Effect of Gasket Wear Rate on Hydraulic Performance and Internal Flow of Multistage Centrifugal Pump with Floating Impellers

Abstract The sealing gaskets of multistage centrifugal pumps are prone to wear during operation. This study investigates the influence of gasket wear rate on hydraulic performance and internal flow field through numerical simulations. As the wear rate of the gasket increases, both the efficiency and head coefficient of the pump gradually decrease. When the gasket is completely worn out, the efficiency decreases by 5.6% and the head coefficient decreases by 9.5% compared to the unworn gasket condition. Analysis of the internal flow field reveals that the front side chamber is most significantly affected by gasket wear. As the gasket wears, the flow velocity within the front side chamber increases gradually, and the high-entropy production zone expands, thereby affecting the hydraulic performance of the pump. The findings of this study provide practical engineering insights for enhancing the operational performance of multistage centrifugal pumps.