Numerical investigation of the cavitation performance of annular jet pumps with different profiles of suction chamber and throat inlet

Abstract

To find the influence of the suction chamber and throat inlet profiles on the cavitation performance of an annular jet pump (AJP), a numerical method using a combination of the realizable k–ϵ turbulence model and the Schnerr–Sauer cavitation model was applied. This paper comprehensively studied the cavitation performance of AJPs with a polygonal line profile (POL) and a streamlined profile (STR). The results showed that the pump efficiency (η) can be increasedby using the STR and the largest increase was 1.4%. Since the throat is smoothly connected with the suction chamber in the AJP with STR, flow separation and local low pressure did not appear. The critical flow rate ratio (qc) of the AJP with STR was higher than that of the AJP with POL, implying that the former had a wider normal working range. During critical working, the cavitation region in the AJP with STR was narrower than that of the AJP with POL. Importantly, the region of cavitation inception and development in the AJP with STR was closer to the downstream. Hence, it was concluded that the cavitation in the AJP with STR had less influence on the inner flow field.

Keywords

• annular jet pump
• suction chamber
• throat
• cavitation performance
• critical flow rate ratio