Design study of a regenerative pump using numerical and experimental techniques

This thesis was previously held under moratorium from 2nd February 2010 until 2nd February 2015.Pumps are the single largest user of electricity in industry in the European Union and energy savings of 3% would result in a 1.1TWH p.a. reduction in consumption or a saving of 0.54 Mton of C02 production. This thesis considers a numerical and experimental analysis of a regenerative pump, not only to resolve the flowfield and match unit performance, but also to assess potential performance improvement.;There is limited published data to allow a more intuitive approach to selection of this pump type. Regenerative pumps are the subject of increased interest in industry, as they are low cost, low specific speed, compact and able to deliver high heads with stable performance characteristics and other benefits. The hydraulic efficiency of regenerative pumps, however, is low, usually less than 50%. The complex flow-field within the pump represents a significant challenge to detailed mathematical modelling.;This thesis presents the use of a commercial CFD code in conjunction with new experimental testing to simulate the flow within the regenerative pump. The CFD results demonstrate that it is possible to represent the helical flowfield for the pump only witnessed in experimental flow visualisation until now. The CFD performance results also demonstrate reasonable agreement with the experimental data which, to date, has only been successfully modelled using mathematical models with correction factors.;The research contained in this thesis also considers a design process in conjunction with a novel method of rapid manufacture used in the development of modified regenerative pump impellers. A novel method is presented to manufacture the complex blade profiles that are robust enough for testing, in a rapid and cost effective manner.Pumps are the single largest user of electricity in industry in the European Union and energy savings of 3% would result in a 1.1TWH p.a. reduction in consumption or a saving of 0.54 Mton of C02 production. This thesis considers a numerical and experimental analysis of a regenerative pump, not only to resolve the flowfield and match unit performance, but also to assess potential performance improvement.;There is limited published data to allow a more intuitive approach to selection of this pump type. Regenerative pumps are the subject of increased interest in industry, as they are low cost, low specific speed, compact and able to deliver high heads with stable performance characteristics and other benefits. The hydraulic efficiency of regenerative pumps, however, is low, usually less than 50%. The complex flow-field within the pump represents a significant challenge to detailed mathematical modelling.;This thesis presents the use of a commercial CFD code in conjunction with new experimental testing to simulate the flow within the regenerative pump. The CFD results demonstrate that it is possible to represent the helical flowfield for the pump only witnessed in experimental flow visualisation until now. The CFD performance results also demonstrate reasonable agreement with the experimental data which, to date, has only been successfully modelled using mathematical models with correction factors.;The research contained in this thesis also considers a design process in conjunction with a novel method of rapid manufacture used in the development of modified regenerative pump impellers. A novel method is presented to manufacture the complex blade profiles that are robust enough for testing, in a rapid and cost effective manner