Investigation of the unsteady pressure fluctuation mechanism in a regenerative flow pump based on proper orthogonal decomposition

Abstract

The regenerative flow pump (RFP) derives its name from the circular flow pattern akin to a vortex. However, the presence of numerous vortices results in highly turbulent flow and pressure fluctuation. This study delves into the characteristics of the internal unsteady flow in two distinct RFP models featuring different blade shapes. Numerical simulations are employed to obtain the pressure field, which is subsequently scrutinized using the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method. The results show that the average pressure in the peripheral direction undergoes minimal variation during the flow developing stage, experiences a sharp increase in the fully developed stage, and finally exhibits substantial changes in the stripper. The transient pressure in the time domain fluctuates periodically, and the dominant blade passing frequency in the frequency domain demonstrates a similar trend along the circumferential direction as the average pressure. Moreover, the fluctuating intensity of pressure diminishes along the impeller's rotating direction but intensifies significantly in the stripper. Comparative analysis indicates that the exchange intensity is influenced by the flow at different developmental stages, and the exchange flow conditions could reflect the fluctuating intensity. Furthermore, the study reveals that the frequency amplitude of the time coefficient gradually decreases as the mode order increases. The first and second modes exhibit a gradually changing trend associated with pressure increase patterns, whereas the third and fourth modes highlight the emergence of localized modulation phenomena linked to exchange flow. Thus, the POD method offers a unique perspective for comprehending the flow mechanisms within RFPs.