients.The hydraulic efficiency at the design flow coefficient was evaluated with variation of the geometric variables,i.e.,the area of the discharge and length of the vane in the diffuser.The result has shown that the hydraulic efficiency of a mixed-flow pump at the design condition is improved by the modification of the geometry.