Work

Numerical and Optimization Study on the Hydraulic Performance of a Closed Pump Intake Sump with Variable Bellmouth Clearance

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: In coastal pumping stations, the intake sump geometry strongly affects flow uniformity, hydraulic loss, and vortex formation. This study establishes an Isight-based automated simulation and optimization framework for an axial-flow pump with a closed-type intake to clarify the influence of bellmouth diameter and clearance height on sump hydraulics. A Radial Basis Function surrogate model combined with the NonLinear Programming by Quadratic Lagrangian (NLPQL) was employed to minimize hydraulic loss and improve flow uniformity. The results show that hydraulic loss first decreases and then increases with bellmouth diameter, whereas velocity uniformity and the mean inflow angle exhibit nonlinear variations with clearance height. The optimal configuration increases efficiency by 3.82% and the velocity uniformity by 1.62% compared with the baseline. Helicity density and the Ω-criterion were used to identify vortex structures, revealing that small clearances intensify bottom and wall-attached vortices, whereas larger clearances promote symmetric inflow. An improved tangential-velocity method based on iso-vorticity contours effectively captured near-wall vortex dynamics. These findings provide theoretical support for achieving low head loss, stable inflow, and controlled vortex behavior in axial-flow pump intake systems.

Source: Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

DOI: 10.3390/jmse13122288

Authors: Jiaqi Chen, Zhongyu Qian, Yi Huang, Chaozhen He, Zhuangzhuang Sun

Institutions: Yangzhou University, Yangzhou Polytechnic Institute

Language: English

Topic: Cavitation Phenomena in Pumps

Subfield: Mechanics of Materials

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137

Funder: Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education