Unsteady flow characteristics of energy conversion in impeller of centrifugal pump as turbine

Abstract

To study unsteady flow characteristics of energy conversion in impeller of centrifugal pump as turbine (PAT), the overall and sub-section methods are used to calculate the unsteady flow of the PAT under six working conditions. Through numerical calculations, the net input power of the impeller, the time domain change law of the fluid's work on the impeller, the time domain change law of power loss in the impeller, and the time domain change law of energy conversion in different regions of the impeller are analyzed. Results show that: the dynamic and static interference between the impeller blades and the tongue caused the fluctuation of energy conversion; with the increase of area between the head of the impeller blade and the opposite tongue, the power loss in the impeller decreases. And when the blade head completely deviates from the position of the tongue about 10°, the power loss in the impeller is minimized. The power output of the PAT at different flow rates is related to its internal flow conditions and the geometric structure of each region of the impeller. The above research results can provide guidance on how to operate the PAT impeller stably and efficiently.