Antoine Dazin

Transient Behavior of Turbomachineries: Applications to Radial Flow Pump Startups

A theoretical analysis of the fast transients of turbomachineries, based on the study of unsteady and incompressible fluids mechanics equations applied to an impeller, is proposed. It leads to internal torque, internal power, and impeller head of an impeller during transient periods. The equations show that the behavior of a pump impeller is not only depending on the acceleration rate and flow rate, as it is usually admitted, but also on velocity profiles and their evolution during the transient. Some hypotheses on the flow in a radial flow pump are proposed. They are validated by comparison with the experimental results of a single stage, single volute radial flow pump during some fast acceleration periods. The model is also used to analyze the behavior of the pump during a fast startup.

Experimental Study of a Cavitating Centrifugal Pump During Fast Startups

The start-up of rocket engine turbopumps is generally performed only in a few seconds. It implies that these pumps reach their nominal operating conditions after only a few rotations. During these first rotations of the blades, the flow evolution in the pump is governed by transient phenomena, based mainly on the flow rate and rotation speed evolution. These phenomena progressively become negligible when the steady behavior is reached. The pump transient behavior induces significant pressure fluctuations which may result in partial flow vaporization, i.e. cavitation. An existing experimental test rig has been updated in the LML laboratory (Lille, France) for the start-ups of a centrifugal pump. The study focuses on cavitation induced during the pump start-up. Instantaneous measurement of torque, flow rate, inlet and outlet unsteady pressures, and pump rotation velocity enable to characterize the pump behavior during rapid starting periods. Three different types of fast start-up behaviors have been identified. According to the final operating point, the start-up is characterized either by a single drop of the delivery static pressure, by several low-frequency drops, or by a water hammer phenomenon that can be observed both a the inlet and outlet of the pump. A physical analysis is proposed to explain these three different types of transient flow behavior.

Analysis of Unsteady Flow Velocity Fields Inside the Impeller of a Radial Flow Pump: PIV Measurements and Numerical Calculation Comparisons

PIV measurements were performed at mid hub to shroud section inside the impeller of a vaned diffuser pump model working with air. The measurements were restricted to the outlet section of the impeller where the diffuser blades interacted with the impeller flow. Each PIV measuring plane was related to one particular impeller blade to blade channel and analysed according to different relative positions of the vaned diffuser. Two frame change models were considered: the so-called frozen rotor approach for different impeller passage positions relative to the vaned diffuser and a fully unsteady calculation of the whole pump. Comparisons between numerical and experimental results are presented and discussed for a specific mass flow rate corresponding to an off-design point for the impeller and a design point for the vaned diffuser.Copyright

An Experimental Study of the Flow Field Inside the Diffuser Passage of a Laboratory Centrifugal Pump

Measurements are processed on a centrifugal pump model, which works with air and performs with the vane-island type diffuser of a real hydraulic pump, under five flow rates to investigate the internal flow characteristics and their influence on overall pump performance. The mean flow characteristics inside the diffuser are determined by using a miniature three-hole probe connected to an online data acquisition system. The flow structure at the inlet section of the diffuser is analyzed in detail, with a focus on the local pressure loss inside the vaneless gap and incidence angle distributions along the hub-to-shroud direction of the diffuser. Some existing calculations, including leakage effects, are used to evaluate the pressure recovery downstream of the impeller. Furthermore, particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurement results are obtained to help analyze the flow characteristics inside the vane-island diffuser. Each PIV measuring plane is related to one particular diffuser blade-to-blade channel and is analyzed by using the time-averaged method according to seven different relative positions of the impeller. Measurement results show that main loss is produced inside the vaneless part of the diffuser at low flow rates, which might have been caused by the strong rotor–stator interaction. When the impeller flow rate is greater than the diffuser design flow rate, a large fluctuating separated region occurs after the throat of the diffuser on the pressure side. Mean loss originates from the unsteady pressure downstream of the diffuser throat. For better characterization of the separations observed in previous experimental studies, complementary unsteady static pressure measurement campaigns have been conducted on the diffuser blade wall. The unsteadiness revealed by these measurements, as well as theirs effects on the diffuser performance, was then studied.

Analysis of Cavitation Instabilities in a Four-Blade Inducer

The cavitating behavior of a four-blade inducer tested in the LML laboratory large test facility is considered in the present paper. Experimental investigations based on unsteady pressure measurements and records from a six-component balance mounted on the inducer shaft are performed. Spectral analysis of the signals enables to detect several characteristic frequencies related to unbalanced two-phase flow patterns. The objective of the present paper is the understanding of the physical phenomena associated to these frequencies. Therefore, wavelet decomposition, flow visualizations, and direct analysis of the high-frequency force, moment, and pressure signals are applied. Results at nominal flow rate only are considered. Not only classical unbalanced cavitation patterns, but also unexpected flow organizations are discussed.

Data reduction problems using a 3-hole directional pressure probe to investigate mean flow characteristics in the vaneless gap between impeller and diffuser radial pump

Among several different measurement techniques that have been already performed and presented in a radial impeller pump model including PIV, a directional pressure probe has been used to obtain mean velocity field and stagnation pressure between impeller outlet and the inlet vaned diffuser sections. These measurements are supposed to get more information not only about global pump head coefficient including vaned diffuser ones but also about impeller performances itself. Pressure probe information is affected by rotor-stator interactions and impeller rotation, and this paper presents a way to explain and correct pressure probe indications in order to achieve a better evaluation of overall impeller mean performances. The use of unsteady RANS calculation results is found to be a useful way to perform better data reduction analysis for this purpose.

Post-processing methods of PIV instantaneous flow fields for unsteady flows in turbomachines

The Particle Image Velocimetry is undoubtedly one of the most important technique in Fluid-dynamics since it allows to obtain a direct and instantaneous visualization of the flow field in a non-intrusive way. This innovative technique spreads in a wide number of research fields, from aerodynamics to medicine, from biology to turbulence researches, from aerodynamics to combustion processes. The book is aimed at presenting the PIV technique and its wide range of possible applications so as to provide a reference for researchers who intended to exploit this innovative technique in their research fields. Several aspects and possible problems in the analysis of large- and micro-scale turbulent phenomena, two-phase flows and polymer melts, combustion processes and turbo-machinery flow fields, internal waves and river/ocean flows were considered.

Local Measurements in Cavitating Flow by Ultra-Fast X-Ray Imaging

The present paper presents an experimental method to measure velocity fields in a cavitating flow. Dynamics of the liquid phase and of the bubbles are both investigated. The measurements are based on ultra fast X-ray imaging performed at the APS (Advanced Photon Source) of the Argonne National Laboratory. This is collaboration between research teams devoted to fluid mechanics (LML laboratory, Laboratory for water and turbine machines) and experts in X-ray imaging (French atomic commission, Argonne National Laboratory). The experimental device consists of a millimetric Venturi test section associated with a transportable hydraulic loop. Various configurations of velocity, pressure, and temperature have been investigated. This first paper focuses on the experimental equipment and process, and also the description of the image processing which is performed to analyze the results and obtain the velocity fields of both phases within the cavitating areas. Promising preliminary results are also presented.Copyright

Canal lock variable speed hydropower turbine energy conversion system

The exploration of different power sources for electricity is a permanent pursuit for humanity. This paper investigates possibility of installing a variable speed hydropower turbine to harness energy from an existing canal lock facility by extracting power during the filling and draining operation. As no canal lock energy projects existed in our knowledge, the system design is based on the experience obtained from tidal current energy and low head hydropower plants. An average dynamic simulation model is built in MATLAB/Simulink based on permanent magnet synchronous generator. The obtained results are used to know the amount of energy that can be transferred to the grid during one pass of a ship.

Experimental Study and Theoretical Analysis of the Rotating Stall in a Vaneless Diffuser of Radial Flow Pump

This paper reports an experimental and theoretical study of rotating stall in a vaneless diffuser which is coupled with a radial impeller. The experiments were conducted at 22 flow rates for two rotating speed: 1200rpm and 1800rpm. The measurements have consisted of: i/ unsteady pressure measurements delivered by two microphones flush mounted on the vaneless diffuser, ii/ 9 steady pressure taps mounted in one radial line on the diffuser to measure the pressure recovery in the vaneless diffuser. The stability of each stall mode was also studied by a 2D linear analysis; and the theoretical prediction was compared to experimental observations. The capabilities and limits of such an approach to predict the development of rotating stall have been evaluated. A non-dimensional analysis of the pressure losses at outlet was conducted to evaluate the effect of the instability development on the performance of the diffuser. It has shown that the arising of rotating stall has a positive effect on the diffuser performance.