Experimental and Numerical Study of Three-Dimensional Flows in a Mixed-Flow Pump Stage

Internal flows of a low specific speed pump stage, having a mixed-flow impeller and a vaned bowl diffuser combination, have been investigated experimentally and numerically. Air was used as the test fluid, and the internal flows were measured at various locations and under various capacities. Flow calculations were made, for both the isolated impeller case and the complete stage case, using Denton viscous codes LOSS3D and MULTSTAGE14, by which the three-dimensional steady flow through multiple blade rows can be calculated using the inter-row mixing process. Experimental results showed the effects of the interaction between the impeller and the reverse flow, originating in the downstream diffuser, even at the design point capacity. While an impeller exit reverse flow occurred at the shroud side in the isolated impeller calculation, it was observed at the hub side in the complete stage case, showing good agreement with the experimental results. Although the flow in the diffuser was highly distorted due to a strong swirl flow, patterns of total pressure distribution could be well predicted by the complete stage calculation.