Gerotor Fuel Pump Performance and Leakage Study

Gerotor pumps are utilized in a number of automotive applications such as fuel lift. Volumetric efficiency and leakage are causes of concern in gerotor pumps. To optimize pump performance and reduce leakage, it is fundamental to comprehend the fluid dynamics inside the pump passageways. In this paper, a three-dimensional CFD methodology has been developed and applied to predict the pump performance, to understand pump flow dynamics and to investigate pump leakage for gerotor pumps equipped in automotive fuel systems. The methodology is based in the commercial code ANSYS FLUENT and the analytical focal points are the pump performance and leakage over a range of motor speeds and output pressures, 4000 RPM and 5400 RPM, also 450 kPa and 600 kPa. The CFD results are first contrasted with the experimental data and a very good agreement has been achieved. Extensive CFD simulations are then conducted to study the effect of the tip clearance on pump flow performance and leakage.