Numerical computation for the impact of flow rate and rotational speed on the flow-induced noise of the centrifugal pump

Abstract

This paper adopted an indirect mixed method (computational fluid dynamics + boundary element method) based on computational fluid dynamics + Lighthill acoustic analogy theories to compute the flow field and flow-induced noise of the centrifugal pump, and experimentally verified the correctness of computational results. The pressure distribution of the centrifugal pump through an unsteady computation showed that there were obvious separation vortexes at the outlet of the centrifugal pump and pressure at the edge of impellers was obviously more than that of other parts. There were many peak noises on the sound pressure level curve at the outlet of the centrifugal pump. The sound pressure level gradually decreased with the increased frequency. However, sound pressure levels will be a stable value when the analyzed frequency was more than 3000 Hz. Sound pressures at the inlet and outlet of the centrifugal pump were relatively large. Sound pressures at the inlet pipeline gradually decreased from outside to inside and sound pressures of outlet pipeline gradually decreased from inside to outside. The structure of the centrifugal pump was not completely symmetrical, and the sound field was not symmetrical. In addition, the radiation noises in the external field at the inlet and outlet of the centrifugal pump were similar to the radiation of many point sound sources. Peak values of flow-induced noises at the outlet of the centrifugal pump were more than those at the inlet of the centrifugal pump under the working condition of different rotational speeds and flow rates. In the meanwhile, sound pressure levels at the inlet and outlet of the centrifugal pump did not show many differences in amplitudes when the rotational speed was small. When the rotational speed reached up to 3000 r/min, the sound pressure at inlet was more than that at outlet within 1500 Hz-4500 Hz. At many peak frequency points, peak noises at outlet were obviously more than those at inlet, which thus proved that fluid caused large pressure fluctuations due to the interaction between impellers and volutes after flowing through the centrifugal pump and flow-induced noises caused by pressure fluctuations were mainly reflected in blade frequency. The change of the rotational speed and flow rate would not only increase the flow-induced noise in the centrifugal pump, but also seriously affect the external radiation sound field of the centrifugal pump.