Influence of Suction Chamber Rib on Flow Induced Noise in a Double Suction Pump

Abstract

To clarify the effect of the double-suction pump suction chamber rib and its installation on the induced noise of the pump, suction chamber models with different rib positions are designed. The RANS method and the standard k-ε turbulence model are used to simulate the internal flow in the pump and the direct boundary element method is applied to numerically calculate the flow-induced noise sound field in the pump. The results show that the pressure pulsation amplitude in the main frequency of the pump has been reduced after the installation of the rib, and the largest decrease is at the seventh section of the volute under the central rib scheme, up to 53.2%. The high sound pressure areas of the suction chamber, impeller, and volute are mainly distributed at their outlets. After the installation of suction chamber rib, the range of high sound pressure areas and maximum sound pressure values in these flow-passing components are reduced. The main frequency of flow induced noise under each scheme appears at one time the blade passing frequency. The sound pressure reduced most at the inlet of the suction chamber due to the influence of the rib, with the largest reduction of 8.49% in center rib scheme. The research results can provide a theoretical reference for optimizing the noise characteristics of double suction pump.