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Ser.B, 2007,19(1):42-47
ABSTRACT In this article, a numerical model for vortices and to cope with the above-mentioned
three-dimensional turbulent flow in the sump of the pump problems. Aiming at the tested model sump, some
station was presented. A reasonable boundary condition for the approaches have been proposed to control the vortex
flow in the sump with several water intakes at different flow in the sump and the water intakes, to make the flow
rates was proposed. The finite volume method was employed to smooth there, and thus, to reduce the flow loss.
solve the governing equations with the body fitted grid However, until now no definite design criteria for the
generated by the multi-block grid technique. By using the sump in the pump station have been developed which
Fluent software, the fluid flow in a model sump of the pump
may have general applicability[4]. Along with the rapid
station was calculated. Compared with the experimental result,
development of the Computational Fluid Dynamics
the numerical result of the example is fairly good.
(CFD), numerical simulation has also been regarded
as an effective tool in solving fluid problems in
KEY WORDS: pumping station, sump, suction pipe, turbulent
model, numerical simulation
engineering. Due to the big costs for design and
operation of small-scale physical models, the
numerical simulation, which is economic and
1. INTRODUCTION universal, has been more often used in designing the
In the sumps of the large pump stations, there are sump and water intakes of the pump station.
always several water intakes which may have different Although the flow in the sump of the pump
flow rates respectively. Because of the interference station with one water intake has been studied using
between each water intake, the flow in the sump is the Navier-Stokes equations and turbulence model by
always complicated. Therefore, if the sump is not Constantinescu[5, 6] , Xu[7] , Lu[8, 9], Cheng[10]and
properly designed, when some pumps are in running, Guo[11], few scholars conducted the numerical
severely bad flow in the sump and the water intakes simulation of the flow in the sump with several water
may bring on vibration and cavitation in the pumps, intakes. In the work of Matahel[12], the inviscid flow in
leading to severe noise, damage to the pump the sump with two water intakes was studied, on the
components, reduction of the performance of the basis of successful simulation of the flow in the sump
water intakes and declination of the efficiency of the with one water intake. In Ref.[12], the flow rate of the
pump station. So, it is of great importance to design a whole pump station, was given as the boundary
sump in which deleterious vortices may be restrained condition at the inlet of the sump, and the zero
and the above-mentioned problems may be coped with gradient condition of the physical parameters was
(cf. Refs.[1-3]). given in the water intakes. So, the flow rate of each
Traditionally, small-scale model sumps are water intake becomes the result of calculation and
frequently used to find solution to restrain deleterious
* Project supported by the Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline Project(Grant No: Y0103).
Biography: CHEN Hong-xun (1962- ), Male, Ph. D., Professor
43
u i u i u j
where t + (6)
x j x
j xi
u
u uu u t
U = , A=
e x
+ u j = + +
v uv e vx t x j x j x j
w uw e wx
C1 t u i u i u j
C2
2
+ (7)
v k x j x
w j xi k
vu u wu u
B =
e y
, C=
e z
vv e v y wv e vz
(2) C k 2
t = (8)
vw e wy ww e wz
44
k 1.5
k = 0.03uin2 = (9) 3. MULTI-BLOCK BODY FITTED GRID AND
0.005L EQUATION DISCRETIZATION
3.1 Multiblock body fitted grid generation
where uin and L are the velocity at the inlet of each Because the geometry of the solution domain of
pump and the characteristic length respectively. the sump of the pump station is complicated, the
(2) Boundary conditions at the inlet of the sump multiblock body fitted grid[14] is employed in this
The inlet should be located at an open channel article. The solution domain is divided into several
connecting to the sump, which is far enough from the blocks, in each of which the grid is obtained
region of the sump(see Fig.1). The boundary condition respectively and is coupled at the interface of
is neighboring blocks. The body fitted grid is obtained
by solving the following Laplace equation
=0 (10) 2 x 2 x 2 x
n 2 + =0 (12)
2 2
where = (u , v, w, k , ) , and n is the normal
vector of the outlet surface. 2 y 2 y 2 y
2 + =0 (13)
2 2
where
2 2
x y
= + (14)
x x y y
= + (15)
Fig.1 Calculation domain of the flow in the sump of the pump
station
2 2
(3) Wall condition x y
The wall function is employed to reduce the = + (16)
number of grid needed near the wall of the water
intakes, the sump and the open channel.
(4) Free Surface Condition 3.2 Finite volume method for solving equations
The upper surface of the water in the sump and The finite volume method[15] is employed for
the open channel is regarded as the free surface. If discretization of the governing equations with the
there is not sheart stress caused by wind and heat above-mentioned grid. Equatons (1), (6) and (7) are
transfer with the atmosphere on the surface, the written in the unified form as follows:
velocity and kinetic energy at the free surface is
treated as the same as those at the symmetrical surface.
However, according to Hossain [13], the dissipation ( ) + i( V ) = i( ) + S (17)
t
rate of kinetic energy is
45
Fig.7 Comparison of velocity between the numerical and Fig.9 Comparison of velocity between the numerical and
experimental results on Section S3 experimental results on Section S1
47
On Section S3, fairly good agreement between [4] ARBOLEDA G. and EL-FADEL M. Effects of approach
the calculated and the experimental results for the flow conditions on pump sump design, ASCE Journal of
Hydraulic Engineering, 1996, 122(9): 489-494.
velocity can be seen from Fig.7, though the calculated
[5] CONSTANTINESCU G. S. and PATEL V. C. A
velocity is larger than the experimental results at the numerical model for simulation of pump-intake flow and
outlet position of the screen near the sidewall. Also on vortices[J]. ASCE Journal of Hydraulic Engineering,
Section S2, the calculated velocity is more uniform 1998, 124(2): 123-134.
than the experimental results. Because the No.3 water [6] CONSTANTINESCU G. S. and PATEL V. C. Role of
intake is closed down, the calculated velocity on turbulence model in prediction of pump bay vortices[J].
ASCE Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 2000, 126(5):
Section S1 at the front of the water intake No.3 is
387-391.
accordingly much smaller, but the experimental result [7] XU Yu, WU Yu-lin and WANG Lin. Simulation of vortex
is much larger as shown in Fig.9. However, the in a pump sump[J]. Journal of Engineering
calculated velocity on Section S1 at the front of the Thermophysics, 2001, 22(Suppl.): 33-36(in Chinese).
water intakes No.1 and No.5 agrees with the [8] LU Lin-guang, CAO Zhi-gao, ZHOU Ji-ren. Study on
experimental result quite well. hydraulically optimum design of pump sumps[J]. Journal
of Hydrodynamics, Ser.B, 1996, 8(2): 42-51.
[9] LU Lin-guang. Basic flow patterns and optimum hydaulic
design of a suction box of pumping station[J]. Journal
5. CONCLUSIONS of Hydrodynamics, Ser. B, 2000, 12(4): 46-51.
In this article, a numerical model for [10] CHENG Li, LIU Chao, TANG Fang-ping et al. Research
three-dimensional turbulent flow in the sump of the on an evolvement method for suction box of pumping
pump station has been presented. A reasonable system by numerical computation[J]. Journal of
Hydrodynamics, Ser. A, 2004, 19(1): 81-85 (in
boundary condition for the flow in the sump with
Chinese).
multi-intakes, each of which may have different flow [11] GUO Jia-hong and CHEN Hong-xun. Verification of the
rates, has been proposed. The fluid flow in a model validity of a kind of swirl-proof device in the sump of
sump of the pump station is calculated and compared pump stations by numerical simulation[J]. Journal of
with the experimental results. The comparison Engineering Thermophysics, 2005, 26(Suppl.): 85-88
between the numerical and the experimental results (in Chinese).
[12] MATAHEL A.,TATSUAKI N. and GEORGE C.
shows that they fairly agree with each other. Therefore,
Numerical simulation of inviscid three-dimensional
the present method can be applied to simulate the flow flows at single- and dual-pump intakes[J]. Journal of
field in the sump with multiple water intakes Hydraulic Research, 2002, 40(4): 461-470.
effectively, and can be used in the design of the sump. [13] HOSSAIN M. S. Mathematical modeling of turbulent
boundary flows[D]. Ph. D. Thesis, Karlsruhe, Germany:
University of Karlsruhe, 1980.
[14] LIU Xiao-bing, ZENG Yong-zhong and CAO Shu-you.
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