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The purpose of this study is to explore the transient characteristics of mixed-flow pumps during startup process.

This study uses a full-flow field transient calculation method of mixed-flow pump based on a closed-loop model.

The findings show the hydraulic losses and internal flow characteristics of the piping system during the start-up process.

Large computational cost.

Improve the accuracy of current numerical simulation results in transient process of mixed-flow pump.

Simplify the setting of boundary conditions in the transient calculation.

Turbomachinery, including pumps, are mainly designed to extract/produce energy from/to the flow. A major challenge in the numerical simulation of turbomachinery is the inlet flow rate, which is routinely treated as a known boundary condition for simulation purposes but is properly a dependent output of the solution. As a consequence, the results from numerical simulations may be erroneous due to the incorrect specification of the discharge flow rate. Moreover, the transient behavior of the pumps in their initial states of startup and final states of shutoff phases has not been studied numerically. This paper aims to develop a coupled procedure for calculating the transient inlet flow rate as a part of the solution via application of the control volume method for linear momentum. Large eddy simulation of a four-blade axial hydraulic pump is carried out to calculate the forces at every time step. The sharp interface immersed boundary method is used to resolve the flow around the complex geometry of the propeller, stator and the pipe casing. The effect of the spurious pressure fluctuations, inherent in the sharp interface immersed boundary method, is damped by local time-averaging of the forces. The developed code is validated by comparing the steady-state volumetric flow rate with the experimental data provided by the pump manufacturer. The instantaneous and time-averaged flow fields are also studied to reveal the flow pattern and turbulence characteristics in the pump flow field.

The authors use control volume analysis for linear momentum to simulate the discharge rate as part of the solution in a large eddy simulation of an axial hydraulic pump. The linear momentum balance equation is used to update the inlet flow rate. The sharp interface immersed boundary method with dynamic Smagorinsky sub-grid stress model and a proper wall model is used.

The steady-state volumetric flow rate has been computed and validated by comparing to the flow rate specified by the manufacturer at the simulation conditions, which shows a promising result. The instantaneous and time averaged flow fields are also studied to reveal the flow pattern and turbulence characteristics in the pump flow field.

An approach is proposed for computing the volumetric flow rate as a coupled part of the flow solution, enabling the simulation of turbomachinery at all phases, including the startup/shutdown phase. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first large eddy simulation of a hydraulic pump to calculate the transient inlet flow rate as a part of the solution rather than specifying it as a fixed boundary condition. The method serves as a numerical framework for simulating problems incorporating complex shapes with moving/stationary parts at all regimes including the transient start-up and shut-down phases.

This paper aims to study the transient flow characteristics in a mixed-flow pump during the start-up period.

In this study, numerical calculation of the internal flow field in a mixed-flow pump using the sliding mesh method was carried out. The regulation of the pressure, streamline and the relative speed during the start-up period was analyzed.

The trend of the simulated head is consistent with the experimental results, and the calculated head is around 0.3 m higher than the experimental head when the rotation speed reached the stable stage, indicating that the numerical method for the start-up process simulation of the mixed-flow pump has a high accuracy. At the beginning, the velocity inside the impeller changes little along the radius direction and the flow rate increases slowly during the start-up process. As the rotation speed reached the stable stage, the flow inside the impeller became steady, the vortex reduced and transient effects disappeared gradually.

The study results have significant value for revealing the internal unsteady flow characteristics of the mixed-flow pump and providing the reference for the design optimization of the mixed-flow pump.

The purpose of this paper is to experimentally and numerically investigate the interference characteristics between two ski-jump jets on the flip bucket in a large dam spillway when two floodgates are running.

The volume of fluid (VOF) method together with the Realizable k-ε turbulence model were used to predict the flow in two ski-jump jets and the free surface motion in a large dam spillway. The movements of the two gates were simulated using a dynamic mesh controlled by a User Defined Function (UDF). The simulations were run using the prototype dam as the field test to minimize errors due to scale effects. The simulation results are compared with field test observations.

The transient flow calculations, accurately predict the two gate discharges compared to field data with the predicted ski-jump jet interference flow pattern similar to the observed shapes. The transient simulations indicate that the main reason for the deflected nappe is the larger opening difference between the two gates as the buttress side gate closes. When both gates are running, the two ski-jump jets interfere in the flip bucket and raise the jet nappe to near the buttress to form a secondary flow on this jet nappe surface. As the gate continues to close, the nappe surface continues to rise and the surface secondary flow become stronger, which deflects the nappe over the side buttress.

A dynamic mesh is used to simulate the transient flow behavior of two prototype running gates. The transient flow simulation clarifies the hydraulics mechanism for how the two ski-jump jets interfere and deflect the nappe.

Analysis of fast transient flow in water pipe systems is an important issue for the prevention of unfavorable pressure oscillations and severe damage to the pipelines. This paper aims to present the performance of three-dimensional (3D) simulation of laminar water hammer caused by fast closure of valve.

The viscoelastic behavior of pipe wall is mathematically modeled by using the rheological model of Maxwell. The arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) method is also used to simulate fluid–structure interaction. In this method, unlike the classical water hammer theory, the acoustic wave velocity is calculated during the numerical simulations and therefore it is not predetermined.

Investigating the velocity profiles and the shear stress diagrams for transient flow in elastic pipe showed that the strong effect of viscous forces on the near wall region in conjunction with the influence of inertial forces in the central region of the pipe leads to creation of reverse flow near the pipe wall. Comparing the numerical results obtained for elastic pipe with those of viscoelastic pipe revealed that during transient condition, the viscoelastic wall absorbs the energy of fluid and therefore pressure fluctuations of viscoelastic pipe are damped more quickly. Moreover, the 3D simulation of water hammer confirmed the plane wave hypothesis of water hammer.

The 3D Navier–Stokes equations are solved considering the viscoelasticity of the pipe and the ALE method using the software package of COMSOL Multiphysics.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a numerical model used for calculating the nonlinearities of large-scale hydro-pneumatic suspension (HPS) and investigating the effects of variations in flow path and operational parameter on suspension damping response.

To parameterization nonlinearities of the suspension, the author developed a two-phase flow model of a large-scale HPS based on computational fluid dynamics and volume of fluid method. Considerable effort was made to verify the nonlinearities by field measurements carried out on an off-highway mining dump truck. The investigation of effects of variations in flow path and operational parameter on damping characteristics highlights the necessity of the numerical simulation.

The two-phase flow model can represent the gas-oil interaction and simulate the suspension operational movement conveniently. Transient numerical simulation results can be used to model the nonlinearities of large-scale HPS accurately. A new phenomenon was discovered that the pressure in rebound chamber presents reduction trend during compression stroke in special cases. It has never been reported before.

Developed a two-phase flow model of a large-scale HPS, which can manage the gas-oil interaction and capture the complex flow field structure in it. The paper is the first study to model the nonlinearities of a large-scale HPS used in off-highway mining dump truck through transient numerical simulation. Compared with previous researches, such a research not only gives new insight and thorough understanding into the suspension internal fluid structure but also can give good guiding opinions to the optimal design of HPS.

The cross‐correlation flow measurement technique, applied for measuring the coolant flow rate in a nuclear reactor, was calibrated with the use of numerical simulations of turbulent flow. The three‐dimensional domain was collapsed into two dimensions. With a two‐dimensional calculation of steady‐state flow with transient thermal characteristics the response of thermocouples to a temperature variation was calculated. By cross‐correlating the calculated thermocouple responses, the link between total flow rate and measured transit times was made. The reliability of the calibration was estimated at ±4.6%. In addition, a measured velocity profile effect was successfully predicted.

This study aims to develop an experimentally validated three-dimensional numerical model for predicting different flow patterns produced with a gas dynamic virtual nozzle (GDVN).

The physical model is posed in the mixture formulation and copes with the unsteady, incompressible, isothermal, Newtonian, low turbulent two-phase flow. The computational fluid dynamics numerical solution is based on the half-space finite volume discretisation. The geo-reconstruct volume-of-fluid scheme tracks the interphase boundary between the gas and the liquid. To ensure numerical stability in the transition regime and adequately account for turbulent behaviour, the k-ω shear stress transport turbulence model is used. The model is validated by comparison with the experimental measurements on a vertical, downward-positioned GDVN configuration. Three different combinations of air and water volumetric flow rates have been solved numerically in the range of Reynolds numbers for airflow 1,009–2,596 and water 61–133, respectively, at Weber numbers 1.2–6.2.

The half-space symmetry allows the numerical reconstruction of the dripping, jetting and indication of the whipping mode. The kinetic energy transfer from the gas to the liquid is analysed, and locations with locally increased gas kinetic energy are observed. The calculated jet shapes reasonably well match the experimentally obtained high-speed camera videos.

The model is used for the virtual studies of new GDVN nozzle designs and optimisation of their operation.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the developed model numerically reconstructs all three GDVN flow regimes for the first time.

The purpose of this paper is to study the transition process from the crystalline particles appearing before the pump inlet to the stable operation of the pump.

Firstly, a modeling test method was put forward for the high-temperature molten salt pump. Then, according to a modeling test scheme, the experiment of the solid–liquid two-phase flow was carried out by using a model pump similar to the prototype pump. Meanwhile, the numerical method to simulate the transition process of a molten salt pump was studied, and the correctness of the numerical model was verified by the experimental results. Finally, the transition process of the molten salt pump was studied by the verified numerical model in detail.

In the simulation of the transition process, it is more accurate to judge the end of the transition process based on the unchanged particle volume fraction (PVF) at the pump outlet than on the periodic fluctuation of the outlet pressure. The outlet pressure is closely related to the PVF in the pump. The variation of the outlet pressure is slightly prior to that of the PVF at the pump outlet and mainly affected by the PVF in the impeller and volute. After 0.63 s, the PVF at each monitoring point changes periodically, and the time-averaged value does not change with time.

This study is of great significance to further improve the design method of molten salt pump and predict the abrasion characteristic of the pump due to interactions with solid particles.

A numerical method is established to simulate the transition process of a molten salt pump, and a method is proposed to verify the numerical model of two-phase flow by modeling test.

A numerical model is presented for the computation of unsteady two‐fluid interfaces in nonlinear porous media flow. The nonlinear Forchheimer equation is included in the Navier‐Stokes equations for porous media flow. The model is based on capturing the interface on a fixed mesh domain. The zero level set of a pseudo‐concentration function, which defines the interface between the two fluids, is governed by a time‐dependent advection equation. The time‐dependent Navier‐Stokes equations and the advection equation are spatially discretized by the finite element (FE) method. The fully coupled implicit time integration scheme and the explicit forward Eulerian scheme are implemented for the advancement in time. The trapezoidal rule is applied to the fully implicit scheme, while the operator‐splitting algorithm is used for the velocity‐pressure segregation in the explicit scheme. The spatial and time discretizations are stabilized using FE stabilization techniques. Numerical examples of unsteady flow of two‐fluid interfaces in an earth dam are investigated.