No abstract

Small and micro hydropower systems represent an attractive solution for generating electricity at low cost and with low environmental impact. The pump-as-turbine (PAT) approach has promise in this application due to its low purchase and maintenance costs. In this paper, a new method to predict the inverse characteristic of industrial centrifugal pumps is presented. This method is based on results of simulations performed with commercial three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software. Model results have been first validated in pumping mode using data supplied by pump manufacturers. Then, the results have been compared to experimental data for a pump running in reverse. Experimentation has been performed on a dedicated test bench installed in the Department of Civil Construction and Environmental Engineering of the University of Naples Federico II. Three different pumps, with different specific speeds, have been analyzed. Using the model results, the inverse characteristic and the best efficiency point have been evaluated. Finally, results have been compared to prediction methods available in the literature.

A study on the internal fluid dynamic of a high-pressure external gear pump is described in this paper. The pump has been analyzed with both numerical and experimental techniques. Starting from a geometry of the pump, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model has been built up using the commercial code PumpLinx ® . All leakages have been taken into account in order to estimate the volumetric efficiency of the pump. Then the pump has been tested on a test bench of Casappa S.p.A. Model results like the volumetric efficiency, absorbed torque, and outlet pressure ripple have been compared with the experimental data. The model has demonstrated the ability to predict with good accuracy the performance of the real pump. The CFD model has been also used to evaluate the effect on the pump performance of clearances in the meshing area. With the validated model the pressure inside the chambers of both driving and driven gears have been studied underlining cavitation in meshing fluid volume of the pump. For this reason, the model has been implemented in order to predict the cavitation phenomena. The analysis has allowed the detection of cavitating areas, especially at high rotation speeds and delivery pressure. Isosurfaces of the fluid volume have been colored as a function of the total gas fraction to underline where the cavitation occurs.