Unsteady internal flow characteristics study of a hydrogen circulation pump under different pressure differential conditions

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the flow and pressure pulsation characteristics of hydrogen circulation pump under varying pressure differences. A dynamic mesh technology was employed to conduct an unsteady numerical simulation of the interior of the hydrogen pump. The pressure pulsation within the pump cavity area was analyzed using fast Fourier transform, and the unevenness of pressure and flow inside the pump under varying pressure differential conditions was specifically studied. The results reveal that interference between dynamic and static in the pump cavity, caused by meshing clearance between rotors and radial clearance between the rotor and pump cavity, leads to pressure pulsation peaks occurring at twice the rotational frequency at all monitoring points. Additionally, as the pressure difference increases, the exhaust flow rate at the outlet of the pump cavity decreases from 49.237 m3/h to 12.392 m3/h, while volumetric efficiency decreases from 85.95% to 32.3%.