No abstract

A multi-phase CFD method is used to analyze centrifugal pump performance under developed cavitating conditions. The differential model employed is the homogeneous two-phase Reynolds-Averaged-Navier-Stokes equations, wherein mixture momentum and volume continuity equations are solved along with vapor volume fraction continuity. Mass transfer modeling is provided for the phase change associated with sheet cavitation. Using quasi-3D (Q3D) analysis, steady and time-dependent analyses were performed across a wide range of flow coefficients and cavitation numbers. Characteristic performance trends associated with off-design flow and blade cavitation are observed. The rapid drop in head coefficient at low cavitation numbers (breakdown) is captured for all flow coefficients. Local flow field solution plots elucidate the principal physical mechanisms associated with the onset of breakdown.

This study was conducted for the purpose of providing a more fundamental understanding of separated flow in cascades and to provide performance data for fully stalled blade rows. Cascades of a single blade geometry and a solidity of unity were studied for three stagger angles and the full range of angle of attack, extending well into the stalled flow regime. Results are presented from flow visualization and time-mean velocity measurements of stalled flow in the cascade. Surface and smoke flow visualization revealed that the blade stagger angle is a key parameter in determining the location of the separation line and the occurrence of propagating stall. Time-mean velocity measurements obtained with a dual hot split-film probe also showed that the separated velocity profiles within the blade passages and the profiles in the wake have distinctly different characteristics depending on the stagger angle.

This study was conducted for the purpose of providing a more fundamental understanding of separated flow in cascades and to provide performance data for fully stalled blade rows. Cascades of a single blade geometry and a solidity of unity were studied for three stagger angles and the full range of angle of attack extending well into the stalled flow regime. The Reynolds number was also varied for a limited number of cases. Results from velocity and pressure measurements made in the cascade and the overall cascade performance evaluated from these measurements are presented. In addition, results from a numerical simulation of the flow through a cascade of flat plate airfoils are used to illustrate further the effects of blade stagger and to define the correct limits for the cascade performance. The results indicate that the slope of the total pressure loss versus angle of attack curve for the flow immediately downstream of the cascade is steeper for cascades with greater stagger. The normal force coefficient was found to increase to a peak value near the angle of attack where full leading edge stall first occurs. A further increase in angle of attack results in a decline in the normal force coefficient. The peak value of the normal force coefficient is greater and occurs at a higher angle of attack for the cascades with smaller stagger.

A study of the effects of rotor-blade geometry, steady loading, and distortion wavelength on the distortion flow field upstream and downstream of an unstalled isolated rotor shows that the attenuation of the distortion as it passes through the rotor is a function of the blade stagger angle and the distortion-reduced frequency or the ratio of rotor blade spacing to the distortion wavelength s/l. Maximum attenuation occurs when s/l = 0.5 and increases with increasing stagger angle. Little influence of rotor incidence angle or steady loading was observed.