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Flow in The Discharge Casing

The discharge casing receives liquid from the impeller and guides it to the pump outlet ports while reducing kinetic energy. It uses either a volute collector or vaneless diffuser to do this. A volute collector increases cross-sectional area to maintain constant average velocity and prevent radial thrust on the shaft. A vaneless diffuser reduces tangential velocity as radius increases based on conservation of angular momentum, resulting in a logarithmic spiral flow path. A vaned diffuser can diffuse kinetic energy faster and in a shorter length than a vaneless diffuser, making it advantageous for smaller pumps. Cavitation occurs when local pressure drops below vapor pressure, causing bubbles that can damage surfaces when they collapse.

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May John Jenon Baroy
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55 views

Flow in The Discharge Casing

The discharge casing receives liquid from the impeller and guides it to the pump outlet ports while reducing kinetic energy. It uses either a volute collector or vaneless diffuser to do this. A volute collector increases cross-sectional area to maintain constant average velocity and prevent radial thrust on the shaft. A vaneless diffuser reduces tangential velocity as radius increases based on conservation of angular momentum, resulting in a logarithmic spiral flow path. A vaned diffuser can diffuse kinetic energy faster and in a shorter length than a vaneless diffuser, making it advantageous for smaller pumps. Cavitation occurs when local pressure drops below vapor pressure, causing bubbles that can damage surfaces when they collapse.

Uploaded by

May John Jenon Baroy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Flow in the Discharge Casing

The discharge casing is that part of the casing following the impeller outlet. It has 2
functions:
1. To receive and guide the liquid discharged from the impeller to the outlet ports of the
pump (called collector function).
2. To increase the static head at the outlet of the pump by reducing by reducing the kinetic
energy of the liquid leaving the impeller. (called diffuser function).

I. Volute or Scroll Collector


 Increasing cross-sectional area.
 Constant ave. velocity = equal pressures around the pump casing, hence no radial
thrust on the shaft.
 Deviation in flow rate from the design condition will result in a radial thrust—will
result in shaft bending
o Radial Thrust
P = 495 KHD2B2
 P = radial force (N), H = head (m), D2 = peripheral diameter (m), B2 =
impeller width (m) and K = constant determined by the equation for a
particular value of Q:
K = 0.36[1 – (Q/QD) 2]
 Circular section is adopted to reduce the loses due to friction and impact when the
fluid hits the casing walls
 25-30 per cent may be recovered in a simple volute.

II. Vaneless Diffuser

Notes:
Cr is the radial component of the absolute velocity and perpendicular to the tangent at inlet
and outlet.
Cx is the component of velocity in the tangential direction
Diffusion
 Takes place in a parallel-sided passage
 Governed by the principle of conservation of angular momentum of fluid
 The outlet tangential velocity is reduced as the radius increases
 The radial component of absolute velocity is controlled by the radial cross-
sectional area of flow b

Mass flow rate m at any radius r is given by


𝑚 = 𝜌𝐴𝐶𝑟 = 2𝜋𝑟𝑏𝜌𝐶𝑟
b is the width of the diffuser passage

Continuity equation:
𝑚̇𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑟 = 𝑚̇𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑡
𝑟𝑏𝜌𝐶𝑟 = 𝑟2 𝑏2 𝜌2 𝐶𝑟2
Or
𝐶𝑟 = 𝑟2 𝑏2 𝜌2 𝐶𝑟2 /𝑟𝑏𝜌

If frictionless is assumed, then by the conservation of angular momentum


𝐶𝑥 = 𝐶𝑥2 𝑟2 /𝑟

Usually, Cx>>Cr, hence the absolute velocity 𝐶 ≅ 𝐶𝑥


𝐶 = 𝐶𝑥2 𝑟2 /𝑟
 Trying to achieve 𝐶 to be small then 𝑟 must be large and thus, for a large reduction in
the outlet kinetic energy, a diffuser with a large radius is required.

For an incompressible fluid, the inclination of the absolute velocity vector to the radial line
remains constant at all 𝜃 since at the outlet from the impeller
𝐶𝑥2
𝑡𝑎𝑛𝛼́ 2 = = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝛼́
𝐶𝑟2
𝑟𝐶𝑟 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 from the constant mass flow rate req.
𝑟𝐶𝑥 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 from the constant angular momentum req.

Thus the flow in the diffuser remains at a constant inclination 𝛼́ to radial lines, the flow path
tracing out a logarithmic spiral, and if for an incremental radius 𝑑𝑟 the fluid moves through
angle 𝑑𝜃, then from Fig. 2.18
𝑟𝑑𝜃 = (𝑡𝑎𝑛𝛼́ )𝑑𝑟
Integrating,
𝑟
𝜃 − 𝜃2 = (𝑡𝑎𝑛𝛼́ )ln ( )
𝑟2
Putting 𝛼́ = 78° and (𝑟/𝑟2 ) = 2, the change in angle of the diffuser is almost 180°, giving
rise to a long flow path, which may result in high frictional losses, which in turn gives a low
efficiency.
Hence, the length of the diffuser must be balanced by the pressure recovery that is required
and an optimum point is usually found based on either economic or hydraulic friction loss
considerations.

III. Vaned Diffuser


 Able to diffuse the outlet kinetic energy at a much higher rate, in a shorter length and
with a higher efficiency than the vaneless diffuser.
 Very advantageous where the size of the pump is important
 After leaving the impeller the fluid moves in a logarithmic spiral across a shorty
vaneless space before entering the diffuser vanes proper. Once the fluid has entered
the diffuser passage, the controlling variable on the rate of diffusion is the divergence
angle of the diffuser passage, which is of the order of 8-10o and should ensure no
boundary separation along the passage walls.
 The number of vanes on the diffuser ring is subject to the following considerations:
o The greater the vane number, the better is the diffusion but the greater is the
friction loss.
o The cross section of the diffuser channel should be square to give a maximum
hydraulic radius (cross-sectional area/channel perimeter).
o The number of diffuser vanes should have no common factor with the number
of impeller vanes. This is to obviate resonant or sympathetic vibration.

The collector and diffuser operate at their maximum efficiency at the design point only. Any
deviation from the design discharge will alter the outlet velocity triangle and the subsequent
flow in the casing.

Cavitation in Pumps
 Occurs when the local absolute static pressure of a liquid falls below he vapour pressure
of the liquid and thereby causes bubbles to form in the main body of liquid, that is the
liquid boils.
 Occurs mainly in the inlet of the impeller
 When the fluid moves into a higher –pressure region, these bubbles collapse with
tremendous force, giving rise to pressures as high as 3500atm.
 Local pitting of the impeller can result when the bubbles collapse on a metallic surface.
 Noise is also generated.
Cavitation parameter 𝜎 is defined as
𝑃𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑣𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒
𝜎=
𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑝𝑢𝑚𝑝
𝑝𝑖 𝑉𝑖2 𝑝𝑣𝑎𝑝
+ −
𝜌𝑔 2𝑔 𝜌𝑔
𝜎=
𝐻
𝑝𝑖 𝑉𝑖2 𝑝𝑣𝑎𝑝
𝑁𝑒𝑡 𝑃𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑆𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑 (𝑁𝑃𝑆𝐻) = + −
𝜌𝑔 2𝑔 𝜌𝑔
Every pump has critical cavitation number 𝜎𝑐
 Can only be determined by testing to find the minimum value of 𝑁𝑃𝑆𝐻 before
cavitation occurs 𝜎c
 Many methods exist for determining the point of cavitation inception
 One method is to determine the normal head-flow characteristic of the pump and
then to repeat the test with the inlet to the pump progressively throttled so as to
increase the resistance to flow at the inlet

𝑝𝐴 𝑝𝑣𝑎𝑝
− − 𝐻𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝜌𝑔 𝜌𝑔
𝜎=
𝐻

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