Energy characteristic of cavitation in a centrifugal pump based on entropy generation analysis

Abstract

In this paper, the entropy production method with computational fluid dynamics technology is employed to study the effect of cavitation on the energy characteristics of the centrifugal pump. The modified cavitation model used in the numerical simulation is also verified by visualization experiments. The results show that the energy loss of the pump can be reflected by the entropy production and is the largest in the impeller. Moreover, the cavitation degree could greatly influence the energy loss of the pump. With the decrease in cavitation number, the vortexes and vapor distribution area increase in the impeller, leading to the increase in the total entropy production. The high entropy production region in the blade shifts to the outlet as the cavitation becomes serious.