NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF FLOW INSTABILITY IN CENTRIFUGAL PUMP BASED ON ENERGY GRADIENT METHOD

Simulation of turbulent flow in a pump is carried out with the RANS equations and the RNG k-epsilon turbulence model. Numerical simulation has been compared with the experimental data. The results show that separating vortex is firstly produced at the pressure side of the impeller passage near the tongue. Then it spreads to the inlet and outlet of the impeller passages and moved to the centre region of impeller passages from the boundaries. Finally, it almost occupies all the impeller passages and multiple vortices exist in impeller passages at small flow rate. It is found that the tongue has large effect on the flow in the impeller passage approaching to it. The impeller passage near the tongue is easily tending to be unstable comparing with others passages. The energy gradient theory is used to analyze the flow stability in the impeller. The region with larger value of energy gradient function K means the bigger turbulence intensity and poor flow stability. At small flow rate the regions with large value of K are enlarged and are mainly located at both sides of blade pressure and suction surfaces where the flow is easily tending to be unstable.