Influence of the inlet vane mechanism on the axial pump pressure characteristics taking into account the anti-cavitation qualities

Pressure characteristics of a pump with axial impellers are having the non-monotonic curves in the overwhelming majority of cases, which complicates the design and regulation process. This topic is of theoretical and practical interest, since the flow swirl at the pump inlet could change its pressure and increase efficiency in the pressure characteristic depression zone (non-monotonicity). Ensuring the monotonically decreasing pressure characteristic of an axial pump is one of the most important goals in design and optimization of its construction. The experimental research made it possible to obtain pressure and cavitation characteristics of the axial pump equipped with an inlet device with a different number of blades. The paper shows that using such an inlet device increases the axial pump pressure in the pressure characteristic depression zone, but also increases the pressure characteristic idle section, and decreases the pump anti-cavitation changing the stall characteristic shape to a flatter one. The paper identifies a shift in the start of the so-called pressure characteristic sag to the region of lower values of the working fluid flow rate resulting in an increase in the pump operation range from its maximum flow rate.
EDN: HLHCRR, https://elibrary/hlhcrr

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