NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS FOR THE FLOW INSIDE THE PUMP AS TURBINE

摘要

In small hydroelectric plants, where the power production is small and the efficiency has not significant role, the use of pumps in inverse operation (pumps as turbine - PAT) can be an inexpensive solution for electricity production. The use of a pump instead of a turbine to transform the hydraulic power into mechanical power can be advantageous in particular circumstances. In fact, the cost of a pump can be much lower than the cost of a turbine. The object of this study is to evaluate the performance of a pump in turbine mode using CFD methods. Performance characteristics of a single stage centrifugal pump with spiral casing are calculated by using appropriate boundary conditions and the results were validated with experimental data. After this comparison, the performance of the pump in turbine mode was calculated using numerical methods. Results shows that head and flow rate at the best efficiency point are higher than the pump mode.