Trajectories of coarse granular sediment particles in a simplified centrifugal dredge pump model

• Main Authors: Guojun Hong, Qingbo Zhang, Guoliang Yu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2016-11-01
• Series: Advances in Mechanical Engineering
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/1687814016680143

Due to different inertia, sediment particles stop following the trails of water elements during the flow passage of a centrifugal pump. In a dredge pump, deviation characteristics of sediment particles from surrounding fluid are still not crystal clear. Apparently, the deviation makes sediment particles attacking the inner wall and causes wear and tear. In addition, the deviation would also decrease the pump efficiency. In order to understand the motion of the sediment particles and their deviation characteristics inside a dredge pump, authors built a Lagrangian numerical model based on particle’s kinematic balance equations, and then verified it through a rotating platform. The influential factors of the sediment particle motion, such as the rotation speed, as well as the diameter and density of sediment particles, were investigated. Finally, a conclusion is obtained that says if blade profiles are close to the relative trajectory of a particle, this particle will cause minimized wear to the blade wall.