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Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid

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A Study in The Use of CFD In The Design of

Centrifugal Pumps
a

S. Yedidiah
a

aaa 89 Oakridge Rd, West Orange, NJ 07052, USA E-Mail:

Published online: 19 Nov 2014.

To cite this article: S. Yedidiah (2008) A Study in The Use of CFD In The Design of Centrifugal Pumps, Engineering
Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics, 2:3, 331-343, DOI: 10.1080/19942060.2008.11015233
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Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 331343 (2008)

A STUDY IN THE USE OF CFD

IN THE DESIGN OF CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS
S. Yedidiah
89 Oakridge Rd, West Orange, NJ 07052, USA
E-Mail: samyedidiah@hotmail.com
ABSTRACT: CFD has the potential of assisting an engineer in arriving at improved designs. However, to be
effective, this requires a much closer cooperation and mutual understanding between the pump specialist and the
expert in CFD, than it is presently in existence. This conclusion is based on actual case histories from past
experience, as well as considerations of the physical meaning of certain mathematical expressions. The presented
discussion relates, primarily, to the design of centrifugal pumps. However, there are strong indications that
analogical situations exist also in other fields of fluids engineering.

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Keywords:

centrifugal pumps, CFD, flow pattern, impeller, volute, noise, pump design

geometry of a side-inlet suction-nozzle (Fig. 1) of

a centrifugal pump.
Suction nozzles of different geometries have been
prepared in transparent epoxy (Prang and Oates,
1971). The flow patterns within their passages
were observed visually by introducing into the
flowing liquid small amounts of glitter. In
addition to the above, the distributions of the axial
and of the tangential velocity components were
measured at the outlet of these suction nozzles
along the diameter M-M, as shown in Fig. 2.
(During the performance tests, these outlets of the
suction nozzles became the inlets to the tested
pump). These distributions were taken at a
number of discrete flow rates. For comparison,
the distributions of the same velocity components
were also taken at the same flow rates, when the
pump was tested as an end-suction pump with a
straight, concentric suction pipe. In the latter case,
the measurements were taken along a vertical
diameter, 5.5 upstream of the suction flange of
the pump.
Fig. 3 presents the results of these measurements
for the side-suction inlet-nozzle shown in Fig. 2,
as well as for the straight, concentric suction pipe.
The measurements shown in Fig. 3 were taken at
the flow rate of 56 m3/hour. After completing
these observations and measurements, each of the
experimental side-suction nozzles was assembled
with the same 328 end-suction centrifugal
pump, thus converting it into a side-suction unit.
Afterwards, it was tested for performance. For
comparison, the same pump was also tested as a
straight end-suction pump with a straight,
concentric suction pipe.

1. INTRODUCTION
Successes in predicting the flow patterns within
the passages of centrifugal pumps indicate that
CFD might be capable of assisting a pump
engineer in arriving at improved designs. Success,
however, is still very elusive. This paper
discusses the principal cause of that state of affair,
and what can be done about it.
For a predicted flow pattern to be of practical use,
it has to inform the engineer whether it will allow
the pump to perform at its best, whether there
exists a different flow pattern which will allow
the pump to perform even better, and what
geometry of the waterways will generate such a
flow pattern.
The nearest which a predicted flow pattern came
to answering some of the above questions is based
on the assumption that the presence of vortices
have an adverse effect on performance. This has
been confirmed in practice (Yedidiah, 1996:
p. 191). However, cases in which the presence of
a pair of forced vortices has even improved the
performance of a centrifugal pump are also
known. Below we shall discuss such a case.
2. EFFECT OF A PAIR OF FORCED
VORTICES AT THE PUMP INLET ON ITS
PERFORMANCE
Prang and Oates (1971) presented results of tests,
which were expected to shed light on the effect of
the distribution of the inlet-velocities on the
performance of a centrifugal pump. The objective
of these tests was to determine the optimum

Received: 1 Dec. 2007; Revised: 5 Feb. 2008; Accepted: 4 Mar. 2008

331

Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics Vol. 2, No. 3 (2008)

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Velocity
m/sec

Fig. 1

Centrifugal pump with side-inlet suction

nozzle.

RADIUS (inches)

Fig. 3

Fig. 4 presents the results of the performance tests

carried out with the suction-nozzle shown in
Fig. 2, as well as with the end-suction pipe. It
shows that the performance with the side-suction
nozzle (which has produced a pair of forced
vortices) is superior to its performance with the
straight, end-suction pipe.

Fig. 2

Distribution of the axial and of the tangential

velocity components at the inlet of the tested
pump at 56 m3/hr, when tested as a straight
end-suction unit and with the suction chamber
shown in Fig. 2.

At the first sight, these results seem to present an

impossible-to-solve enigma. However, a closer
look at the physical meaning of Eulers equations
of motion of an inviscid incompressible liquid
demonstrates that there is nothing mysterious
about the test results shown in Fig. 4.

Suction chamber used in the tests reported in

Fig. 3 and Fig. 4.
332

Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics Vol. 2, No. 3 (2008)

Vx

H
m

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EFF

100 m3/hour

Performance of the experimental pump, when

tested as a straight end-suction unit and as a
side-inlet pump with the suction nozzle
shown in Fig. 2.

3. THE PHYSICAL MEANING OF

EULERS EQUATIONS
A translation of Eulers equations of motion into
their physical meaning provides a feasible
explanation of the cause of the test results shown
in Fig. 4. These equations are frequently
expressed in the following forms:
Fx

V
V
V
1 P
= Vx x + Vy x + Vz x
x
x
y
z

Fy

V y
V y
V y
1 P
= Vx
+ Vy
+ Vz
y
x
y
z

Fz

V
1 P
V
V
= Vx z + Vy x + Vz z
z
x
y
z

Let us have a look at the term Vx

(2)

This means that the studied term expresses

acceleration (rate of change of velocity with
respect to time). In a similar manner, it is possible
to prove that all other terms on the right side of
Eulers equations represent acceleration.
To be more specific, each of these equations
expresses an adaptation of Newtons Second Law
of Motion to an inviscid, incompressible liquid.
The accelerations in such a liquid are the result of
the combined action of external forces plus the
forces generated by the pressure gradients which
exist within the acted-upon liquid. These pressure
gradients are the generating forces (Yedidiah,
2004) which accelerate the liquid in the direction
opposite to the direction in which these pressures
are increasing. (This accounts for the minus
sign of the terms which express the pressure
gradients).
When applied to the flow through an impeller,
these equations of motion tell us how the
geometry and the motion of the impeller-passages
will alter the velocity distributions of the
incoming liquid. This has been confirmed by the
experiments reported in Hureau et al. (1993).
Let us have a look at the shroud-to-shroud
distribution of the normal velocity components
measured along the axis 10 (upstream of the
inlet edges of the blades) and along the axis 6
(upstream of the outlet edges of the blades) of the
tested impeller (Fig. 5). Figs. 6 and 7 show these
distributions at two flow rates: at the design flow,
and at 0.41 of that flow.

100 m3/hour

Fig. 4

Vx
x Vx Vx
=
=
x
T x
T

10
6

(1)

Vx
.
x

As velocity means the derivative of distance with

respect to time (Vx = x / T) , therefore, the above
term can be reduced to:

Fig. 5

333

Axes, along which the normal velocity

components shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 were
measured.

Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics Vol. 2, No. 3 (2008)

We note that at both flow rates, the geometry and

the motion of the impeller-passages have a similar
effect on the distribution of these velocity
components: they have increased their relative
magnitudes towards the suction-shroud, and
reduced them towards the hub-shroud. However,
due to the initial differences in these distributions,
they have converted a fairly uniform distribution
of the inlet velocities (at the design flow) into a
very non-uniform one upstream of the outlet edge.
Also, they have converted a very non-uniform
distribution of the velocities at the inlet (at 0.41 of
the design flow) into a fairly uniform one,
upstream of the outlet edge.
It is possible that the improvements in
performance shown in Fig. 4 are due to the fact
that the presence of the pair of the forced vortices
upstream of the impeller-eye have resulted in a
more advantageous distribution at the outlet of the
blades. Also, the advantages of that improvement
in the velocity distribution at the impeller-outlet
had a more beneficial effect on performance than
the possible adverse effects of the presence of the
pair of forced vortices which existed upstream of
the blades.
This is yet not all. A glance at Fig. 6 tells us that
this colossal difference in the distribution of the
inlet velocities was caused by recirculation. This
effect, as has been explained in Yedidiah (1996
and 2005a), develops below a certain flow rate
(compare Fig. 8). The flow rate, below which
recirculation starts to develop, depends among
others upon the geometry of the blades.

nq 20
Cn/U1 [ - ]

S/So [ % ]

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Fig. 6

Shroud-to-shroud distribution of the normal

velocity components upstream of the inlet
edges of the blades along axis 10 shown in
Fig. 5 at optimum flow and at 0.41 of the
optimum flow.
Cn/U2 [ - ]

S/So [ % ]

Fig. 7

Shroud-to-shroud distribution of the normal

velocity components upstream of the outlet
edges of the blades along axis 6 shown in
Fig. 5 at optimum flow and at 0.41 of the
optimum flow.

4. EFFECTS OF BLADE GEOMETRY ON

INLET RECIRCULATION
Fig. 9 shows the effects of reducing the projected
area of those inlet-parts of the blades, which
extend into the eye of the impeller. It shows that a
reduction in the magnitude of that area also
reduces the intensity and the flow rate at which
recirculation sets in (Yedidiah, 2005a). The
blades of that particular impeller were purely
cylindrical. This makes it possible to establish a
simplified qualitative model of the manner, in
which the projected area of these parts of the
blades is affecting recirculation.
With reference to Fig. 10, let us consider the
effect of a strip of radial width Ro and of length
Lo , which extends into the impeller-eye. The
volume of liquid directly affected by such a strip
of the blades is equal to (Yedidiah, 2003):

nq 20
Cn/U1 [ - ]

S/So [ % ]

Fig. 8

Shroud-to-shroud distribution of the normal

velocity components along axis 10 shown
in Fig. 5 at different fractions of the optimum
flow rate.

Q bo = ( U o C uo )L o R o

334

(3)

Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics Vol. 2, No. 3 (2008)

Eq. (5) tells us that Ho increases with Qbo. The

latter, as follows from Eq. (3), increases with the
product (Lo Ro). This explains the effects shown
in Fig. 9.
The above discussions demonstrate that when
applying CFD to the study of the effects of the
impeller-passages on the performance of a
centrifugal pump, it is mandatory to take into
account a significantly larger amount of
parameters than those which are presently
included in any known CFD programs. In
particular, that recirculation is only one of the
numerous factors which affect the flow through
an impeller (Ref. 18). The above conclusion is
also confirmed by the following case history.

And the head added to that acted-upon volume of

liquid is equal to (Yedidiah, 2003):
h o = Uo

Cuo
g

(4)

Consequently, the total head added to the total

volume of the pumped liquid by that strip of the
blade is equal to (Yedidiah, 2003):
H o = U o Cuo

Qbo
gQq

(5)

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This increase in the head of the liquid will

generate a pressure gradient which will accelerate
the liquid in the direction opposite to the direction
in which the increase of that pressure takes place.
The magnitude of that acceleration will, of course,
increase with the increase in Ho.
H
mm
Hg

Original
Impeller

36

63

Orignial Impeller

Orignial
Impeller

Rb

51

Fig. 9
Q/Qopt

Ra

Effect of the blade parts which project

into the eye of the impeller on
recirculation.

Lo

Ro
Ro

Fig. 10 A simplified model of the effect of a strip of a blade

which projects into the eye of an impeller on the
intensity of recirculation.

335

Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics Vol. 2, No. 3 (2008)

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5. EFFECT OF THE STRENGTH OF

FORCED INLET-VORTICES ON THE NPSH
REQUIREMENTS OF A PUMP
Fig. 11 presents the distribution of the axial and
of the tangential velocity components at the outlet
of two different side-suction nozzles (Prang and
Oates, 1971). Both nozzles resembled the shape
shown in Fig. 2. However, the radius R (Fig. 2) in
shape C was larger, and its center was located
nearer to the diameter M-M than in shape D. Both
geometries produced a pair of forced vortices.
However, the geometry D has produced stronger
vortices than the geometry C at all flow rates.
These differences, as can be seen in Fig. 12, had
no effect on either the QH-curve or on the
efficiencies of the tested pump. However, the
suction nozzle which has generated stronger
vortices has allowed the pump to operate at lower
available NPSH-values. The reason for this effect
is simply as follows.

Fig. 12 Performance of the same pump when tested

with suction nozzle C and suction nozzle D.

The impeller of the test pump used in Prang and

Oates (1971) had purely radial blades, which
projected only a short distance into the suctioneye. The pairs of the forced vortices have
increased the pressures at the outermost radii of
the pump inlet. This means, near the inlet-tips of
the impeller blades. This is the location where
cavitation is most likely to start at reduced
available NPSH-values. Stronger vortices produce
larger increases in pressure. Consequently, the
stronger vortices made it possible for the pump to
operate at lower available NPSH.
CFD is a very powerful and versatile logical tool,
which is capable of providing engineers with
enormous assistance in arriving at better results.
However, versatility implies that it can be used in
many different ways, depending on the task it has
to accomplish. To be of practical use, CFD has to
be applied in a manner specifically adapted to
handle the problem in question. This requires an
in-depth knowledge and understanding of the
problem(s) to be handled.
The present explosion of information makes it
prohibitive for the expert in CFD even to try to
master the design of centrifugal pumps. Similarly,
the pump specialist cannot afford to be distracted
from his field of activity in order to attempt to
master CFD. The only feasible solution to such a
state of affair is teamwork. However, for

Fig. 11 Distribution of the tangential and of the axial

velocity components at the outlet of two
different side-inlet-suction nozzles (nozzle C
and nozzle D) at two different flow rates.

336

Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics Vol. 2, No. 3 (2008)

teamwork to be successful, each member of the

team has to know and to understand what the
others are doing. This includes the knowledge of
how, where and when the use of CFD is the best
choice for a given task.
Below, we shall discuss two design problems,
where CFD might be capable of providing
extremely useful assistance to pump designers.

In a correctly designed impeller, the magnitude of

the relative velocities w, within the passages
created by the overlapping portions of the blades,
is, in most cases, selected to vary linearly with the
radius. In that case, Eq. (7) can be approximated
by the following expression:

6. A DESIGN PROBLEM IN WHICH CFD

MIGHT PROVE EXTREMELY USEFUL

In Eq. (8), BR is the width of the impeller at any

given radius R, wd is the calculated relative
velocity at the center of any inscribed circle of
diameter d, and Bdc is the width of the impeller at
the center of the same inscribed circle.
At the first sight, Eq. (8) seems to have no
relevance to the actual pump performance. After
all, in a real pump, the liquid never flows in
congruent partial passages. Also, the magnitudes
of Cm are never the same across the total length of
any arc a-b of a given radius R. Still, a study of
how far the geometry of the passages deviates
from the condition expressed by Eq. (8) provides
the pump designer with useful information.
Let us see what will happen when our original
assumption that the magnitudes of Cm across any
arc of a given radius R are identical is not correct.
Let the actual magnitudes of Cm , within certain
partial passages, be equal to Cm (1+c). For a
given flow rate, this means that there may exist an
equal number of passages, in which the
magnitudes of Cm are equal to Cm (1c). The
magnitudes of the relative velocities are equal to:

2R
) B R
z

b
a

C m ds =

wB dn
e

(6)

In Eq. (6), BR signifies the width of the impeller

at any given radius R, ds signifies the length of an
element of a given arc of radius R, Bd signifies the
width of the impeller at the center of an inscribed
circle of diameter d (Fig. 13).

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When a liquid is flowing between the blades

without separation, the law of continuity
mandates that the flow should satisfy the
following condition (Yedidiah, 2007) (see
Fig. 13):

2R
)BR C m = w d Bdc d
z

(8)

C m = w Sin .

This means that if Eq. (8) is satisfied in the case

when Cm = constant along any given arc of radius
R, it will also be valid in many other cases. In
summary, this leads to the following conclusions.
If an examination of the passages reveals that
Eq. (8) is satisfied along their total length, there
exists a possibility that the flow through the
passages will really be free of any major
disturbances. However, if we shall find significant
differences between the flow rates calculated by
each side of Eq. (8), this signifies the probability
of major disturbances or even reversals of flow.
In practice, certain deviations from the condition
imposed by Eq. (8) are allowable or even
desirable (Ref. 18: sub-section B-3). However,
large differences between the flow rates
calculated by means of each side of Eq. (8) will
unavoidably lead to undesirable results. This
conclusion has also been confirmed by the test
results reported in Yu, Cua and Leo (2001).

Fig. 13 Schematic flow between impeller blades of a

centrifugal pump (hypothetical).

This means that the flow rate across any arc a-b of
radius R is the same, as the flow rate across any
normal line e-f.
If we assume that the liquid is flowing through a
set of congruent passages (Fig. 13) and that Cm is
constant across any arc of a given radius R, Eq. (6)
can be re-written as:
Q
2R
=(
) B R C m =
z
z

wB dn
e

(7)
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Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics Vol. 2, No. 3 (2008)

pumps. From a commercial point of view, all

pumps designed with the aid of that method are
regarded as having the highest quality. However,
when compared to the efficiencies attainable with
conventional pumps of the same size and specific
speed (Stepanoff, 1957: Fig. 5.1), there were
significant differences between the attainable
values and the results of tests (Yedidiah, 1997).
Particularly, baffling were the extremely high
efficiencies of the pump (Yedidiah, 1997: #6 in
Table II). The expected peak efficiency for a
conventional pump of that size and that specific
speed is 84%. The test results (Fig. 15) for that
pump show considerably higher magnitudes (over
89%). It took the author more than three decades
to find an explanation for that mystery.

II
I

II

II

I
2

II

1 m/s

1
4

Quadrant 1 4

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Impeller C

Fig. 14 Effect of the width of the passages between

the overlapping portions of the blades on the
flow of the liquid within an impeller (Yu, Cua
and Leo, 2001).

H
m

Fig. 14 presents the distribution of the velocities

within one of the impellers studied in Yu, Cua
and Leo (2001). For the tested flow rate, the
calculated correct distance between the blades at
the inlet of the passages (Ref. 18: sub-section 302.1) is equal to the diameter of the circle inscribed
(in Fig. 14) in one of the passages marked I. We
see here that the distances between the blades at
the inlets of the passage marked II are
considerably larger than the calculated ones. This
has generated huge zones of separation. It even
gave rise to a significant reversal of flow back
into the suction-eye of the impeller.
In a radial-flow impeller, it is very easy to verify
whether the geometry of the passages deviates too
much from the condition expressed by Eq. (8).
However, in a mixed-flow impeller, the task is
much more complicated. In particular, in such an
impeller, the distribution of the velocity
components is usually drastically altered by the
condition of radial equilibrium (Ref. 18: subsection 16; Yedidiah, 2005b). Here, CFD has the
potential of becoming the best or maybe even the
only tool for optimizing the design. Of course,
this is not the only problem which could be best
handled with the aid of CFD. Below, we shall
bring up a second case history in which only CFD
is capable of making it possible to arrive at the
optimum results.

m3/hour

Fig. 15 Performance of a 5 sewage disposal pump,

designed in 1958.

It has been demonstrated in Yedidiah (2003) and

confirmed by results of tests discussed in
Yedidiah (2001) that the head developed by a
blade of an impeller can be expressed by the
following equation:
CE n =

(Qvn KCun + (Qq Qvn )CE n 1 ) Rn

1
Qq ( Rn + rn )
2

(9)

where C un = U C m Cot n .
The above equations imply that the head
developed by an impeller-blade is determined by
its geometry (not by its tip angles). This
conclusion has also been corroborated by the
results of independent tests carried out thousands
of miles apart (Acosta and Bowerman, 1957;
Saalfield, 1966).
An impeller of a sewage disposal pump is
provided with a pair of heavy blades, whose
thickness varies along their total length. This

7. IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF A

CERTAIN CLASS OF CENTRIFUGAL
PUMPS
Decades ago, the author has developed a very
successful method for designing sewage handling
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means that each side of a blade is determined by a

different curve (Fig. 16). This fact, as is implied
in Eqs. (9) and (10), causes each side of a blade to
develop a different head. Calculations based on
these equations have demonstrated that smaller
differences between the heads developed by each
side of the blades are always producing higher
efficiencies (Yedidiah, 1997), as compared to
what is expected from a conventional pump of the
same size and specific speed.

8. EFFECT OF THE DISTANCE

BETWEEN THE BASE-CIRCLE OF THE
VOLUTE AND THE IMPELLER-RIM
Fig. 17 is a schematic presentation of the flow
within a volute. When the distance between the
impeller-rim and the base circle of the volute is
equal to m, the liquid which is issued from the
impeller at the angular position from the
vertical centerline is barely capable to enter the
discharge nozzle of the pump (Yedidiah, 2002).
Now, let us see what will happen to the flow of
the liquid which exits the impeller at the same
angular position , if we shall reduce this
distance m by, say, n. In that case, the liquid
which exits the impeller at the same angular
position would have been forced to re-enter the
impeller at the position C (Fig. 17).
This study implies that pumps of higher specific
speeds need greater distances between the
impeller-rim and the base circle of the volute (as
the ratio between the meridian velocity
components and the peripheral velocity
components, at the impeller outlet, increases with
specific speed). This has been confirmed in
practice (Stepanoff, 1957: Fig. 7.8).
However, the distance between the impeller-rim
and the base circle of the volute is not the only
parameter which affects the flow within an
impeller. It is evident that each of the volute
shapes shown in Fig. 19 will have a different
effect on that distribution. This has been
confirmed by the tests reported in Benra et al.
(2007). Instead of a double volute, a diffuser ring
has been used in those tests. The radial distance
between the impeller-rim and the blades of the
diffuser was very small. Nevertheless, these
experiments have shown no effect of the
circumferential position of the impeller blades in
relation to the diffuser blades.
The differences between the test results shown in
Fig. 19 and the results reported in Benra et al.
(2007) have a simple logical explanation. The
discussion regarding Fig. 17 leads to the
conclusion that the effects observed in Fig. 18 are
primarily due to the spiral motion of the liquid
within the casing. For such a spiral motion to
develop, the casing has to be adequately wider
than the outlet passages of the blades. In the pump
tested in Benra et al. (2007) (a diffuser pump), the
width of the casing was of the same order of
magnitude as the outlet passages of the impeller
(see Fig. 20). This explains the difference in the
results of the tests shown in Fig. 18 and the
results reported in Benra et al. (2007).

Fig. 16 Typical shape of the impeller blades of a

sewage disposal pump.

The above findings provide us with a very

important clue to improve the efficiencies of
sewage disposal pumps. Also, with certain
adaptations, they may become capable of
assisting a pump designer in improving the
efficiencies of any pump which is equipped with
mixed-flow blades. However, the need to take
into account many additional design parameters
(as discussed in Ref. 18) makes it almost
impossible to know if the solution is really the
best possible one. Here, the use of CFD might be
capable of providing extremely useful assistance.
While CFD may be the only logical tool capable
of optimizing certain design requirements of a
centrifugal pump, it does not yet mean that its use
will produce a pump which will perform better
than any other existing ones. There exists a huge
number and variety of factors which are capable
of affecting the performance of a pump (Yedidiah,
1996 & 2006). Below, we shall discuss one of
such factors.

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with straight, radial blades, the liquid may even

return all the way back into the impeller-eye. This
has been confirmed by the experiments reported
and discussed in Yedidiah (2002) and Yu, Cua
and Leo (2001). This can be clearly seen in the
impeller passages facing the tongues of the
(double) volute in Fig. 18.

In an impeller with backward-curved blades, the

returning liquid will usually penetrate only a short
distance into the impeller passages before it will
be expelled into the volute for a second time. In
most cases, this means that the liquid will have to
make at least one additional turn around the
impeller before exiting the volute. In an impeller

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n
m

Fig. 17 Effect of the distance between the base circle

of the volute and the impeller rim on the flow
within an impeller (schematic).

Fig. 18 Effect of volute geometry on the flow within

an impeller (Yu, Cua and Leo, 2001;
Yedidiah, 2002).

Fig. 19 Some of the frequently

used cross-sections of a
volute.
(a)

VOLUTE

(b)

(c)

DIFFUSOR

Fig. 20 Effect of casing geometry on the spiral motion of the

liquid at the outlet of an impeller (schematic).

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Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics Vol. 2, No. 3 (2008)

can hardly be regarded as a reliable means for

predicting the level of noise which a given design
will develop.
We can expect that experts in CFD will find a
more reliable way for predicting the intensity of
that noise in the future. In that case, it will be
possible to predict the maximum noise levels of
several different designs, and to select this one,
which has been found capable to operate within
the acceptable limits of noise. This, however, will
not solve a different problem.
To the best of the authors knowledge, it took a
mainframe, high-speed computer 15 hours to
arrive at the results presented in BallesterosTajadura et al. (2006). If we shall add to this the
time spent by the engineering and the auxiliary
staff, and take into account that this has been
spent on only one single design, we arrive at the
conclusion that the use of CFD for predicting the
levels of noise of a number of different designs is
rather a very costly and time-consuming venture,
considering that there is known a much simpler
and by far less expensive way of reducing the
noise generated at the passing frequency of the
blades (Ref. 18: Figs. 11-17 and 11-18).
The author has applied this method in 1965, long
before CFD became a popular subject of study.
This solution, while it can hardly be classified as
being based on fluids dynamics, has proven to be
so simple, effective and inexpensive that the
author made it a standard feature of all his
subsequent pump designs. Since the introduction
of that design feature, the author has never again
encountered any problem of excessive noise
caused by the passing frequency of the blades.

At present, we do not know of any method which

is capable of determining the optimum relative
distance between the impeller-rim and the base
circle of a volute. Only CFD is offering logical
tools which are capable of leading us to the
desired solutions.
The above study also illustrates the enormous
amount of knowledge which is needed for
arriving at a desired solution. At the present
explosion of information, we cannot expect a
single person to become an expert in more than
one single area of engineering. The only obvious
solution to that situation is teamwork. To arrive at
meaningful useful solutions, there is a need for
close cooperation and mutual understanding
between experts in CFD and centrifugal pump
specialists.
Finally, an engineer also needs to keep in mind
that the capability of a logical tool for solving a
given problem does not always mean that its use
is the best choice for the given task. This is
illustrated by the following case history.
9. A CASE HISTORY IN WHICH THE USE
OF CFD HAS PROVEN INFERIOR TO
OTHER APPROACHES
An improved design tool means that it provides a
faster, more reliable, and less expensive means
for achieving the targeted objective(s). In many
cases, only CFD might be able to satisfy the
above requirements, particularly in situations
where a significant amount of trial and error work
is required. However, in practice, there exist
many areas in which CFD offers very little
advantage over other known design procedures.
Such a case history is discussed below.
Ballesteros-Tajadura et al. (2006) presented the
results of a study in which CFD has been used in
an attempt to reduce the noise generated by a
centrifugal fan. This study has correctly predicted
that the most intensive noise will occur at the
passing frequency of the blades.
The fact that the passing frequency of the blades
is a major source of noise is known to the pump
engineers for more than half a century (Yedidiah,
1996: 229231). What an engineer needs to know
is whether the intensity of that noise will be
within acceptable limits. The graphs presented in
the published paper seemed to show a good
agreement between the predicted and the tested
intensities of noise. However, the author also
presented tests results which showed that the
predicted intensities were significantly different
from the tested ones. This means that the
approach used in Ballesteros-Tajadura et al. (2006)

10. CONCLUSIONS
Properly applied, CFD has the potential of
providing the practicing engineers with enormous
assistance in their quest for better designs.
However, to know how, where and when the use
of CFD is the best choice for a given task requires
an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the
problem(s) to be handled.
At the present explosion of information, this
requires close cooperation between the pump
experts and the specialists in CFD. Such
cooperation, however, can be effective only if
each member of a team knows and understands
what the others are doing.
The presented discussion, as well as the studies in
Yedidiah (2003, 2004, 2007 & Ref. 18), indicates
that the needed mutual understanding between the
pump experts and the specialists in CFD can be

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significantly facilitated by considering the

physical meaning of mathematical expressions.
NOTATION
B
Cm

C mav
Cu
CE
CU

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E
g
H
h

K
L
Lo
n

Ns

Q
Qq
Qb
Q v

R
So
S
S
T
t
U
V
X, Y , Z

Z, z
b
w

blade width
meridian velocity component of the
liquid
average value of Cm , at any given radius
velocity component, in the direction of
U, of the liquid which has been directly
affected by the blade
equivalent magnitude of Cu , related to
the total flow of the pumped liquid
magnitude of Cu for the case when
Cm = Cmav
energy per unit of time (=power)
acceleration due to gravity
total head
head added to the liquid by a strip of a
moving blade
coefficient used in equations
length of a blade element along the
blade surface
length of a strip of a blade which
projects into the eye of an impeller
total length of a normal line which
extends between two consecutive blades
(Fig. 13)
specific speed: (m3/sec)0.5
(rev/min) / (m)0.75
flow rate of pumped liquid
flow rate between two consecutive
blades (=Q/Z)
volume of liquid displaced by a strip of
a moving blade
volume displaced by a finite blade
element R
radius
distance between the shrouds, measured
along the axis #10 respectively axis #6
(shown in Fig. 5)
Distance from suction shroud, (relates
to Figs 6, 7, and 8)
length of an arc of a given radius R
(relates to Fig. 13)
time
pitch of blades
peripheral velocity of a blade
velocity of the liquid
location, determined by Cartesian
coordinates
number of blades
blade angle (=w+)
angle of relative velocity

angle of incidence
density
angular speed radians/sec
efficiency
blockage due to finite thickness of the
blades
head coefficient = gH / U22
flow coefficient = Cm2 / U2

Subscripts
0
1
2
i
ou
av
b
n
n-1
R
x,y,z

refers to the impeller-eye

refers to the leading edge of a moving
blade
refers to the outlet tip of a moving blade
refers to the inlet tip of a stationary
blade
refers to the outlet tip of a stationary
blade
average value based on the magnitude
of Cmav
refers to a blade
refers to the n-th element of a blade
refers to the preceding blade element
refers to the radius, at which the given
dimension was taken
refers to the directions of Cartesian
coordinates

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