Abstract
The inlet gas void fraction (IGVF) has a great effect on the power performance of the multiphase pump, and the effect is even greater under the cavitation condition. To reveal the effect of the IGVF on the cavitation evolution and the work performance of the multiphase pump at different cavitation stages, the cavitation flow was calculated numerically for the pump under different inlet gas void fractions (IGVFs) of 0%, 10% and 20%. Meanwhile, the numerical simulation method was verified experimentally. The results showed that the increase of the IGVF could improve the cavitation performance of the multiphase pump and inhibit the increasing rate of the vapor. With the aggravation of the cavitation, the output power of the impeller decreased gradually under different IGVFs. In addition, the variation trend of the output power and the net energy gained by the fluid within each domain were exactly the same. At the same time, the position of better work performance was located in the impeller fore area at the critical and serious cavitation stages, while when the cavitation developed to the fracture cavitation, the position of better work performance moved to the impeller back area. At the fracture cavitation stage, the main work region of the multiphase pump moved from the back area to the fore area of the impeller with the increase of the IGVF. The research results are of great significance in improving the performance of the multiphase pump.
Highlights
As offshore resources deplete and the demand for energy grows of the energy, it is inevitable to seek improvements in the efficient use of energy and exploit undiscovered energy sources [1,2]
Shi et al [10] studied the effect of the inlet gas void fraction (IGVF) on the impeller work in the multiphase pump and found that the work capacity of the impeller fore area was greatly affected by the IGVF
Zhang et al [13] analyzed the internal flow and interphase interaction of the multiphase pump and found that the gas in the impeller mainly gathered near the hub, and the interphase force increased with an increase in the IGVF
Summary
As offshore resources deplete and the demand for energy grows of the energy, it is inevitable to seek improvements in the efficient use of energy and exploit undiscovered energy sources [1,2]. Deep-sea crude oil is a multiphase substance containing natural gas and seawater in addition to petroleum, and the application of the multiphase transport technology in crude oil transporting can reduce costs and improve efficiency. Many scholars at home and abroad have studied aspects of the multiphase pump, including the IGVF, cavitation issues, etc., which has led to the further development of multiphase transport technology. Some scholars have investigated the transient flow characteristics of the gas-liquid two phases in the multiphase pump [17,18,19] and the pump performance under the condition of extremely high IGVF [20] and have proposed a numerical analysis method to better study the effect of the IGVF on the pump flow characteristics [21]. The research results can provide a more comprehensive theoretical reference for improving multiphase pump performance
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