Numerical and Experimental Investigation on the Flow Induced Oscillations of a Single-Blade Pump Impeller

This contribution is addressed to the periodically unsteady flow forces of a single-blade sewage water pump, which affect the impeller and produce radial deflections of the pump shaft. The hydrodynamic excitation forces were calculated from the time dependent flow field, which was computed by numerical simulation of the three-dimensional, viscous, time-dependent flow in the pump. A commercial computer code was used to determine the time accurate Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations. The transient radial flow forces at all time steps for a complete impeller revolution affect the rotor of the single-blade pump and stimulate it to strong oscillations. To determine the influence of the vibration stimulation forces on the dynamic behavior of the pump rotor, an investigation of the rotor’s structural dynamics was accomplished. A dynamic time analysis for the pump rotor provided the dynamic answer from the structural model of the rotor under the influence of the flow forces. The hydrodynamic forces, which were calculated before, were defined as external forces and applied as the load on the rotor. The resulting impeller deflections were calculated by a transient analysis of the pump rotor system using the commercial finite element method software PROMECHANICA. To verify the results obtained by standard numerical methods, the radial deflections of the impeller of a commercial sewage water pump, which has been investigated numerical in advance, were measured for the horizontal and for the vertical coordinate direction by proximity sensors. The measured data were compared to the computed amounts for a wide range of pump operation. The results show a good agreement for a strong part of an impeller revolution for all investigated operating points. The simultaneous measurement of vibration accelerations at the outer side of the pump casing showed the effects of the time-dependent flow, which produce hydrodynamic forces acting at the impeller of the pump and stimulating it to strong oscillations.