Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The paper discusses designing and optimizing a volute for a centrifugal pump using an integrated approach based on the ANSYS Vista CPD softwareand three-dimensional CFD modeling. It is shown that the geometry of the volute casing significantly affects hydraulic losses, pressure distribution,and the overall efficiency of the hydraulic machine. Traditional methods of designing volutes are based on simplified assumptions and do not considerthe complex three-dimensional flow structure, necessitating numerical methods. The paper implements a methodology that involves the initialformation of the basic geometry in Vista CPD, mesh generation in ANSYS TurboGrid and Mesh, and flow calculation in ANSYS CFX using the SST turbulence model. The Frozen Rotor and Stage approaches analyze the interaction between the impeller and the volute casing. It is shown that the Stage method provides a smoothed flow picture and allows for the determination of integral characteristics (head, efficiency). At the same time, the Frozen Rotor is effective for detecting local separations and flow asymmetry. Based on the results of numerical studies, two modifications of the geometry of the volute casing were made by varying the radii of the cross sections. This allowed it to reduce the separation zones near the tongue and equalize the velocity field. A comparison of the results showed that the proposed modifications increase the pressure from 549 to 592.5 m and theefficiency from 0.865 to 0.893. Thus, combining parametric design in Vista CPD with CFD optimization in CFX is a practical approach to improvingthe design of volute casings for centrifugal pumps and increasing their energy efficiency.
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7135235682