Design of a Two-Stage Centrifugal Pump for Nuclear Systems

The drain pump is an essential part in the conventional island of a nuclear power plant. It affects the condensing efficiency of the condenser and the residual heat removal rate of the secondary loop. Multi-stage centrifugal pumps are used in nuclear drain pumps, of which pumps using magnetic bearings technology are innovations with extensive discussions. A design of a two-stage centrifugal pump with the magnetic bearings was presented. The stage number, the inner structure and the size of the blades came from the hydraulic calculation. Numerical simulation was employed to get the flow field. A guide vane was designed to alter the flow direction. Results indicated that an even-distributed pressure field and a fairly low turbulent kinetic energy field in the new design.