Comparison between the operation of a prototype and a model pump

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Zbigniew Czarnota, Femke Verhaart, Anton de Fockert

Friday 3 july 2015

9:00 - 9:15h at Africa (level 0)

Themes: (T) Special session, (ST) Design of intake stations

Parallel session: 14D. Special session: Design of intake stations

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Testing of the approach flow for vertical column pumps for, among others, cooling water, irrigation and storm water is performed according to the ANSI/HI 9.8-2012 standard. Different references are included in this standard on the background of the acceptance criteria, however there is no explicit information on how real pumps respond to swirl, velocity distribution or vortices. In these references limited information is given on the relation between scale models and prototype. Xylem and Deltares have jointly performed a research to determine the relation between scale models and the real pump. At the Deltares pump sump test facility two identical pump compartments were built according to ANSI/HI 9.8-2012 standard. In one compartment a prototype pump (Flygt P7020) was placed, in the other a model of that pump at a scale of 1:1. Measurement of pre-rotation, vortex occurrence, pump vibration, pump efficiency and Q-H curve were performed for different approach flows. By comparing the measurements for the model and the prototype pump the effect of phenomena observed in scale models on prototype pumps is determined. The focus of the research has been on determining the effect of pre-rotation on the pump efficiency. The results of these tests will be presented and discussed during the IAHR world congress.