• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.47-52
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• 2014

An inducer is forward-attached to an impeller to improve the suction performance. This paper described the experimental and numerical investigations on the concept of NPSH similarity about the inducer scale. As Reynolds number decreased for the same scale inducer, the hydraulic performance is slightly reduced because of the viscosity. The suction performance similarity is in good agreement. For different scale inducers, the NPSH similarity did not follow the conventional rule which is proportional to the square of the inducer diameter. A cavity of two times scale inducer grows faster under cavitation inception, and the head is more drop as the fluid passes blades. Because of the simplified cavitation model and vapor pressure, the NPSH similarity dose not have an accuracy. This study suggested an empirical formula for the NPSH similarity.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.76-80
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to understand the cavitation phenomena in centrifugal pumps through computational fluid dynamics method. NPSH characteristic curve is measured from different flow operating conditions. Steady state, liquid-vapor homogeneous method with two equations transport turbulence model is employed to estimate the NPSH curve in centrifugal pumps. The Rayleigh-Plesset cavitation model is adapted as source term for inter-phase mass transfer in order to understand cavitation phenomena in centrifugal pumps. The cavitation incipient curve is clearly estimated at different flows operating conditions. A relationship is made between cavitation incipient and NPSH curve. Also the effects on water vapor volume fraction and pressure load distributions on the impeller blade are also described.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.909-915
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• 2009

In this paper, a study of performance improvement for a centrifugal vertical pump having specific speed of 330 is introduced. The existing model has high efficiency but needs better NPSH required performance. Such that new pump model is designed to obtain larger suction specific speed. 6 design parameters considered to affect pump performance are selected for impeller design. Key design parameters are investigated using by design of experiments and CFD, and impeller inlet diameter is increased to get better suction performance. The amount of inlet diameter increase is determined by using cavitation analysis. The results show that new design model has higher efficiency and better NPSH required performance than the existing model.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.286-293
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• 2012

In this investigation, flow analysis with single phase has been performed for a centrifugal impeller with a design efficiency of 90%, head of 20m and rotational speed of 3500 rpm at a design flow rate of 16m3. The impeller was designed based on an empirical formula suggested by A.J. Stepanoff. In a case of the single phase analysis, the hydraulic efficiency and head is 88.8% and 19.4m, respectively, which showed a good agreement with the values designed. The flow analysis with two phases was carried out under the various NPSH, at whose 8.79m the cavitation on the suction side of the blade was observed. The required NPSH of the designed impeller is approximately 6.5m and above this value, the designed centrifugal pump impeller needs to be operated under inlet pressure condition.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.18-29
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• 2012

This paper deals with the CFD analysis of cavitating flow in the mixed-flow pump with the specific speed of 1.64 which suffers from a high level of noise and vibrations close to the optimal flow coefficient. The ANSYS CFX package has been used to solve URANS equations together with the Rayleigh-Plesset model and the SST-SAS turbulence model has been employed to capture highly unsteady phenomena inside the pump. The CFD analysis has provided a good picture of the cavitation structures inside the pump and their dynamics for a wide range of flow coefficients and NPSH values. Cavitation instabilities were detected at 70% of the optimal flow coefficient close to the NPSH3 value (NPSH3 is the net positive suction head required for the 3% drop of the total head of the pump).

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.6 no.1 s.18
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• pp.6-13
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• 2003

Variations of performance and NPSH of a turbo pump inducer were measured. The flows at the inlet and the outlet of the inducer were also experimentally investigated by measuring flow velocity and angle using a 3-hole Pilot tube. Performance and velocity profiles show a similarity for tested speeds, however not for efficiencies. Strong recirculating flows appears at the inlet of inducer even at the design condition. Cavitating flows were also visualized at several NPSH's.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.21-26
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• 2013

Super-cavitating vehicle which is operating under water speeds up to 100m/s. In this process super-cavitation around body reduces frictional resistance. This paper introduces experimental study on different width of suction path as there is a warhead in the torpedo. Hydraulic performances of turbopump at non-cavitating condition does not display a significant differences depending on different width of suction path. However, cavitation performance of each model shows obvious differences in the same condition of experience. In case of radial inlet, the value of critical NPSH(which indicates 3% head drop) increases about 20% in comparison of axial inlet.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.277-286
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• 2016

The development of heavy-duty process pumps, usually based on various design criteria, depends on the pump's application. The most important criteria are Q-H, efficiency and NPSH characteristics. Cavitation due to inlet recirculation is not often one of the design criteria, although many problems in pump operation appear because of inlet recirculation, when the operation range is from 0.5-0.8 $Q_{opt}$. The present paper shows that steady state CFD analysis of inlet recirculation can give quite good results for the design of new hydraulic shapes, which have been developed to expand operating range and to minimize the harmful influence of recirculation at part load. In this paper, the structures of inlet recirculation are presented, as well as detailed shapes of vortices between the blades for various operating regimes, axial velocity distribution at the impeller inlet, the experimental results of NPSH and efficiency characteristics of an existing and newly designed pump.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.5 no.1 s.14
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• pp.33-41
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• 2002

Low NPSH and high pressure pumps we widely used for turbopump systems, which have an inducer and operate at high rotating speeds. In this paper, a meanline method has been established for the preliminary design and performance prediction of pumps having an inducer for cavitating or non-cavitating conditions at design or off-design points. The method was applied for the performance prediction of a fuel pump. Predicted performances by the method are shown to be in good agreement with experimental results for cavitating and non-cavitating conditions. The established meanline method can be used for the performance prediction and preliminary design of high speed pumps which have a inducer, impeller and volute.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.08a
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• pp.335-338
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• 2006

A Numerical study of the cavitation within a centrifugal pump is carried out using CFD commercial code, FLUENT. The objective of this study is to predict the onset of cavitation within the pump blade and the degradation in the pressure rise due to the generation and transport of vapor. A pump designed for the study is a six bladed, one-circular arc impeller design suggested by A.J. Stepanoff et al. The Steady-state calculations are performed for a wide range of flow rate without the cavitation to investigate the pump performance. The design head and efficiency show a very good agreement with the numerical results at the design flow rate. After the validation with the numerical results, the pump performance and the onset of cavitation within the blade is predicted by changing NPSH at the design flow rate.