Near-Wall Flow Characteristics of a Centrifugal Impeller with Low Specific Speed

Abstract

In order to study the near-wall region flow characteristics in a low-specific-speed centrifugal impeller, based on ANSYS-CFX 15.0 software, Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) methods and renormalization group (RNG) k-ɛ turbulence model were used to simulate the whole flow field of a low specific speed centrifugal pump with five blades under different flow rates. Simulation results of external characteristics of the pump were in good agreement with experimental results. Profiles were set on the pressure side and suction side of impeller blades at the distances of 0.5 mm and 2 mm, respectively, to study the distributions of flow characteristics near the wall region of five groups of blades. The results show that the near-wall region flow characteristics of five groups of blades were similar, but the static pressure, relative velocity, cross flow velocity, and turbulent kinetic energy of profiles on the pressure side were quite different to those on the suction sides, and these characteristics also changed with the alternation of flow rate. As the flow rate was 13 m3/h or 20 m3/h, within the radius range of 40 to 50 mm, there was an extent of negative relative velocity of the profiles on the pressure side, and a counter-current happened not on the suction side, but on the pressure side in the low specific speed centrifugal impeller. The flow characteristics of profiles at the distances of 0.5 mm and 2 mm also showed a small difference.