Vibration and Acoustic Evaluation of a Large Centrifugal Wastewater Pump, Part 2: Modeling and Interpretation

Abstract

In Part 1, an extensive series of vibration and acoustic measurements conducted on a large centrifugal wastewater pump at a municipal pump station was discussed. In Part 2, the vibration data are evaluated with a physics-based model to estimate the individual contributions from the pump and an acoustic resonance. The results of the measurements, combined with the model, suggest that the primary mechanisms for the pump bearing vibration are: the near-field hydrodynamic pressures generated by the pump itself within the volute, and to a lesser extent, the acoustic resonance excited by the pump’s BPF.