Physics-Based Reduced-Order Model for Liquid Ring Pumps

Liquid-ring vacuum pumps, by not having solid-solid contacts at interfaces where moving and stationary parts meet, are efficient and robust with considerable potential for further improvements on efficiency, performance, and range of operations. In this study, a physics-based reduced order model was developed for the preliminary design of liquid-ring pumps. The model developed accounts for the dominant physical processes created by the pump's key design and operating parameters: eccentricity, impeller-tip radius, impeller-hub radius, pressure at the pump's inlet and exit, and the impeller's rotational speed. The model developed can predict the shape of the liquid ring, the amount of air ingested and discharged by the pump, the power consumed by the pump as well as the pressure of the gas and liquid in the pump between the blades of the impeller as a function of those design and operating parameters. The predictions made by the model on the flow rates of the gas ingested by the pump and the power consumed by the pump were compared with experimental data, and good agreements were found.