Theoretical Investigation of Pressure Distributions Along the Surfaces of a Thin Blade of Arbitrary Geometry of a Two-Dimensional Centrifugal Pump Impeller

Abstract

The flow through a two-dimensional centrifugal pump impeller with thin blades of arbitrary geometry is investigated using the hydrodynamic method of singularities. A theoretical analysis is developed to determine the impeller head and pressure distributions along the blade surfaces. The convergence of the numerical procedure is discussed. These results are compared with the theoretical and experimental results reported by Acosta. There is excellent agreement between the theoretical values of the impeller head and the pressure distributions obtained by both methods. Discrepancies in the theoretical and experimental pressure distributions are attributed to the effects of viscosity, inlet turn, blade thickness and inlet stall which are neglected in the analysis.