Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Investigation into Pump Mode Flow Dynamics for a Mixed Flow PAT with Adjustable Runner Blades

Maxime Binama
* ORCID logo ,
Kan Kan
* ,
Huixiang Chen
ORCID logo ,
Yuan Zheng
* ,
Daqing Zhou
ORCID logo ,
Alexis Muhirwa
,
Godfrey M Bwimba
Version 1 : Received: 1 May 2021 / Approved: 5 May 2021 / Online: 5 May 2021 (08:57:28 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Binama, M.; Kan, K.; Chen, H.; Zheng, Y.; Zhou, D.; Muhirwa, A.; Bwimba, G.M. Investigation into Pump Mode Flow Dynamics for a Mixed Flow PAT with Adjustable Runner Blades. Energies 2021, 14, 2690. Binama, M.; Kan, K.; Chen, H.; Zheng, Y.; Zhou, D.; Muhirwa, A.; Bwimba, G.M. Investigation into Pump Mode Flow Dynamics for a Mixed Flow PAT with Adjustable Runner Blades. Energies 2021, 14, 2690.

Abstract

The adoption of Pump as Turbines (PATs) both in small scale hydroelectric plants and water supply systems has brought different advantages, the most recognized being cost-effectiveness as compared to other hydroturbines. However, due to their lack of flow control ability, their intolerance to off-design operations constitutes one tough shortfall. Moreover, this technology’s newness leads to PAT flow dynamics still being ununderstood even to date. Therefore, this study intends to numerically investigate the mixed flow PAT’s pump mode flow dynamics for five operating conditions expanding from optimum (1QBEP) to deep part-load (0.41 QBEP) conditions. Moreover the effect of runner blade angle on the same has been investigated where three angles namely -2°, 0°, and 2° have been considered. PAT flow stability was found to deteriorate as the flow decreased, where associated pressure pulsation level worsened at different flow zones. In addition, the blade angle increase led correspondingly increasing flow unsteadiness and pressure pulsation levels, where the pulsation frequencies from rotor-stator interactions were dominant for most of flow zones. This study’s findings are of a crucial importance to both scientific and engineering communities as they contribute to thorough understanding of PAT flow dynamics.

Keywords

Pump as Turbine; Flow Unsteadiness; Pressure Pulsation; Blade Angle; Numerical Simulation

Subject

Engineering, Automotive Engineering

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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