Numerical Simulation and Experiments on the Flow in a Multistage Centrifugal Pump

Numerical Simulation and Experiments on the Flow in a Multistage Centrifugal Pump

Abstract
In this paper, a numerical simulation of the first stage of a multistage centrifugal pump, consisting of an impeller, a diffuser and a return channel, is performed by the commercial software CFX-5. The obtained simulation results are compared with experiments, which are done in a test facility which has been especially prepared for optical flow measurements.
  For the numerical simulation, a structured grid for the impeller part is created by CFX-TurboGRID and a structured grid for the diffuser and the return channel is obtained by applying the grid generator ICEM-CFD. Then, the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations are solved by the software CFX-5 with a stage interface between rotating and stationary frames. 
  In order to validate the numerical simulation results, experiments are designed and conducted by Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) in the diffuser region. The experimental investigations support the simulation results and CFX-5 is proven to be capable of capturing the existing flow phenomena under the given constraints.
Keywords
Multistage centrifugal pump, numerical simulation, CFD,LDV