Experimental investigation of sediment erosion in a double-suction centrifugal pump in sandy rivers

Abstract

Abstract The characteristic of sediment erosion of the blade in a double-suction centrifugal pump is mainly studied because the blades of double-suction centrifugal pumps are widely observed to suffer severe erosion damage in water intake projects along the Yellow River. In order to clearly present the evolution of blade-erosion area for different sediment properties in real conditions, the experiment with multiple layers of paint method is designed. The obtained results show that the leading edge of the blade, suction side of the blade inlet, suction side of the blade outlet and pressure side of the blade outlet are easy to be observed with erosion. More important, relationships between the eroded area and operation time by using hyperbolic tangent function are firstly established, and this function can be used to predict the development of the eroded area of blades in long operation. The first section in your paper