This paper mainly summarizes the recent progresses for the cavitation study in the hydraulic machinery including turbo-pumps, hydro turbines, etc.. Especially, the newly developed numerical methods for simulating cavitating turbulent flows and the achievements with regard to the complicated flow features revealed by using advanced optical techniques as well as cavitation simulation are introduced so as to make a better understanding of the cavitating flow mechanism for hydraulic machinery. Since cavitation instabilities are also vital issue and rather harmful for the operation safety of hydro machines, we present the 1-D analysis method, which is identified to be very useful for engineering applications regarding the cavitating flows in inducers, turbine draft tubes, etc. Though both cavitation and hydraulic machinery are extensively discussed in literatures, one should be aware that a few problems still remains and are open for solution, such as the comprehensive understanding of cavitating turbulent flows especially inside hydro turbines, the unneglectable discrepancies between the numerical and experimental data, etc.. To further promote the study of cavitation in hydraulic machinery, some advanced topics such as a Density-Based solver suitable for highly compressible cavitating turbulent flows, a virtual cavitation tunnel, etc. are addressed for the future works.

A review of cavitation in hydraulic machinery

Tip clearance on pressure fluctuation intensity and vortex characteristic of a mixed flow pump as turbine at pump mode

Large Eddy Simulation of the Tip-leakage Cavitating flow with an insight on how cavitation influences vorticity and turbulence

Symmetrical and unsymmetrical tip clearances on cavitation performance and radial force of a mixed flow pump as turbine at pump mode

Theoretical model of energy performance prediction and BEP determination for centrifugal pump as turbine

A combined approach of inverse method and direct flow analysis is presented for the hydrodynamic design of gas-liquid two-phase flow rotodynamic pump impeller. The geometry of impeller blades is designed for a specified velocity torque distribution by treating the two-phase mixture as a homogeneous fluid under the design condition. The three-dimensional flow in the designed impeller is verified by direct turbulent flow analysis, and the design specification is further modified to optimize the flow distribution. A helical axial pump of high specific speed has been developed. To obtain a favorable pressure distribution the impeller blade was back-loaded at the hub side compared to the tip side

Hydrodynamic design of rotodynamic pump impeller for multiphase pumping by combined approach of inverse design and CFD analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the detailed flow field and cavitation effect in the centrifugal pump volute at partial load condition. Design/methodology/approach – Unsteady flows in a centrifugal pump volute at non-cavitation and cavitation conditions are investigated by using a computation fluid dynamics framework combining the re-normalization group k-e turbulence model and the mass transport cavitation model. Findings – The flow field in pump volute is very complicated at part load condition with large pressure gradient and intensive vortex movement. Under cavitation conditions, the dominant frequency for most of the monitoring points in volute transit from the blade passing frequency to a lower frequency. Generally, the maximum amplitudes of pressure fluctuations in volute at serious cavitation condition is twice than that at non-cavitation condition because of the violent disturbances caused by cavitation shedding and explosion. Originality/value – The detailed flow field and ca...

Numerical study on characteristics of unsteady flow in a centrifugal pump volute at partial load condition

The cavitating flow around the asymmetric leading edge (ALE) 15 hydrofoil is investigated through large eddy simulation with the modified Schnerr–Sauer cavitation model, which considers the effect of noncondensable gas. The statistical average velocity profiles obtained by simulation and experimentation show good agreement. The time evolution of cavity shape shows that cavity growth and separation start from the short side and spread toward the long side due to a side-entrant jet. The variation frequency of the cavity length of ALE15 hydrofoil at the long side is 163.93 Hz, and the cavitation shedding frequency at the short side is 306.67 Hz, which is about twice the value of the former. The filtered vorticity transport equation is employed to investigate the cavitation–vortex–turbulence interaction. Results indicate that vortex stretching is the major promoter of cavitation development, and vortex dilatation links vapor cavity and vortices. Baroclinic torque is noticeable at the liquid–vapor interface, and turbulent stress is related to cavitation inception. Moreover, a one-dimensional model for predicting pressure fluctuation is proposed, and results show that the model can effectively predict cavitation-induced pressure fluctuation on a hydrofoil, even on a three-dimensional ALE15 hydrofoil.

Shuliang Cao

Papers

Theoretical model of energy performance prediction and BEP determination for centrifugal pump as turbine

Hydrodynamic design of rotodynamic pump impeller for multiphase pumping by combined approach of inverse design and CFD analysis

Numerical study on characteristics of unsteady flow in a centrifugal pump volute at partial load condition

Cavitation–Vortex–Turbulence Interaction and One-Dimensional Model Prediction of Pressure for Hydrofoil ALE15 by Large Eddy Simulation

Optimization design of a reversible pump–turbine runner with high efficiency and stability