Research On Structural Optimization Of A Centrifugal Pump With Splitter Blades Based On CFD

Centrifugal pump is one of the most widely used pumps because of its simple structure, easy operation, reliable function, etc. With the development of social economy, higher requirements for the performance of centrifugal pump are proposed, such as stable operation in deviated working condition, and so on. Centrifugal pump with splitter blades has been proved to be an effective design method for these requirements. These splitter blades are placed between long blades so that they can effectively improve the flow field distribution and pressure ratio inside an impeller, and prevent undesired phenomena such as the secondary flow, reflux, jet wake, and so on. Additionally, they can also enhance the mechanical performance of centrifugal pump and running stability.In this paper, a CFD commercial software, FLUENT14.5, is used to simulate the centrifugal fan pump of a commercial dishwasher. The performance of the fan pump is investigated using different impeller models. Effects of splitter blades on the whole performance of the fan pump are studied, including the circumferential distribution of splitter blades, the length of splitter blades, the deflection angle of splitter blades, and the number of splitter blades.A 3d modeling PRO/E software is used to perform the modeling of various components of the pump model based on geometry parameters of the centrifugal fan pump. Then ICEM CFD is employed for meshing after the assembly process. The k-? standard model is chosen as the final turbulent model considering the computational cost and accuracy of three turbulence models. After that, numerical calculations of the fan pump under different flow conditions are presented in this paper.Through combination of effects of geometry parameters of splitter blades, including the circumferential distribution of splitter blades, the length of splitter blades, the deflection angle of splitter blades, and the number of splitter blades on the whole performance of fan pump are analyzed based on the calculation results and internal flow field information. The outlet pressure and efficiency of the fan pump are optimization objects in this work. The pressure and efficiency of new centrifugal fan pump are 8.7% and 3.3% higher than that of the original model under various flow conditions, respectively.Effects of splitter blades on the internal flow field and performance of the centrifugal fan pump are investigated by means of numerical simulations in this paper. Theoretical results are provided for the design of the centrifugal pump in the future without restrictions from test conditions.