The objective of this project is to visualize vortices at different speeds and measure water levels, to see how it impacts vortices.
Sponsored by: FlowServe
Team Members
Eric Gorski Jordan Good Nirenjan MS Drue Johnson Shuyuan Chen
Instructor(s): Dr.Alex Rattner
Project Poster
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Project Video
Project Summary
Overview
Flowserve is renowned for its technologies that serve industries such as energy, water, and chemical processing, and among its key priorities is mitigating issues like cavitation in pump systems, which can lead to inefficiencies and costly wear. The sponsors tasked the team to analyze the behavior of hydraulic vortices in an upside-down oriented pump configuration. This setup has the potential to introduce air into the system, causing cavitation, which leads to erosion-like damage, reduced pump lifespan, and compromised performance.
Objectives
Our team aimed to:
Develop a portable and stable test rig to simulate and analyze the upside-down hydraulic pump setup.
Visualize vortices using 2 subsystems (mechanical and electrical) to gain insights into fluid behavior.
Ensure ease of water drainage and refill.
Design for durability, targeting over 1000 hours of reliable operation.
Minimize oscillations in the impeller-shaft system to ensure precise testing and safety while maintaining safe speeds.
Approach
Defined project needs and constraints through sponsor and advisor input.
Concept Generation and Selection: Explored design ideas with focus on effectiveness, safety, testability, and cost.
CFD Analysis: Modeled fluid behavior to see velocity fields and pressures distributions and validate design considerations like impeller wall placement.
CAD Modeling: Created a detailed model including the mechanical (impeller, shaft) and electrical (motor, VFD) subsystems.
Prototype Development: Designed a test rig with aluminum T-slot framing, a translucent tank, 3D printing to protype the impeller wall, and a ball valve for easy water drainage.
Validation: Conducted simulations through CFD to refine the design and prepared for physical testing in subsequent phases.
Outcomes
A modular, upside-down oriented test rig design enabling visualization and analysis of hydraulic vortices.
Provided impeller designs which were scaled down to 0.65 scale with a 5/8th diameter.
Design was tested at several motor speeds ranging from 400 rpm to 1350 rpm while using different water levels, which showed prominent vortices and cavitation presence at speeds above 1200 rpm.
Test rig is able to be easily transported via cart and disassembled by 1-2 people.
Comprehensive reports and CAD documentation that can serve as a foundation for further research and development in similar future applications.