Numerical Study on Cavitation Phenomenon in an In-Line Centrifugal Pump

Abstract

Cavitation in pumps causes unwanted consequences, such as noise, vibrations, and system oscillations. These result in reduced pump efficiency and unstable operation range. Therefore, this study investigates the cavitation behaviours of newly designed centrifugal pumps experimentally and numerically. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to analyse cavitation flow behaviours. The Rayleigh–Plesset expression for bubble dynamics was employed to capture the cavitation phenomenon inside the pump. Numerical simulations were performed and validated by experiments, and good performance characteristics were obtained. The estimated total head drop lines for different cavitation flow rates and performances were analysed numerically. Cavitation was observed near the impeller blade suction for the leading-edge condition in impeller flow passage; moreover, a lower pressure was observed near the impeller blade shroud than the hub in the steady-state condition.