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Influence of tip clearance on pressure fluctuations in an axial flow pump

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Abstract

Rotor-stator interaction in axial pumps can produce pressure fluctuations and further vibrations even damage to the pump system in some extreme case. In this paper, the influence of tip clearance on pressure fluctuations in an axial flow water pump has been investigated by numerical method. Three-dimensional unsteady flow in the axial flow water pump has been simulated with different tip clearances between the impeller blade tip and the casing wall. In addition to monitoring pressure fluctuations at some typical points, a new method based on pressure statistics was proposed to determine pressure fluctuations at all grid nodes inside the whole pump. The comparison shows that the existence of impeller tip clearance magnifies the pressure fluctuations in the impeller region, from the hub to shroud. However, the effect on pressure fluctuation in the diffuser region is not evident. Furthermore, the tip clearance vortex has also been examined under different tip clearances.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory Base of Eco-Hydraulic Engineering in Arid Area, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, 710048, China

    Jianjun Feng, Xingqi Luo, Pengcheng Guo & Guangkuan Wu

Authors
  1. Jianjun Feng
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  2. Xingqi Luo
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  3. Pengcheng Guo
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  4. Guangkuan Wu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jianjun Feng.

Additional information

Jianjun Feng received his Ph.D. degree from University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany in 2008. Afterwards, he worked as a post-doctor in the same university. Since late 2011, he has been a full professor in Xi’an University of Technology in China. His main scientific interests are rotor-stator interactions including CFD simulations and flow measurements by PIV and LDV and optimization design of turbo-machines.

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Feng, J., Luo, X., Guo, P. et al. Influence of tip clearance on pressure fluctuations in an axial flow pump. J Mech Sci Technol 30, 1603–1610 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-016-0315-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-016-0315-2

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