Tutorial:ModelingaCavitatingCentrifugalPump

Introduction

Inanalyzingtheperformanceofpumpsystems,thepresenceofcavitationcanhaveasignificant
impactontheperformanceofthepump.Cavitationbubblesemergewhenthelocalstaticpressure
oftheworkingfluid(aliquid)fallsbelowthevaporpressure.Vigorouscavitationcanleadtolossof
headriseand,inmanycases,structuraldamageduetoerosionfromcollapsingvaporbubbles
strikingthepumpbladepassages.

Thepurposeofthistutorialistodemonstratetheprocedureformodelingsteadystatecavitationin
acentrifugalpump.ThisinvolvestheuseofFLUENTsmovingreferenceframemodelandthe
multiphasemixturemodel(withthecavitationsubmodelenabled).

Inthistutorialyouwilllearnthefollowing:

Theprocedureforsettingupthemixturemultiphasemodelwiththecavitationoption.
Applicationofappropriatecellzoneandboundaryconditionsandsolversettingsforthe
pumpmodel.
Thestrategyforinitializingandsolvingforthesteadystateflowfield.
Methodsforvisualizingthecavitatingpumpsolution.

Prerequisites

ThistutorialassumesthatyouarefamiliarwiththeFLUENTinterfaceandthatyouhavea
Goodunderstandingofbasicsetupandsolutionprocedures.Somestepswillnotbeshownor
illustratedexplicitly.Inaddition,thistutorialmakesusethemultiphasemixturemodel.Ifyouhave
notusedthisfeaturebefore,youmaywishtoreviewChapter26,ModelingMultiphaseFlows,of
theANSYSFLUENT13UsersGuide.

ProblemDescription

Thepumpunderconsiderationisafivebladecentrifugalpumpoperatingat2160rpm,asshownin
Figure1.Theflowentersthroughacircularinletpipe,passesthroughtheimpeller,andis
dischargedradiallythroughauniformcylindricalexitboundary.Theworkingfluidiswaterandthe
flowisassumedtobesteadyandincompressible.Thefluidpropertiesareasfollows:

liquiddensity=1000kg/m3
liquidviscosity=0.001Pas
vapordensity=0.01927kg/m3
vaporviscosity=8.8E6Pas
vaporpressureofliquid=3540Pa

Thesimulationwillassumeatotalfixedvolumeflowrateof210m3/hr(42m3/hrperpassage)at
theinlet.Thiswillbeimposedusingafixedinletvelocityboundarycondition.Theflowwillbe
assumedfullyturbulent,withanentranceturbulenceintensityof5%.

Auniformpressureoutletboundaryconditionisimposedattheoutletofthevanelessspace.The
absoluteinletstaticpressuredependsontheprescribedoutletabsolutepressure.Hence,theoutlet
pressurewillimplicitlydefinethelevelofcavitationthatoccurs(relativetotheminimumabsolute
pressurethatoccursonthesuctionsideoftheimpeller),basedonthespecifiedvaporpressurefor
theliquid.Inthepresentcase,theoutletpressureissetto500,000Pa.

outlet

inlet

Figure1:Pumpgeometry.

Preparation

1. Startthe3DversionofANSYSFLUENT.

 2. Readthemeshfile,centrifpump.msh.

3. Checkanddisplaythegrid.

Note:Noscalingisrequiredforthismesh.

Thehexahedralmeshhas44,028cells,andrepresentsonebladepassageofthepump(1/5ofthe
totalgeometry)byutilizingrotationallyperiodicboundaries,asshowninFigure2.

Figure2:GridDisplay

SetupandSolution

Step1:Models

1. Retainthedefaultsolvergeneralparameters(3D,pressurebasedsolver,absolutevelocity
formulation).

2. EnabletheRealizablekemodelwithstandardwallfunctions.

3. Enablethemixturemultiphasemodel,anddisabletheSlipVelocity.

Note:Disablingtheslipvelocityisappropriateforcaseswithdilutesecondaryphaseand
caseswherethedensityofthesecondaryphaseismuchsmallerthantheprimaryphase.

Step3:Materials

1. Definethefluidmaterialwaterliquidwithadensityandviscositysetto1000kg/m3and
0.001kg/ms,respectively.

2. Definethefluidmaterialwatervaporwithadensityandviscositysetto0.01927kg/m3
and8.8e6kg/ms,respectively.

Note:Thecavitybubbleconsistsofpurewatervapor,and,tosimplifythepresentanalysis,
constantfluidpropertieswillbeassumed.

Step4:OperatingConditions

1. SettheOperatingPressureto0Pa.

Note:Thisisdoneinordertoenableabsolutepressurestobeusedinsettingupthemodel.

Step5:CavitationModelSetup

1. Definethephases(DefinePhases).

(a)Setphase1(primaryphase)aswaterliquid.
(b)Setphase2(secondaryphase)aswatervapor.

2. Defineinteractionbetweenthephases(seeFiguresbelow).

(a)ClickonInteraction...toopenthePhaseInteractionpanel.
(b)UndertheMasstab,enableCavitation.
(c)ClickontheEditbuttontorevealtheCavitationModelpanel.
(c)SetVaporizationPressureto3540Paandretainthedefaultvaluesfortheother
parameters.WewillbeusingtheSchnerrSauercavitationmodel.

Note:Youcanexperimentwithbothoftheavailablecavitationmodels.Inmostcases,you
willseesimilarsolutions.

Figure3:PhaseInteractionpanel.

Figure4:CavitationModelpanel.

Step6:CellZoneConditions

ThesetupformovingreferenceframesinthecellzonespanelhaschangedforANSYSFLUENT13
andisreproducedbelow.

1. SelectFrameMotionandsettheparametersforfluidasshowninthetablebelow.



Parameter Setting
MotionType FrameMotion
RotationAxisOrigin (0,0,0)
RotationAxisDirection X=0,Y=0,Z=1
Speed 2160rpm

Figure5:Fluidpanelforcellzoneconditionsillustratingnewmovingframesetup.

Step7:BoundaryConditions

1. SettheparametersforinletasshowninthetablebelowandFigure6.

Note:ThereareseparateBCentriesforthemixtureandsecondphasesasseeninthepanels.


Parameter Setting
Velocitymagnitude 7.0455 m/s
VelocitySpecificationmethod Magnitude,NormaltoBoundary
TurbulenceSpecificationMethod IntensityandHydraulicDiameter
TurbulenceIntensity 5%
HydraulicDiameter 103mm
Phase2VolumeFraction 0

Figure6:VelocityInletBCpanels.

 2. SettheparametersforoutletasshowninthetablebelowandFigure7.

Parameter Setting
GaugePressure 450,000 Pa
TurbulenceSpecificationMethod IntensityandViscosityRatio
BackflowTurbulenceIntensity 5%
BackflowPhase2VolumeFraction 0

Figure7:PressureOutletBCpanels.

3. Setthezonesperiodic.10andperiodic.11asRotational.
4. Settheparametersforrotatingwalls(blade,hub,andshroud)asillustratedinFigure8.


Figure8:RotatingwallBCsetup.

5. Settheparametersfornonrotatingwalls(blade,hub,andshroud)asshowninFigure9.


Figure9:NonrotatingwallBCsetup.

Step7:SolverDiscretization,Controls,andMonitors

1. SetthesolutionmethodsunderSolveMethodsaccordingtothetablebelow:

Parameter Setting
Scheme Coupled
Gradient LeastSquaresCellBased
Pressure PRESTO!
Momentum Second OrderUpwind
VolumeFraction FirstOrderUpwind
TurbulenceKineticenergy FirstOrderUpwind
TurbulenceDissipationRate FirstOrderUpwind

 2. SetthesolutioncontrolsunderSolveControlsaccordingtothetablebelow:


Parameter Value
CourantNumber 200
ExplicitRelaxationFactors(bothvalues) 0.5
Density 1
BodyForces 1
VaporizationMass 1
VolumeFraction 0.5
TurbulenceKineticEnergy 0.5
TurbulenceDissipationRate 0.5
TurbulentViscosity 0.1

3. Createamonitorfortheareaaveragedstaticpressureattheinletboundary.Thiswill
beusedtodeterminewhenthepressurerisethroughthepumphasconverged.

Step8:Solution

1. Initializethesolutionusingvaluescomputedfromtheinletvalues.SelectAbsolutefor
theReferenceFrame.
2. Solvefor1500iterations.

At1500iterationsthemonitorindicatesthattheinletstaticpressureisnolongerchanging
significantlywithiteration(Figure10).This,alongwiththeresidualhistory(Figure11)
suggestthesolutioniswellconverged.

3. Savethecaseanddatafiles(centrifpump.cas.gzandcentrifpump.dat.gz).

Figure10:Convergencehistoryofinletstaticpressure.

Figure11:ScaledResiduals.

Step8:Postprocessing

1. Setupcontoursplotsofstaticpressureandphase2volumefraction.Plotthecontours
onthehubandbladesurfaces.YoushouldseesurfacecontoursasshowninFigures12
14below.

Note:Thecontourplotsshowthepresenceofacavitationbubbleneartheleadingedgeof
theimpellerblade.Thisisexpectedsincethestaticpressuredropsastheflowaccelerated
overthebladeneartheleadingedge.


Figure12:Contoursofstaticpressureonthehubandbladesurfaces.

Figure13:Contoursofphase2(vapor)volumefractiononthehubandbladesurfaces.

Figure14:Closeupofcontoursofphase2(vapor)volumefractiononthehubandbladesurfaces.

2. Computetheareaaveragedinletandoutletstaticpressuretodeterminethepressure
riseusingReportSurfaceIntegrals.

mixture
Area-Weighted Average
Static Pressure (pascal)
-------------------------------- --------------------
inlet 57671.301
outlet 450000
---------------- --------------------
Net 353433.88
 Note:IgnoretheNetvalueandtakethedifferenceinthepressurestoobtainthepressurerise.

3. Computethemoments(torque)ontheimpellerusingReportForces,andhencecompute
thepowerbymultiplyingbytherotationalspeed.UseaMomentCenterof(0,0,0)and
MomentAxisof(0,0,1).Usethesurfacesblade,hub,andshroudtocomputethemoments.

Figure15:ForceReportspanelshowinginputsformomentcalculation.

Moments - Moment Center (0 0 0) Moment Axis (0 0 1)

Moments (n-m)
Zone Pressure Viscous Total
blade -23.507511 -0.38458239 -23.892094
hub 6.5117936e-05 -0.37292661 -0.37286149
shroud -0.00090611719 -0.31401884 -0.31492496
------------------------- --------------- --------------- ------------
Net -23.508352 -1.0715278 -24.57988

Thetotalshaftpowerdeliveredtothepumpimpelleris(fiveblades):Power=NBlades*Torque*Speed
=(5blades)(24.58Nm/blade)(226.195rad/s)=27.80kW.

Note:Thenegativesignindicatesthatthepowerisbeingdeliveredtothefluidfromtheimpeller(pump).
Ifthesignwerepositive,thefluidwouldbeprovidingpowertotheimpeller(turbine).

Summary

Inthistutorial,cavitationinacentrifugalpumpwasmodeledinANSYSFLUENTusingthe
multiphasemixturemodelinconjunctionwiththecavitationsubmodel.Theflowwasassumedto
befullyturbulent,andthemovingreferenceframemodelwasusedtodefinemotionofthepump
impeller.Fortheoperatingconditionsconsidered,acavitationbubbleformedneartheleadingof
theimpellerblade.

Additionalstudiescouldbeperformedusingthepresentmodel.Toincreasethelevelofcavitation,
youcanreducetheexitpressurefrom450,000Pa.Asthepressureisreduced,thecavitatingregion
oftheflowwillexpandtoincludemoreofthebladepassage.Thiswillreducetheheadrise,leading
toalossinperformance.Conversely,byincreasingtheexitpressure,thecavitationbubblewill
shrinkand,atahighenoughpressure,disappearcompletely.Thisisthenoncavitatingcondition
andcanbeusedasthereferenceheadriseforthecavitatingcases.ANSYSFLUENTalsopermits
cavitationwithtemperaturevaryingproperties(includingatemperaturevaryingvaporpressure).
Thiswouldrequireenablingtheenergyequationtosolveforthefluidtemperature,andproviding
appropriatepropertydataandthermalboundaryconditions.