Performance of Regenerative Flow Pump with Aerodynamic Blade Geometry

Regenerative flow pumps (RFP) are capable of developing high heads at low flow rates whereby the fluid moves helically in peripheral path with the impeller from inlet to discharge. In the present work, attempt is made to utilize aerodynamic blades instead of the common design of radial and non-radial blades with the intention to improve performance of RFP. The methodology included a series of CFD simulations on numerical models of regenerative flow pumps using fluent.From results of the CFD analysis: the downward sloping, nearly linear head-capacity curve of regenerative pumps has been illustrated; their low specific speed operational merit has been demonstrated; the typical cork screw flow pattern inside these machines has been well displayed; their 'multi-staging' effect as the pressure builds up from inlet to discharge port is best verified; significant improvement of performance has been obtained in using aerodynamic blades with semi-elliptic profile. The book is based on author's MSc Thesis.