Unsteady Flow Numerical Simulations on Internal Energy Dissipation for a Low-Head Centrifugal Pump at Part-Load Operating Conditions

Dredge pumps are usually operated at part-load conditions, in which the low-solidity centrifugal impeller could experience large internal energy dissipation, related to flow separation and vortices. In this study, SST k- and SAS-SST turbulence models were used, in steady and unsteady simulations, for a low-head centrifugal pump with a three-bladed impeller. The main focus of the present work was to investigate the internal energy dissipation in rotating an impeller at part-load operating conditions, related to flow separation and stall. The unsteady nature of these operating conditions was investigated. Performance experiments and transient wall pressure measurements were conducted for validation. A methodology for internal energy dissipation analysis has been proposed; and the unsteady pressure fluctuations were analyzed in the rotating impeller. The internal power losses in the volute and the impeller were mostly found in the centrifugal pump. The rotating stall phenomenon occurred with flow separation and detachment at the part-load operating condition, leading to a dissipation of the internal energy in the impeller. The rotating impeller experienced pressure fluctuations with low frequencies, at part-load operating conditions, while in the design operating condition only experienced rotating frequency.