Time-Frequency Characterization of Rotating Instabilities in a Centrifugal Pump with a Vaned Diffuser

This paper presents acoustic and flowdynamic investigations of large-scale instabilities in a radial pump with a vaned diffuser. Pressure fluctuations were measured with transducers placed flush at the inlet duct, at the impeller discharge, and in the vane diffuser walls. Two impeller rotation speeds were analyzed in the study, at design, and at off-design flow rates. A spectral analysis was carried out on the pressure signals in frequency and in time-frequency domains to identified precursors, inception, and evolution of the pressure instabilities. The results highlighted the existence of a rotating pressure structure at the impeller discharge, having a fluid-dynamical origin and propagating both in the radial direction and inside the impeller. The experimental data were then compared with the results obtained with help of ANSYS CFX computer code; focusing on the changing flow field at part load. Turbulence was reproduced by DES model.