Abstract
In this paper, numerical study on a mixed-flow pump for irrigation and drainage has been performed based on three-dimensional viscous flow analysis. Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with shear stress transport turbulence model are discretized by finite volume approximations and solved by the commercial CFD code ANSYS CFX-11.0. A structured grid system is constructed in the computational domain, which has O-type grids near the blade surfaces and H/J-type grids in other regions. The numerical results were validated with experimental data for the heads and efficiencies at different flow coefficients. The efficiency at the design flow coefficient is evaluated with the variation of two geometric variables related to area of discharge and length of the vane in the diffuser. The results show that efficiency of the mixed-flow pump at the design flow coefficient is improved by the modifications of the geometry.