International technology Group ANDRITZ is a global leading supplier of plants, equipment, and services for hydropower stations. The Pumps Division of the ANDRITZ GROUP develops and manufactures customized large pumps and standard centrifugal pumps for a wide range of different applications and industries.
Fig.1. Pump assembly model of a vertical line shaft pump with adjustable impeller blades.
The Challenge
TURBOdesign1 was introduced at ANDRITZ for hydraulic development of a new vertical line shaft pump (Fig. 1). Due to changing requirements, the pump operating range had to be shifted to higher flow rates and higher heads. Thus, there was a need to develop new runner blades and new guide vanes. The hydraulic designs were verified by CFD, including all flow-relevant components.
“Our experience is that TURBOdesign1 provides good solutions in a very short period of time, especially when starting from scratch”
Arno Gehrer, Director of Research & Development, Pumps Division, Andritz- AG/Graz
The TURBOdesign Result
Compared with the old reference pump, the new design is characterized by a smaller size and by significantly higher blade loading, hence providing greater head and flow rate (s. Fig. 2). Furthermore, the efficiency at the design point (OP1) could be improved.
Fig.2. Model test result: Head and efficiency, comparison with reference design.