Experimental Investigation of Unsteady Flow in a Vertical Shaft Axial Flow Pump

Due to the changes in the system characteristics, pumps may have to be operated far away from the design point. such as in part-load or over-load operating points. Operating the pumps far away from the design point may cause fluctuations in the flow. As a result of the fluctuations mechanical problems in the pump structure may occur. In order to overcome the problem, the operating characteristics of the pump must be determined at part load operating conditions as well as design point operating condition. In this study, flow inside a vertical shaft axial flow pump is investigated experimentally. The experimental setup is designed and constructed for the laboratory tests. The pump which is designed and manufactured is tested in the test setup. The performance of the pump is determined by measuring the flow rate, inlet and outlet pressures, rotational speed and poll or input of the pump. The part load and over load operating regions are determined. Pressure variations arc measured at various performance points with the piezoelectric pressure transducer placed in between impeller and diffuser blade passage. Simultaneously, comparisons are made with the vibration spectrums obtained in the pump.