Abstract
The hydraulic design optimization and performance analysis of mixed-flow pumps for waterjet marine vehicle propulsion has been carried out using mean streamline analysis and three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. In the present study, the conceptual design optimization has been formulated with a non-linear objective function to minimize the fluid dynamic losses, and then the commercial CFD code was incorporated to allow for detailed flow dynamic phenomena in the pump system. Newly designed mixed-flow model pump has been tested in the laboratory. Predicted performance curves by the CFD code agree very well with experimental data for a newly designed mixed-flow pump over the normal operating conditions. The design and prediction method presented herein can be used efficiently as a unified hydraulic design process of mired-flow pumps for waterjet marine vehicle propulsion.
