Application of CFD to Improve on Reliability and Efficiency of Centrifugal Pump for Oil and Gas Processing Plant

Abstract

Centrifugal pump is one of the standard pump specification uses in process industries for qualitative and quantitative fluid transfer. Most industrial application of centrifugal pump has mechanical configuration problems that resulted to pump inefficiency and malfunctions. Fault or bad design pumps are characterized due to quality engineering design which prompted this investigation. In this study, CFD code was used to simulate pump efficiency and compared with real experimental studies. Within the limit of simulation experimental error, it was found that, the centrifugal pump was designed within the constraint of pumping at a flow rate of 0.04 m3/s and at a Head of 55-70 m. After the design calculations, the system was model and drawn in SOLIDWOKS, it was found that the pump was given the required material from the software material library in line with the design specifications and parameters using local materials. The performance of the pump was simulated and evaluated to have a flow rate of 0.043 m3/s, velocity of 8.2 m/s with a head of 70 m and various efficiencies ranging from 68.45 - 81.61%. After the analysis was done, 590 it was identified to be the optimum impeller outlet blade angle in which volumetric efficiency and hydraulic efficiency is maximum. The efficiency pressure ratio has also increased; therefore the pump head also increase. Keywords: Flow, pump, efficiency and reliability