Pressure and velocity distribution inside the centrifugal pump
CFD verification of a large centrifugal pump designed to deliver 60 m of head at 2200 m³/h, checking hydraulic performance before manufacture.
Sector
Water and industrial pumping
Client
Pump manufacturer
Flow type
Incompressible, rotating, turbulent
Project Snapshot
Challenge
Large pumps are expensive to prototype and test, so the design had to be verified against its duty point before manufacture, and any hydraulic losses identified early.
Approach
A full 3D model of the impeller and volute with rotating and stationary domains coupled through interfaces, and a performance curve built from several flow rates around the design point.
Key Findings
- The design met its required duty point, confirming the hydraulic sizing.
- Losses concentrated near the volute tongue and in non-uniform flow leaving the impeller.
- Flow uniformity at the impeller outlet was the main lever for further efficiency gains.
Deliverables
Head and efficiency predictions, pressure and velocity maps, and design verification ahead of physical testing. See our article on optimizing pump design through CFD simulation and validation.
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