Optimized Blade Design of Counter-Rotating-Type Pump-Turbine Unit Operating in Pump and Turbine Modes

Abstract

In this study, a counter-rotating-type pump-turbine unit was optimized to improve the pump and turbine mode efficiencies simultaneously. Numerical analysis was carried out by solving three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations using the shear stress turbulence model. The hub and tip blade angles of the rear impeller (in the pump mode) were selected as the design variables by conducting a sensitivity test. An optimization process based on steady flow analysis was conducted using a radial basis neural network surrogate model with Latin hypercube sampling. The pump and turbine mode efficiencies of the unit were selected as the objective functions and they combined into a single specific objective function with the weighting factors. Consequently, the pump and turbine mode efficiencies of the optimum design increased simultaneously at overall range of flow rate, except for low flow rate of turbine mode, compared to the reference design.

Optimization of the impeller for hydraulic performance improvement of a high-speed magnetic drive pump

“…The pump performance depends upon various geometrical parameters of the impeller. The shape of the blade [11][12][13][14] and the profile of the impeller meridional plane [15][16][17] have significant impact on the efficiency and head of the pump. In the present study, the eight geometrical parameters of impeller, namely blade inlet angle b 1 , blade outlet angle b 2 , blade wrap angle u, No.…”

“…Pei et al 12 adopted the artificial neural network and the particle swarm optimization algorithm to improve the blade angle distribution for enhancing the efficiency of a centrifugal pump. Kim et al 13 considered the hub and tip blade angles as variables to optimize the impeller of a counter-rotating-type pump-turbine, in order to improve the pump and turbine mode efficiencies. Suh et al 14 improved the efficiency and outlet static pressure of a multi-phase pump by optimizing the shape of the impeller and the diffuser blade.…”