Optimization Design of Impeller of Multiphase Pump Based on CFD Method

In order to study the influence of the leading radius of airfoil on the impeller performance of axial multiphase pump, based on RNG k-ε turbulence model and SIMPLEC algorithm, a numerical analysis of impeller models with different leading radius of airfoil was carried out. The pressure, velocity and gas phase distribution in the flow field were analyzed. The result shows that increasing the leading radius of airfoil can improve the boosting capacity of the impeller, reduce the secondary flow loss near the outlet of the impeller and suppress the phenomenon of retention of the gas and gas-liquid separation. When gas volume fraction (GVF) is 0.2, the compression unit efficiency of optimized impeller rises by 3.45% compared to the base model under design condition (Q = 100 m³/h). When Q = 60 m³/h, the compression unit efficiency of optimized impeller rises by 1.47% compared to the base model, which indicates that when the leading radius is equal to 40% of the maximum thickness, the energy loss is reduced and the performance of compression unit is improved.