Effect of suction side blade profile on the performance of a side channel pump

Abstract

Due to the centrifugal effect of the radial impeller, side channel pumps are a kind of regenerative pumps that provide high head at low flow rate. The geometry of the impeller affects flow patterns and energy conversion directly, greatly influencing the performance of side channel pumps. To investigate the effect of blade profile for suction side on the performance of a side channel pump, three different base angles of 10°, 20°, and 30°, respectively, on the blade suction side were discussed and analyzed both with numerical and experimental methods. The hydraulic performance, exchange mass flow, and velocity vectors were discussed in detail. The numerical work was validated by the comparison between the simulated result and tested result. The results show that the hydraulic performance of the impeller with 30° angle is the best one of the three impellers, especially for head performance. The evaluation method based on exchanged mass flow also confirms that the performance of the side channel pump can be improved by increasing the angle on the suction side of the blade. In addition, the radial vortex on the impeller flow passage has negative effect on the performance of the side channel pump. However, the axial vortex among the impeller and side channel directly affects the energy conversion and has a beneficial effect on the performance of the pump. The results could be used to modify the design models and conclude the effect of blade shapes on the performance of a side channel pump.