Numerical simulation of flow field in water-pump sump and inlet suction pipe

There are several important considerations in the design of a suction supply sump. It is imperative that the amount of turbulence and entrained air be kept to a minimum. Free air-core vortex occurring at a water-intake pipe is an important problem encountered in hydraulic engineering. These vortices may reduce pump performances, have large effects on the operating conditions and lead to increase plant operating costs. Experiments, conducted in order to select best positions of the suction pipe of a water-intake sump, show qualitative results concerning flow disturbances in the pump-intake related to sump geometries and position of the pump intake. The purpose of the paper is to reproduce the flow pattern and confirm the geometrical parameter influences of the flow behavior in such a pump. The numerical model used solves the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and VOF multiphase model for two cases. In the validation of this numerical model, emphasis was placed on the prediction of the number, location, size and strength of the various types of vortices. Previous studies, without simulation of air entrainment, have shown the influence on a single type of mesh with different cell numbers, different intake pipe depths and different water levels, for two turbulence models closure.