Abstract
The purpose of this study is to approve the usage of CFD tools in order to characterize the performance of centrifugal pumps performance for industrial appliances, through the application of a mathematical model able to predict accurately the efficiency behavior and other key parameters for a specific pump, which is an integral and low-cost solution in order to improve their design process. Based on the CFD OpenFOAM®, the study initially attempts to reproduce experimental measurements performed on a cast-iron, 3-bladed industrial pump through simulation. After this has been done, a Central Composite Design has been implemented in order to analyze the response of performance parameters (pump head, suction and discharge pressures, NPSH, efficiency, torque) as a function of a definite set of geometric and operational pump variables, besides some physical properties of the fluid flow. The obtained results have shown that although the pump has a high efficiency at design operation conditions, there is an unused window for its better usage, that can conduce to efficiency increments up to 20% when the operation is at its best point, which in turn represents a chance for a sustainable management of these machines at the industrial level.
Published Version
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