Research on a rapid evaluation method for unsteady pressure pulsations in centrifugal pumps based on a steady flow field

The evaluation of unsteady pressure pulsations in centrifugal pumps usually relies on unsteady numerical simulations or experiments, which are time-consuming and costly. As centrifugal pumps are key components in energy systems, their pressure pulsation characteristics are critical to the stable operation of the system. Consequently, there is an urgent need for a rapid and cost-effective evaluation method. This study explores the correlation between the steady flow field structure and unsteady pressure pulsations. The steady flow field structure and the unsteady pressure pulsations for different numbers of blades are analyzed, and a rapid and cost-effective evaluation method for the unsteady pressure pulsations based on the spatial Fourier transform of the steady flow field structure is proposed. Correlation analysis between the steady-state indicator Ste obtained from the spatial spectrum and the averaged blade passing frequency peak pressure-pulsation coefficient c¯p shows that the spatial frequency corresponding to the maximum amplitude represents the number of impeller blades, while the amplitude at this frequency quantifies the pressure pulsation at the blade passing frequency. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is validated using two sets of representative cases. By summarizing all datasets, the correlation coefficient between Ste and c¯p at the blade passing frequency reaches 0.9538. These results validate the reliability of the proposed evaluation method, thereby enabling rapid iterative improvement of pumps and promoting their sustainable operation.