Experimental Investigation of Blade Rows Interactions in Contra-Rotating Axial Flow Pump

As a high specific speed pump, the contra-rotating axial flow pump with two rotors rotating reversely has been proved with higher hydraulic and cavitation performance, while in our previous researches, our prototype rotors designed with equal rotational speeds for both the front and the rear rotors was also confirmed with the strong potential interaction between two blade rows. In the present study, the experimental investigations were focused on the rotor-rotor interactions in the contra-rotating rotors under two rotational speed combinations, an equal speed and a different speed ones with the lower speed of rear rotor; the latter is determined aiming at relieved rotor-rotor interaction. As the major experimental approach, casing wall static pressure measurements were conducted at pressure taps covering from upstream to downstream of the both rotors, and the pressure fluctuation modes were investigated by the FFT analyses. By series of pressure taps with different peripheral locations prepared at several axial locations, the pressure fluctuation modes with frequencies non-synchronous to the BPF (blade passing frequency) components were recognized, and confirmed to be related to the rotor-rotor interaction on the basis of theoretical analyses on the rotor-stator interaction in conventional rotor-stator types.