Experimental investigation on the performance of a side channel pump under gas–liquid two-phase flow operating condition

Abstract

Side channel pump is a kind of small volume vane pump with low flow rate but high head and most side channel pumps can transport gas–liquid two-phase flow. In order to investigate the performance of this type of pump depending on the blade suction angle under gas–liquid two-phase flow operating condition, an experimental study has been carried out. The head and efficiency curves, and the influence of blade suction angle changes on these curves for different inlet gas volume fraction states are analyzed in detail. Moreover, the gas transporting capability of the impeller with three different blade suction angles (10°, 20°, 30°) are also compared. The results show that the head and efficiency performances of the three impellers decrease a large value when the side channel pump operates with a little gas inside, and the operating range narrows as well. With the increasing of inlet gas volume fraction, the performance of the side channel pump worsens. The head and efficiency performances in the single-phase state improve by increasing the blade suction angle, but decrease by increasing the blade suction angle in the gas–liquid two-phase flow state. The maximum gas transporting capability of the impeller with a small blade suction angle is better than a large blade suction angle. Analysis on the measured data allows a better understanding of the effect of inlet gas quantity on the performance of the side channel pump with different blade suction angles, and it could supply the design reference for two-phase flow side channel pumps.