PARAMETRIC INVESTIGATION OF A CENTRIFUGAL SLURRY PUMP WHILE HANDLING CLEAR WATER

The performance of centrifugal slurry pump impellers strongly depends upon the complex configuration of the asymmetrical flow-field in the axial direction which is highly unsteady. The flow-field, in turn, is considerably affected by design parameters of volute casing and impeller geometry. Although many studies have focused on their optimization in water pumps, few studies have been conducted about centrifugal slurry pumps. The current study investigates the performance of a centrifugal slurry pump experimentally and numerically on, using clear water instead of slurry mixtures to avoid the effects of nonlinear intense the slurry mixtures. Additionally, a parametric study is carried out numerically to investigate the effects of blade configuration on the performance of slurry pump. Blade number, blade height and blade thickness are considered as the affecting parameters.