Experimental And Numerical Investigation Of Flow Induced Vibration In A High Pressure Double Volute Centrifugal Pump
عطية إسماعيل خليفة , عمرو القطب
كلية الهندسة-جامعة الملك فهد للبترول والمعادن · السعودية
The present work is an experimental and numerical investigation of the flow induced vibration problem at blade passing frequencies of a high-pressure double volute boiler feed pump. The effects of variable operating conditions and different design modifications were studied by model testing to minimize the vibration level. The amplitude and strength of the pressure fluctuation inside the pump depend on the measuring location with respect to the interaction zone at volute tongues. The unsteady pressure fluctuations are very sensitive to the flow rate. Pressure fluctuations are increased at high rotational speeds and at off-design conditions. The original pump has a special V-shaped cut at the exit of impeller blades which reduces the pressure fluctuations up to 45% depending on flow rate and measuring location. It also reduced pump vibration by 20 to 50% depending on flow rate. The selection of the suitable gap between impeller and diffuser vanes for minimum vibration levels was based on experimentation under the expected operating conditions. Smaller gaps are not preferable for the pressure fluctuations inside the pump since they produce higher impeller/volute interaction. Increasing the gap from 2.5 to 5% of the impeller diameter with the V-cut design is considered to be a good and simple solution to minimize vibration levels by about 50% on average for the present pump; at a wide range of flow rates. The improvement in reducing pump vibration due to gap increasing was achieved at the expense of 5% loss in pump head and 1.6% loss in efficiency at the rated pump capacity. Detailed uncertainty analysis indicates that uncertainty limits are: ±1.5% in flow rate, ±1% in head, and ± 2% in efficiency, at best efficiency conditions. The 2D CFD simulation using sliding mesh technique can predict the effect of variable flow rate and pump design on flow field. However, the unsteady pressure fluctuations are location dependent and a 3D model is needed for accurate prediction of the fluctuations amplitudes.