Optimization of pump transient energy characteristics based on response surface optimization model and computational fluid dynamics

The global energy shortage is increasingly becoming a problem of major concern worldwide. Since the pumps represent the largest part in the energy conversion devices, improving their energy characteristics is very important for energy conservation and efficiecy. However, the traditional pump design methods have generally overlooked the transient flow characteristics inside the pumps leading to high hydraulic losses and low operatinal efficiency, especially in applications that have pronounced transient effects. To address this problem, a novel approach is proposed in this paper which combines the response surface optimization method with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology to optimize the energy characteristics of pumps during the transient processes. The main objective of the study is to enhance the internal flow state and the transient energy performance of the pump during the start-up process. A comparative analysis is conducted on the energy characteristics and the internal flow field of a model pump before and after the optimization, thereby validating the effectiveness of the proposed energy characteristics optimization method. The numerical results reveal that the inlet placement angle (α), the outlet placement angle (β), the blade envelope angle (φ), and the blade thickness coefficient (θ) significantly impact the weighted average head and weighted average efficiency of the pump. After optimization, the weighted average head and the weighted average efficiency of the pump increase by 2.97% and 8.91% respectively, while the transient efficiency of the pump at all times surpasses that of the traditional, non-otimized design approach. These research findings provide valuable insights for enhancing the performance of the pumps oerating in the transient flow conditions.