An Integrated Study of Poor Intake Conditions and Its Effect on a Pumping Station Performance
Author(s):
Dalia M. El- Gazzar, Mofreh A. Hashim, Said A. Hawash
Affiliation(s):
Mechanical and Electrical Research Institute (MERI), National Water Research Center (NWRC), Shubra Al Kheimah, Shubra El Kheima 1, Al Qalyubia Governorate 6210001, Egypt.
Corresponding Author Email: [email protected]
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The main objective of the pump intake is to provide an adequate flow with a steady approach speed at the entrance of the inlet pipe. Many shortcomings and problems corresponding to pumps are often related to sump design rather than mechanical flaws. In this research, a large plant pumping station suffers severe vibration levels and low hydraulic efficiency. The main objective is how to improve the overall performance and eliminate high vibration sources. Dynamic analysis was done to investigate the causes of high vibration levels. Experimental modal analysis was done to ensure the existence of any critical speed and to determine if the source of vibration is purely mechanical or not. New modifications were done to the intake design to decrease the vortex activity and develop the lateral pump flow distribution using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). These modifications have been practically implemented. Hydraulic and dynamic behavior was evaluated before and after applying sump new modifications. Vibration level decreased by 60%, while overall efficiency, increased by 18% of the working point due to proposed sump geometry modifications.