This paper shows the capability of a numerical simulation in capturing the dynamic and unsteady flow effects inside a centrifugal pump due to the impeller-volute interaction. The object of the study is a commercial centrifugal water pump with backward curved blades, which is built within a vaneless single tongue volute. For the numerical simulation, the viscous Navier-Stokes equations are handled with an unsteady calculation and the sliding mesh technique is applied to take into account the impeller-volute interaction. In keeping the unsteady terms of the equations active it is possible to correctly simulate the effects of the blade passage in front of the tongue and both the flow and pressure fluctuations induced. Time averaged numerical results are compared with the experimental performance curve and good agreement is found. The numerical flow analysis allows the study of different variables which are always difficult to measure experimentally. The dynamic variables obtained with the proposed numerical model are compared with the experimental data. In particular, the amplitude of the fluctuating pressure field at the blade passing frequency is successfully captured by the model for a wide range of operating flow rates. Therefore, the main achievement of the work is in providing the modeling possibilities for the prediction of the dynamic interaction between the flow at the impeller exit and the volute tongue. Such effects at the blade passing frequency appear to follow a clear flow rate dependent spatial pattern around the volute.

Experimental and numerical studies are presented on the steady and unsteady radial forces produced in a single volute vaneless centrifugal pump. Experimentally, the unsteady pressure distributions were obtained using fast response pressure transducers. These measurements were compared with equivalent numerical results from a URANS calculation, using the commercial code FLUENT. Two impellers with different outlet diameters were tested for the same volute, with radial gaps between the blade and tongue of 10.0% and 15.8% of the impeller radius, for the bigger and smaller impeller diameters, respectively. Very often, pump manufacturers apply the similarity laws to this situation, but the measured specific speeds in this case were found to be slightly different. The steady radial forces for the two impellers were calculated from both the measured average pressure field and the model over a wide range of flow rates in order to fully characterize the pump behavior. Again, a deviation from the expected values applying the similarity laws was found. The data from the pressure fluctuation measurements were processed to obtain the dynamic forces at the blade passing frequency, also over a wide range of flow rates. Afterwards, these results were used to check the predictions from the numerical simulations. For some flow rates, the bigger diameter produced higher radial forces, but this was not to be a general rule for all the operating points. This paper describes the work carried out and summarizes the experimental and the numerical results, for both radial gaps. The steady and unsteady forces at the blade passing frequency were calculated by radial integration of the pressure distributions on the shroud side of the pump volute. For the unsteady forces, the numerical model allowed a separate analysis of the terms due to the pressure pulsations and terms related to the momentum exchange in the impeller. In this way, the whole operating range of the pump was studied and analyzed to account for the static and dynamic flow effects. The unsteady forces are very important when designing the pump shaft as they can produce a fatigue collapse if they are not kept under a proper working value.

A relationship between the global variables and the dynamic flow structure numerically obtained for a low specific speed centrifugal pump is presented in this paper. A previously developed unsteady flow model is used to correlate the dynamic field with the flow characteristics inside the impeller and volute of a single-stage commercial pump. Actually, the viscous incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved within a 3D unsteady flow model. A sliding mesh technique is applied to take into account the impeller-volute interaction. After the numerical model has been successfully compared with the experimental data for the unsteady pressure fluctuations pattern in the volute shroud, a new step is proposed in order to correlate the observed effects with the flow structure inside the pump. In particular, the torque as a function of the relative position of the impeller blades is related to the blades loading, and the secondary flow in the volute is related to the different pressure patterns numerically obtained. Local flow analysis and qualitative study of the helicity in different volute sections is performed. The main goal of the study presented is the successful correlation of local and global parameters for the flow in a centrifugal pump. The pressure forces seem to be the main driven mechanism to establish the flow features both in the impeller and volute, for a wide range of operating conditions.

A study is presented on the fluid-dynamic pulsations and the corresponding dynamic forces generated in a centrifugal pump with single suction and vaneless volute due to blade-volute interaction. Four impellers with different outlet diameters, obtained from progressive cutbacks (trimmings) of the greatest one, were successively considered in the test pump, so that the radial gap between the impeller and the volute ranged from 8.8% to 23.2% of the impeller radius. The study was based on the numerical computation of the unsteady flow through the machine for a number of flow rates by means of the FLUENT code, solving the 3D unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations. Additionally, an experimental series of tests was conducted for the pump with one of the impellers, in order to obtain pressure fluctuation data along the volute front wall that allowed contrasting the numerical predictions. The data collected from the numerical computations were used to estimate the dynamic radial forces and torque at the blade-passing frequency, as a function of flow rate and blade-tongue radial gap. As expected, for a given impeller diameter, the dynamic load increases for off-design conditions, especially for the low range of flow rates, whereas the progressive reduction of the impeller-tongue gap brings about corresponding increments in dynamic load. In particular, varying the blade-tongue gap within the limits of this study resulted in multiplying the maximum magnitude of the blade-passing frequency radial force by a factor of about 4 for low flow rates (i.e., below the nominal flow rate) and 3 for high flow rates.

Background:Results of prior studies of the effect of viscosity reduction of high-energy-density, starch-containing diets on young children's energy intakes are inconsistent, possibly because of differences in the characteristics of the unmodified diets with which the low-viscosity diets were compared. Objective: Our objective was to determine the effects of dietary viscosity and energy density on total daily energy consumption by young, non-breast-fed children. Design: We measured the amount of food consumed and the duration of meals during 3 substudies, in each of which 3 study diets were offered for 4 consecutive days each in random sequence: high energy density, high viscosity (HD-HV); high energy density, low viscosity (HD-LV); and low energy density, low viscosity (LD-LV). The viscosity and energy density of the unmodified starchcontaining HD-HV diet were varied across substudies to determine whether the effect of amylase liquefaction was related to the initial characteristics of the HD-HV diet. The viscosity of the HV diets ranged from 79 000 to 568 000 mPa · s; energy density of the HD diets ranged from Ϸ4.18 to 4.93 kJ (1.00-1.18 kcal)/g. Viscosity of the LV diets was Ϸ3000 mPa · s and the energy density of the LD diets was Ϸ2.47 kJ (0.6 kcal)/g. Results:In each substudy, children consumed more of the LD-LV diet (g · kg body wt Ϫ1 · d Ϫ1 ) than of the other diets and more of the HD-LV diet than of the HD-HV diet (P < 0.001). Energy consumption from the HD-LV diet was greater than from the other diets (P < 0.001), but the energy intakes from the latter diets were not significantly different. Conclusion: Amylase liquefaction of HD-HV porridges resulted in increased energy consumption by young children.Am J Clin Nutr 1999;70:285-91.

This study analyzes the effect of using waste by-products generated in the process of granite cutting as part of the granular structure of Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC). The manufactured concrete has a compressive strength greater than 115 MPa. This study substitutes 35%, 70% and 100% of the volume of micronized quartz powder (<40 μm) with granite cutting waste. This is an innovative study where the feasibility of using waste from granite quarries as a replacement for micronized quartz in UHPC has been analyzed. The results show an improvement in the workability and compressive strength of UHPC, for all substitution ratios. The flexural strength and tensile strength increase when the substitution ratio is 35%, and even the values obtained for 100% substitution are acceptable. In view of the results obtained in this study, granite cutting waste, instead of the micronized quartz powder usually used, is a viable alternative for the manufacture of expectedly more sustainable UHPC.

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