Abstract
A multistage centrifugal pump is designed for pumping low-viscosity, highly volatile and flammable chemicals, including hydrocarbons, for high head requirements. The five-stage centrifugal pump consists of a double-suction impeller at the first stage followed by a twin volute. The impellers for stages two through five are single-suction impellers followed by diffuser vanes and return channel vanes. The analytical performance is calculated initially in the design stage by applying similarity laws to an existing scaled-down pump model designed for low flow rate applications. The proposed pump design is investigated using computational fluid dynamics tools to study its performance in design and off-design conditions for water as the base fluid. The design feasibility of the centrifugal pump is tested for other fluids, such as water at a high temperature and pressure, diesel and debutanized diesel. The pump design is found to be suitable for a variety of fluids and operating ranges. The losses in the pump are analyzed in each stage at the best efficiency point. The losses in efficiency and head are observed to be higher in the second stage than in other stages. The detailed flow behavior at the second stage is studied to identify the root cause of the losses. Design modifications are recommended to diminish the losses and improve the overall performance of the pump.
Highlights
One of the most commonly used turbomachines in chemical and petroleum industries is the multistage centrifugal pump
The proposed multistage centrifugal pump was tested for its operability with multiple The proposed multistage centrifugal pump was tested for its operability with mulfluids of lower viscosities, and it was proven to be feasible
Toare determine headthe lossflow and coefficient efficiency loss, the stage normalized head curves plotted the against at each of theefficiency pump forand water in coefficient curves are plotted against the flow coefficient at each stage of the pump for Figure 9. decline was observed in the second stage for both the efficiency and head at higher flow rates
Summary
One of the most commonly used turbomachines in chemical and petroleum industries is the multistage centrifugal pump. In the construction of potential infrastructure for chemical processing, multistage centrifugal pumps still play an important role. They are usually employed for high-head applications, such as in boilers and power plants. It is necessary to be aware of the turbulent fluid flow behavior inside the pump in the design stage itself. This can be achieved by careful consideration of all the stages in the planning, design and testing in both design and off-design conditions. Manufacturers turn to computational methods to test design features, decrease the number of experimental tests conducted and identify undesirable design features at an early stage to save resources and time
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