Numerical Simulation to Investigate the Occurrence of Vortices at Double Vertical Pumps Intakes

Abstract

The pumping station is widely used in our modern life. The occurrence of the vortex at pumpsump, which is causing air entering pipe intake, is a common problem in the design of pumps. Thisphenomenon, including surface and sub-surface vortex, may lead to damage to the pumping structure, highpower consumption, and loss in pump performance. In some requirements, the multiple suction pipes areusing to get the required flow. Due to this arrangement, the performance of the suction pipes will influence.This paper is aimed to investigate the occurrence of vortices around the flow pattern of two pumps by usingComputational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) code Fluent. This CFD model is based on solving Navier-Stockequations by finite volume method. The model of double suction pipes was investigated under five differentsubmergence depth (S) and five different suction velocities (v). The SST k-ω turbulence model was selectedfor the turbulence. The results showed that the air entering vortex does not appear when the submergencedepth (S) is equal or greater than 1.5 times from the diameter of the bellmouth for intake pipe (D). Thesurface vortex appeared obviously when the submergence depth (S) equals to 1.25D and the Froude numberat the bell is equal to or greater than 1.028, and appeared clearly when the (S/D=1) and Froude number isequal to or more than 0.77. The nearer attached wall vortex does not appear when the space from the centerof the suction pipe to the sidewall (C) equals 2 times of bell diameter.