Psychoacoustic approach for cavitation detection in centrifugal pumps

Abstract

Cavitation in a kinetic pump causes its hydraulic performance to deteriorate and damages the pump through pitting and material erosion. It can appear within the entire range of operating conditions, producing structure vibration and noise. The sound emitted can be utilized as a useful source of information. In this paper, cavitation detection during the kinetic pump’s operation is presented based on psychoacoustic metrics. Proper manipulation and processing of a sound signal enables the extraction of multiple signal descriptors which can determine the operation point of a centrifugal pump. The presented method can detect all three operating stages: no cavitation, the onset of cavitation and fully developed cavitation. Its most evident advantage over other noise emission methods is its independence from sound pressure levels, focusing only on the shape and characteristics of the waveform. This robustness makes its application suitable in an industrial environment.