The hydraulic performance of twin-screw pump

Abstract

Based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and the experiment technology, this paper presents a new type of the twin-screw pump for the water-supply and studies its hydraulic performance with the hydraulic performance test. The internal flow characteristics and the hydraulic performance of the twin-screw pump are numerically simulated. The CFD results show that at different heads, the screw pressure gradually increases from the inlet end face along the axial direction of the screw to the outlet end face. The pressure distribution in the screw groove is relatively uniform, the screw clearance and the meshing area pressure are different from the screw groove pressure distribution. Under the same working condition of the head, the pressure distributions in the screw below and above the design speed are the same as the pressure distribution at the design speed, and with the range of the pressure value quite close. As the rotating speed increases furthermore, the flow rate and the volume efficiency of the pump both increase. At different rotating speeds, the velocity distributions along the axial direction of the screw are similar. A test rig is built, which consists of a closed-loop circuit, and the test results are found in good agreement with the CFD predictions. The experimental results show that the flow rate-head curves of the twin-screw pumps are similar at different rotating speeds. The research shows that the designed twin-screw pump enjoys a higher volumetric efficiency and a lower shaft power when the axial clearance is 0.08 mm-0.12 mm. When the clearance is 0.1 mm, the volumetric efficiency is the highest.