Study on the Unsteady Pressure Fluctuations and Radial Forces in a Vaned-Diffuser Heavy-Liquid-Metal Centrifugal Pump

Lead–Bismuth Eutectic (LBE) is a very dense medium whose specific gravity is more than 10 times that of water. The unsteady hydraulic exciting force generated by the rotor–stator interaction (RSI) is significantly increased in the LBE pump, which has an important influence on the stable operation of...

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Main Authors: Xudan Ma, Hui Sheng, Chenyang Wang, Yao Lu, Kefeng Lyu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Energies
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/7/1698
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author Xudan Ma
Hui Sheng
Chenyang Wang
Yao Lu
Kefeng Lyu
author_facet Xudan Ma
Hui Sheng
Chenyang Wang
Yao Lu
Kefeng Lyu
author_sort Xudan Ma
collection DOAJ
description Lead–Bismuth Eutectic (LBE) is a very dense medium whose specific gravity is more than 10 times that of water. The unsteady hydraulic exciting force generated by the rotor–stator interaction (RSI) is significantly increased in the LBE pump, which has an important influence on the stable operation of the pump. The clearance between the vaned diffuser inlet and the impeller outlet has great influence on the rotor–stator interaction. This paper studies the unsteady flow characteristics in pumps with different rotor–stator clearance in different flow rates and transported mediums. The results show that at the design point, the head and efficiency of the pump when transporting LBE are 3.52% and 8.05% higher than those when transporting water. The pressure fluctuation distribution is similar at different positions inside the pump when transporting LBE and water, but the dimensionless pressure fluctuation coefficient is slightly larger when transporting water. The radial force in the pump shows a larger amplitude of 6BPF frequency with small clearance ratios, and the frequency is related to the guide vane number. When the clearance ratio increases from 1.03 to 1.13, the amplitude of 6BPF keeps decreasing. The amplitude at a clearance ratio of 1.13 decreased to 4.7% of that at 1.03. The research presented in this paper could provide some references for the design of the clearance between the rotor–stator parts in the LBE pump.
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spelling doaj-art-7e92d83a4c0c4621b8e057cec4d654a42025-08-20T02:17:00ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732025-03-01187169810.3390/en18071698Study on the Unsteady Pressure Fluctuations and Radial Forces in a Vaned-Diffuser Heavy-Liquid-Metal Centrifugal PumpXudan Ma0Hui Sheng1Chenyang Wang2Yao Lu3Kefeng Lyu4School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230601, ChinaSchool of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230601, ChinaChina Nuclear Power Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518026, ChinaSchool of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230601, ChinaSchool of Environment and Energy Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230601, ChinaLead–Bismuth Eutectic (LBE) is a very dense medium whose specific gravity is more than 10 times that of water. The unsteady hydraulic exciting force generated by the rotor–stator interaction (RSI) is significantly increased in the LBE pump, which has an important influence on the stable operation of the pump. The clearance between the vaned diffuser inlet and the impeller outlet has great influence on the rotor–stator interaction. This paper studies the unsteady flow characteristics in pumps with different rotor–stator clearance in different flow rates and transported mediums. The results show that at the design point, the head and efficiency of the pump when transporting LBE are 3.52% and 8.05% higher than those when transporting water. The pressure fluctuation distribution is similar at different positions inside the pump when transporting LBE and water, but the dimensionless pressure fluctuation coefficient is slightly larger when transporting water. The radial force in the pump shows a larger amplitude of 6BPF frequency with small clearance ratios, and the frequency is related to the guide vane number. When the clearance ratio increases from 1.03 to 1.13, the amplitude of 6BPF keeps decreasing. The amplitude at a clearance ratio of 1.13 decreased to 4.7% of that at 1.03. The research presented in this paper could provide some references for the design of the clearance between the rotor–stator parts in the LBE pump.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/7/1698lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE)vaned-diffuser pumprotor–stator clearanceunsteady radial force
spellingShingle Xudan Ma
Hui Sheng
Chenyang Wang
Yao Lu
Kefeng Lyu
Study on the Unsteady Pressure Fluctuations and Radial Forces in a Vaned-Diffuser Heavy-Liquid-Metal Centrifugal Pump
Energies
lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE)
vaned-diffuser pump
rotor–stator clearance
unsteady radial force
title Study on the Unsteady Pressure Fluctuations and Radial Forces in a Vaned-Diffuser Heavy-Liquid-Metal Centrifugal Pump
title_full Study on the Unsteady Pressure Fluctuations and Radial Forces in a Vaned-Diffuser Heavy-Liquid-Metal Centrifugal Pump
title_fullStr Study on the Unsteady Pressure Fluctuations and Radial Forces in a Vaned-Diffuser Heavy-Liquid-Metal Centrifugal Pump
title_full_unstemmed Study on the Unsteady Pressure Fluctuations and Radial Forces in a Vaned-Diffuser Heavy-Liquid-Metal Centrifugal Pump
title_short Study on the Unsteady Pressure Fluctuations and Radial Forces in a Vaned-Diffuser Heavy-Liquid-Metal Centrifugal Pump
title_sort study on the unsteady pressure fluctuations and radial forces in a vaned diffuser heavy liquid metal centrifugal pump
topic lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE)
vaned-diffuser pump
rotor–stator clearance
unsteady radial force
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/7/1698
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