Influence of side channel inlet angle on energy conversion of a side channel pump

The side channel pump generates several disadvantage vortices due to abrupt structural changes at the junction of the impeller and side channel, leading to unstable flow, which may induce severe vortex cavitation at the inlet section of the side channel, its impact on the pump's unstable flow mechanism and on the energy conversion characteristics has yet to be thoroughly investigated. This paper explores the effect of backflow vortex on pump performance through optimizing side channel inlet angles by combining the Ω criterion, helicity, and entropy production methods. The computational fluid dynamics numerical simulation's accuracy has been experimentally verified. It was found that increasing the side channel inlet angle could improve internal flow, thereby suppressing backflow vortices and promoting dynamic vortices formation in the inlet section. The backflow vortex is the primary source of high localized energy loss in the inlet section, significantly influencing the reduction of flow loss. It also reduces low pressure areas caused by backflow vortices, thus, restricting cavitation origin. In addition, within a certain range, the flat side channel pump enhances its hydraulic performance, exhibiting the best performance at a 60° inlet angle with an efficiency improvement of 4.6% at the Best Efficiency Flow Point (BEP), which has the most effective backflow vortex suppression, and therefore, lowest flow losses. However, the head improvement was negligible. The performance improvement is due to complete energy conversion within the inlet section. This paper offers new insights into the mechanisms underlying internal energy loss and cavitation characteristics in refining side channel pumps.