Prototype Pump Research Articles

Investigating three-dimensional vortex evolution in centrifugal pump under rotating stall conditions using tomographic particle image velocimetry

A rotating stall in centrifugal pumps commonly occurs under off-design operations, which is a detrimental phenomenon leading to flow instabilities, pressure fluctuations, and reduced performance. A time-resolved non-intrusive three-dimensional (3D) flow visualization method is developed for investigating complex vortex structures in centrifugal pumps based on Omega vortex identification and tomographic particle image velocimetry (tomo-PIV). A special-made centrifugal pump prototype was developed with acrylic glass allowing for optical access. This method enables both qualitative and quantitative analysis of high spatiotemporal resolution on flow behaviors and dynamics under various stall conditions. The ultra-high sampling frequency realized over 40 time-consecutive observations per revolution under 0.2 Qd, 0.4 Qd, 0.6 Qd, and 0.8 Qd. It captures the instantaneous evolution of vortex structures that undergoes a growth–breakup transition within 7–9 ms. The rotating stall mechanism is revealed experimentally from the evolution of the vortex structure. Our analysis shows the tomo-PIV's additional velocity component aids in understanding the 3D characteristics of the stall. A substantial region of reverse flow in the z-axis direction is observed under 0.2 Qd. Vortex structures are more prone to blockage at the impeller inlet, exacerbating the stall phenomenon. As the flow rate increases, the velocity distributions across different layers exhibit a laminar characteristic with a more uniform profile. The vortex structures extend radially and migrate toward the outlet. The evolutions of the stall vortex, wake vortex, and inlet vortex share the same dominant frequency components (4.75fn and 5.25fn), but the flow rate affects the proportion of different frequency components.

Analysis of Unsteady Flow Characteristics Near the Cutwater by Cutting Impeller Hub in a High-Speed Centrifugal Pump

Centrifugal pumps are essential fluid transfer devices in marine engineering. As the two most critical components of a centrifugal pump, the dynamic–static interference between the volute and the impeller makes the flow near the cutwater highly unstable, with significant and erratic pressure pulsation, which seriously affects the stability of the operation. The impeller can be improved by cutting the hub, which helps stabilize the flow and reduce pressure pulsation near the cutwater, thus minimizing hydraulic loss. In this study, four different cutting angles were applied to the impeller hub. Computations are conducted using large eddy simulation to analyze the flow and pressure pulsation near the cutwater. Compared to the prototype pump, the modified impeller exhibits a significant reduction in pressure gradient near the blade outlet close to the cutwater. The modified impeller also shows a more uniform flow and lower amplitude of pressure pulsation. Furthermore, under various flow conditions, the centrifugal pump with the modified impeller exhibits lower hydraulic loss compared to the prototype pump, indicating that this method effectively suppresses hydraulic loss.

Experimental and numerical investigation of a novel high-temperature heat pump for sensible and latent heat delivery

This paper investigates, both experimentally and numerically, the performance of a high-temperature heat pump (HTHP) prototype for steam production and thermal energy storage applications using R-1233zd(E) as a refrigerant. The main novelties of this prototype are the incorporation of an external subcooler to separate the sensible and latent heat production. Other novel points are the testing of a new variable-speed piston compressor that endures a discharge temperature of up to 160 °C, and the development of an advanced numerical model based on the components’ specifications. In this temperature range there are very few detailed studies up-to-date. The proposed HTHP was tested experimentally in 50 different working points selected based on the compressor’s limits and on the general requirements for industrial applications requiring heat at high temperatures, up to 150 °C. The results show that the proposed HTHP can deliver a total heat of 38.6 kW at 148.5 °C, within a temperature lift of 66.8 K, with an electric power consumption of 10.7 kW, and with a heating coefficient of performance (COP) of 3.6. Moreover, using the external subcooler resulted in a substantial increase in the COP, which can reach 33 % compared with similar HTHPs without a subcooler. After successfully validating the HTHP model with the experimental results, extended performance maps were developed based on more than 500 possible operating conditions covering the most common steam generation and energy storage applications. Finally, four performance correlations were obtained, with an accuracy of ±10 %, hereby providing a black-box model to ease the integration of such HTHPs into dynamic simulations of industrial processes.

High-amplitude pressure pulsations induced by complex inter-blade flow during load rejection of ultrahigh-head prototype pump turbines

The flow pattern evolution is particularly complicated in the low specific speed impeller of ultrahigh-head pump turbines. To reveal the mechanism of pressure pulsation induced by the inter-blade flow, the load rejection process of an ultrahigh-head prototype pump turbine was numerically calculated using one- and three-dimensional coupled compressible flow simulation methods. The mechanism of pressure pulsation was analyzed using time-frequency analysis and visualization method of flow field. The investigation captured two high-amplitude low-frequency components of the pressure pulsations during load rejection of the ultrahigh-head prototype pump turbine. The investigation suggested that the first frequency components of the pressure pulsations were unique to the ultrahigh-head pump turbines. They were approximately one- to sevenfold impeller rotation frequency, which are caused by inter-blade separation vortices in the impeller. Other low-frequency components of the pressure pulsations near the first speed-no-load condition were induced by the unstable transitions of the flow separation and backflow vortices close to the high-pressure entrance of the impeller. This study first found that unstable transitions of the flow patterns in the impeller of ultrahigh-head prototype pump turbines could cause high-amplitude pressure pulsations. However, stable flow-vortex structures cannot cause apparent pressure pulsations. The findings of this investigation provide a theoretical basis for suppressing pressure pulsations and controlling complex flows in ultrahigh-head prototype pump turbines.

Experimental research on similarity deviation between prototype and model pumping systems

To investigate the reasons for the flowrate deviation of the prototype pumping systems between the measured value onsite and the calculated one by the similarity law, the energy characteristic relationship of the prototype and model pumping systems under different working conditions was compared and analyzed. It was pointed out that the hydraulic loss in the outlet passages caused by the residual velocity circulation is not similar. Using the method of vessel-mounted ADCP and water level gauges to measure the flowrates and heads of pumping stations, the energy characteristics of three typical pumping stations were obtained, and the comparisons with the characteristic curves of the pumping systems predicted by similarity law are made. It was found that there was a deviation between the two in most cases, and the similarity deviation of the elbow inlet and siphon outlet passages was greater than that of the straight pipe inlet and outlet passages. Meanwhile that the larger the blade angle (or the higher the rotational speed of pump), the greater the similarity deviation. Therefore, in the design of the pumping system, the energy characteristics of the model pumping system cannot be simply converted by the similarity law to predict the characteristics of the prototype pumping system, but the influence of different factors on the similarity deviation between the prototype and model pumping system should be considered carefully.

Investigation of radial force in a high-speed miniature pump

A high-speed miniature pump design is put forth for utilization in the aerospace sector, where the pump’s reliability holds critical importance under microgravity operational conditions. This study focuses on a dynamic bearing-equipped miniature centrifugal pump, chosen for its suitability in investigating radial forces. The prototype of the miniature pump is manufactured and tested by experiments at the rotational speed of 10,000r/min. A good agreement is observed between the numerical predictions and the experimental results. The radial force acting on different blade part has been analyzed for several flow rate conditions using the steady state CFD calculation. It has been found that the radial force exerted on the blade trailing edge exit is the main cause of the total radial force for the impeller. Moreover, using the unsteady CFD simulation, the evolution process of the radial force changing for both the direction and the magnitude with respect to the annular position due to the shaft rotation is discussed in details. The pressure pulsation is also monitored in impeller and volute casing. The results show that the amplitude of the unsteady radial force has a strong relationship with the time it takes for the blade trailing edge exit passing the volute tongue region, while the direction of the radial force hardly changes. The findings of this study contribute to facilitating the broader implementation of the high-speed miniature pump across diverse sectors of society.

Numerical and field experimental study on the start-up process of a prototype axial-flow pump system considering the motion characteristics of cutoff facilities

Clarifying the evolutionary mechanism of the start-up process of a large axial-flow pump that includes cutoff facilities is of great significance for ensuring the safe and stable operation of such a system. However, the three-dimensional dynamic characteristics of the start-up process of a prototype axial-flow pump system (PAPS), considering cutoff facilities, are still unknown. In this paper, a method combining motor starting characteristic experiment, computational fluid dynamics, and field test of prototype pump system is proposed to study the starting process of PAPS. The results indicate that flow interruption facilities will significantly affect the start-up process of the pump system. High-speed forward fluid particles collide with reverse fluid particles in the guide vane channel during the acceleration of the pump owing to the influence of the cutoff facilities. A large number of wall vortex structures block the guide vane channel. This leads to a brief plateau period during the increase in instantaneous head. As the start-up process progresses, a clear horseshoe-shaped vortex structure is formed at the trailing edge of the guide vane, which subsequently falls back. The accelerated shedding of horseshoe-shaped vortical structures at the trailing edge of the guide vane induces high-frequency pulsating components, leading to a high-energy region of the pressure fluctuation signal at the outlet of the guide vane, which gradually expands toward higher frequencies. During this transition process, the flow field near the cutoff facility also exhibited significant unstable flow behavior. After the interaction between the outflow at the flap gate and the outflow at the gate, entrainment occurs, forming a region of circulating motion, and a large number of vortices with a jet-like structure are formed at the exit of the flap gate.

Experimental investigation on a screw-type air source heat pump system with air heat absorption defrosting

Defrosting is crucial challenge for air-source heat pump operating in cold and humid climates due to its adverse impact on the heating efficiency. Conventional reverse cycle defrosting method has the disadvantages of reduced heating capacity, inefficient defrosting, and unstable heating temperatures. To address this issue, an Air Heat Absorption Defrosting method based on the reverse Carnot cycle principle was proposed to ensure uninterrupted heating during defrosting. To further validate the technical feasibility and energy-saving potential of the proposed system, a 710.0 kW screw-type air–water heat pump prototype was constructed to carry out control experiments under various conditions. Experimental results showed that, the proposed method achieved an average heating capacity of 315.7 kW during the defrosting process. The cyclic equivalent heating capacity and defrosting correction coefficient of the proposed method were 61.8 kW and 14.4 % higher in comparison with conventional reverse cycle defrosting method, respectively. Thus, the temperature fluctuation of supply water during the defrosting process was reduced by 69 %. In addition, the cumulative COP of Air Heat Absorption Defrosting method was 9.3 % higher than reverse cycle defrosting method, which could be attributed to the fact that the defrosting energy mainly came from air heat absorption. These findings highlight the potential of proposed Air Heat Absorption Defrosting method in addressing heat pump defrosting challenges while offering significant energy-saving benefits.

Design and experimental validation of a valve-distributed water radial piston pump

In underground coal mining, there is an urgent need for reducing the noise, hydraulic shock, and leakage of reciprocating pumps. Flow pulsation is strongly dependent on the number of pistons for single-acting reciprocating pumps. Water hydraulic radial piston pumps (RPPs) allow the pistons to be radially distributed, which makes the multi-piston design easier compared to traditional single-acting reciprocating piston pumps. In this study, a novel valve-distributed water RPP was developed in which the star wheel assembled on the camshaft is used to drive the connecting rod-crosshead-piston assembly and realize the reciprocation of the piston and suction-discharge of the pump check valves. Mathematical and numerical models representing the RPP were built using MATLAB and AMESim, respectively. Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics analyses were performed to investigate the internal flow field of the suction and discharge circuits as well as the flow characteristics of the discharge valve opening. A prototype pump was manufactured and tested for 200 h and then disassembled to evaluate the wear condition. The tested instant flow rates were lower than those obtained from the theoretical and simulation analyses. The experimental results also revealed that the average flow rates were almost independent of the output pressure and that the volumetric efficiency decreased with increasing rotational speed when the output pressure was larger than 25 MPa. Inspecting the disassembled water RPP revealed that scuffing problems occurred in the pistons, whereas the other components remained intact. The findings of this study offer a reference for water hydraulic power units in various applications and for investigating the intensity of water hydraulics.

An assessment of the suitability of a Liebau pump in biomedical applications

Impedance pumping and asymmetric pumping are the main mechanisms of the Liebau effect, a type of valveless pumping. The primary objective of this study is to enhance the current understanding of the mechanics and functionality of a Liebau pump. To achieve this, a prototype pump is constructed, incorporating several novel features: a pinch frequency control system to optimize pump performance, a planar actuator developed using soft robotic technology, and a compliant chamber designed to mitigate flow fluctuations and prevent reverse flow, a common feature of this pumping method. Experimental tests conducted with this prototype demonstrate that the Liebau pump holds potential as a viable technology for fluid pumping in biomedical applications, especially when pulsatile flow is essential or when hemolysis needs to be minimized.

A 2 kW-class free-piston Stirling heat pump prototype suitable for cold regions for domestic heating

Compared with conventional vapour-compression heat pump technology, the free-piston Stirling heat pump technology attracts wide attention for its high efficiency, reliability, and environmental friendliness. In this work, a free-piston Stirling heat pump prototype with a two-kilowatt capacity, which can operate with an outside ambient temperature ranging from -20 to 10 °C, was designed, built and tested. First, numerical simulations were carried out to explore the distributions of the acoustic field and exergy loss. Second, the effects of several operating parameters on the heating performance were numerically investigated in detail. Finally, to validate the accuracy of the simulation results, verification experiments were conducted on the experimental platform of a free-piston Stirling heat pump driven by a dual-opposed linear compressor. Experimental data show that with a hot-end temperature of 45 °C and outside ambient temperature of 0 °C, the prototype achieved a heating capacity of 2253 W with a corresponding COPh of 2.76 (based on PV power input) and a relative Carnot efficiency of 39.1 %; in particular, the prototype was able to achieve a COPh of 2.5 when pumping heat from -20 °C to 45 °C for 3.25 MPa mean pressure. The simulation and experimental results demonstrated that the free-piston Stirling heat pump system has good potential to achieve high efficiency as a heating supply in a cold region.

Numerical Investigation of Inner Flow Characteristics of a Prototype Pump Turbine with a Single Pier in Draft Tube at Part Load Conditions

Pump turbines operate under various off-design conditions, resulting in complex internal flow patterns. This study employs Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) numerical methods to investigate the flow characteristics of a prototype pump turbine with a single draft tube pier in turbine mode, and then, the flow characteristics inside the draft tube are discussed with emphasis. Asymmetry between the pier-divided draft tube passage flows is inevitable due to the elbow section’s curvature. Most of the fluid flows out of one passage, while vortex motion dominates the interior of the other one, resulting in completely different pressure fluctuation characteristics for the two flow passages. The large-flow passage is mainly characterized by the wide band in the frequency domain, corresponding to the recirculation zone, while some of the measured points in the low-discharge passage exhibit frequency splitting under kinematic progression. Further analysis demonstrates a low-frequency peak corresponding to the complementary shape between the vortex rope and the recirculation zone. This work elucidates the effects of the pier on the flow behavior and pressure fluctuation characteristics inside the draft tube and fills the research gap on piers in the field of pump turbines.

Theoretical and experimental evaluation of electric coolant pump benefits in real driving cycles

Engine thermal management is a promising option to reduce fuel consumption and harmful emissions of Internal Combustion Engines. This is particularly suitable to support the transition towards a carbon-neutral transportation sector, considering that the role of combustion engines is expected to persist in the near and medium future. In this study, a prototype pump electrically actuated was compared to a mechanical pump of a downsized gasoline engine that propels a real vehicle. In the first phase of the analysis, the cooling circuit was tested from a hydraulic point of view on all its branches using an engine mounted on a bench equal to that working on the vehicle. The hydraulic circuit was fully characterized via pressure transducers and flow meters in all branches for different thermostat lifts, representing different coolant temperatures. On the same bench, the OEM pump and an electrically actuated one, suitably redesigned on an operating point more representative of the real operating conditions, were tested. A vehicle propelled with the same tested engine (having a conventional mechanically actuated pump) was run on the road following three different driving cycles. The engine revolution speeds were registered, as well as the temperature of the cooling fluid. The electric and mechanical pumps were compared using the performance maps previously obtained. The electric pump speed was set to deliver the same coolant flow rate as the OEM pump, following the same sequence of thermostat lifts. The results show that a 60 % average reduction of the pump energy consumption is possible, leading to an average specific CO2 emission reduction of 1 g/km. This result is even more relevant during urban driving, with emission savings hitting 2.5 g/km.

Transient Hydraulic Performance of a Prototype Pump during Starting and Stopping Periods

In order to meet different operational requirements, existing low specific speed centrifugal pumps may have to be run at high speeds. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the transient performance of such centrifugal pumps during high speed starting and stopping. However, there are currently no experiments on the starting and stopping of low specific speed centrifugal pumps. In this paper, transient hydraulic performance experiments during starting and stopping had been carried out on an atypical open impeller centrifugal pump with a rated flow rate of 6 m3/h using an updated test rig. The correlation of speed, flow, head and shaft power with time was obtained for four flow ratios of 0.353, 1.022, 1.654 and 2.343 operating conditions. It was found that the fluctuation of the shaft power curve was the strongest during the starting process, and there was a significant impact phenomenon. The corresponding impact shaft power from small to large flow rates were 0.167 kW, 0.409 kW, 0.234 kW and 0.215 kW, and the shaft power impact phenomenon was the most obvious under rated operating conditions. During the stopping process, the speed, flow rate and head all remain stable for a small period of time, and the time required to decrease to 0 is longer than the time required to reach a stable state during starting. During stopping, the shaft power will instantly decrease, accompanied by varying degrees of fluctuations.

Advanced Phase-Change Intermediate Heat Exchanger Development for Multistage Thermoelectric Heat Pumps

The need to reach a full energy decarbonisation is well known. Heating and cooling consumption is almost half of the global energy end-use. Thus, development of low-carbon and highly efficient power-to-heat technologies must be developed. In this work, the use of thermoelectric technology working as a heat pump is proposed to heat up an airflow of 38 m3/h. Two different prototypes of multistage thermoelectric heat pumps have been developed and compared based on monophasic and phase-change intermediate heat exchangers. The reduced thermal resistance obtained for the novel phase-change heat exchanger increases the heat flux supplied to the airflow and reduces the consumed power of the system, outperforming the operation of the monophasic thermoelectric heat pump between a 30 and a 67 %. The novel multistage phase-change heat pump obtains experimental COP values between 3.25 and 1.26 when the airflow rises its temperature from 3.5 °C to 23.5 °C. Additionally, this experimental study proves a new methodology to calculate the supplied heat flux to the airflow. The validation of this technology proves a discrepancy of ± 9 % when this novel technology is compared to the conventional one based on the airflow temperature rise.

ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE DESIGN PARAMETERS OF THE UPPER STAGE LIQUID PROPELLANT ROCKET ENGINE PUMP ON ITS CAVITATION CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract. The phenomenon of cavitation is inherent in all vane machines, the working medium of which is liquid. With a certain combination of input pressure, flow rate, rotor speed, and the gas saturation of the working fluid in the vane machine, cavitation may occur. Cavitation negatively affects the power characteristics of the vane machines. It leads to a drop in the power parameters for the pumps and damage to their flowing parts. And also at times increases the pulsation of pressure at the pump outlet and vibration. This is especially dangerous for LPRE chambers, as the pulsation of pressure leads to the appearance of low-frequency oscillations of the chamber itself. Therefore, it is so important, even at the design stage, to determine the cavitation perfection of the LPRE vane pump and take measures to increase it.When developing the RD861K engine, high demands were placed on the power perfection of the oxidizer pump. The efficiency of the oxidizer pump RD861K should be 5% higher than that of the oxidizer pump RD861 (pump prototype).To increase the efficiency of the oxidizer pump of the RD861K engine, a number of design parameters was changed (compared to the prototype). These works were crowned with success, the required efficiency value was achieved. However, some of the taken measures had a negative impact on the cavitation perfection of the pump.This study is devoted to the analysis of the influence of the design parameters of the RD861K engine pump (which make it possible to increase its efficiency) on its cavitation properties. During the analysis, it was determined how the design parameters affect the nature of the cavitation characteristicof the oxidizer pump RD861K and RD861. It is also established how a concrete design change affects the value of the suction specific speedof the pump. In addition to the above studies, an analysis was made of cavitation characteristics of pumps operating on a gas-containing two-phase liquid. Based on the results of the analysis, the dependence of the decrease in therelativesuction specific speedof the pump on the amount of gas supplied to the inlet to the pump was constructed. The results of this study allow us to estimate the magnitude of cavitation pump failure at the design stage, depending on the design features of its flowing part when working liquid withoutgas and on the gas-liquid two-phase mixture.

Continued Development and Testing of a Novel Steerable Chest Tube, Extendable Infusion Cannula, and Portable Suction-Infusion Pump for Use in Austere and Transport Environments to Prevent Retained Hemothorax.

With blunt and penetrating trauma to the chest, warfighters frequently suffer from hemothorax. Optimal management requires the placement of a chest tube to evacuate the blood. Malposition of the tube may be a causative factor of inadequate drainage (retained hemothorax). As a potential solution, we developed a previously reported steerable chest tube allowing accurate placement into a desired location to enhance effectiveness. To provide assisted aspiration, we developed a portable, battery-operated suction device capable of simultaneous or sequential infusion. This report details the ongoing progress of this project. Updated steerable tube and pump prototypes were designed and produced. The tubes were tested for feasibility in two pigs and one cadaver by fluoroscopically comparing tip positions after insertion by a number of providers. Measured drainage volumes comparing standard vs. steerable tubes after pleural infusion of 1,000 mL of saline in two pigs were compared. Testing of the pump focused on the accuracy of suction and volume functions. The steerable tube prototype consists of sequentially bonded segments of differing flexibility and an ergonomic tensioning handle. The portable suction pump accurately provides up to 80 cmH2O of suction, an infusion capability of up to 10 mL/min, and a 950 mL removable reservoir canister. After minimal training, providers easily and repeatedly placed the tip of the steerable tube in the lateral diaphragmatic sulcus in animals and cadavers. Arc was limited to the distal segment. Compared to a standard tube, the steerable tube placed along the diaphragm improved pleural fluid drainage volumes by 17%, although this did not reach statistical significance in six trials. These new prototypes represent substantial improvements and were performed according to expectations. We believe that this steerable chest tube and portable suction-infusion pump can be effectively used for warfighters with chest injuries in austere environments.

Design and optimisation of an Intra-Aortic Shrouded rotor axial pump

Undesirable side effects in patients with a LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device) pump fitted include blood damage, thrombosis, blood traumatisation, and End-Organ Disfunctions. These side effects have generally been attributed to the high wall shear stresses and the induced turbulent flow. In this study, we introduce a novel design to address these effects by lowering the rotational speed and providing an optimum flow path design to minimise blood damage. We present an initial scheme for a new Intra-Aortic Shrouded Rotary Axial Pump and develop a sequence of pump geometries, for which the Taguchi Design Optimisation Method has been applied. We apply CFD tools to simulate the pressure rise, pump performance, hydraulic efficiency, wall shear stress, exposure time and mass flow rate. A prototype pump has been tested in a mock cardiovascular circuit using a water-glycerol solution. The optimum design delivered the desired pressure/mass flow rate characteristics at a significantly low rpm (2900 rpm). As a result, the estimated blood damage index is low, matching the design requirements. The theoretical performance was matched by experimental results.

Development of map-based models for the performance characterization in a new prototype of Dual Source Heat Pump

This paper presents the development of accurate map-based models for characterizing a new Dual Source Heat Pump prototype. This unit includes three braze plate heat exchangers and a round tube fin heat exchanger, allowing the unit to select different operating modes such as heat pump, chiller, and domestic hot water production using as source the ground or air. Therefore, due to the hybrid typology of this unit and the possibility of reversing the cycle, this work covers the main heat pump and refrigeration equipment technologies currently available on the market (air source and ground source units). The modeling strategy selected has been to provide several polynomial expressions to predict the performance of these units, i.e., compressor energy consumption and condenser and evaporator capacities. This approach allows obtaining accurate, compact, and easy-to-implement models for developing dynamic models of more complex systems where this type of unit – the heat pump – is an integrated part of the system. Currently, a clear example of this modeling strategy can be found in characterizing one of the main components installed in these machines, the compressor. The AHRI-540 standard specifies a polynomial model as a function of evaporating and condensing temperatures. In this sense, for the characterization of heat pumps, the polynomials developed depend only on the unit’s external variables, so they can be useful in many scenarios, obtaining direct feedback on the heat pump performance when developing a dynamic model to optimize system control strategies or to develop techno-economic studies. In this case, the hybrid typology of this unit makes it particularly relevant to optimize the control to manage the type of source to be used (air or ground), allowing the development of a more efficient and sustainable technology by selecting the most adequate source in terms of performance. This study focuses on obtaining the polynomial expressions that minimize the number of terms while simultaneously minimizing prediction error. By carefully selecting the most significant terms and suitable transformations in the characterized variables, the goal is to prevent overfitting, minimize potential extrapolation or interpolation errors and obtain polynomial expressions that can be fitted with small experimental samples. For this purpose, a detailed model implemented in a commercial software for heat pump characterization has been used, with which a large number of simulation results were generated. These simulation results include a fine meshing working map of the unit that allowed us to analyze the relationships between the characterized and external variables.

Analysis of the characteristics of valveless piezoelectric pump with crescent dune bluff body.

To improve the output flow characteristics of the piezoelectric pump in one direction, a new valveless piezoelectric pump with a crescent dune bluff body has been proposed. The pump can achieve low damage to the active substance on the premise that the active cell can guarantee the transport volume. By comparing with the hemispherically deficient and imitated meniscus resistance fluid, the barchan dune resistance fluid which can effectively improve the unidirectional output of the piezoelectric pump is obtained. Combined with the pump theoretical flow calculation formula, these influencing parameters, the degree of inclination, the sand ridge radius and the order of the crescent dune were analyzed. Finally, an experimental prototype of a valveless piezoelectric pump has been fabricated by 3D printing technology, and the pump flow test is being conducted. The relationship between frequency, voltage and output flow has been obtained. The test results show that with a dune inclination of 37.5, a sand ridge radius of 6.75 mm and a dune order of 4, the flow rate of the piezoelectric pump is best at 194.7 mL/min. The experimental results agree with the simulation results, showing the effectiveness of the valveless piezoelectric pump structure.