Parametric Study of Impeller Ring Tongue of Regenerative Hydrogen Pump

Abstract The clearance between impeller disk and the adjacent casing of the regenerative hydrogen pump constitutes a pair of important dynamic seals that affect pump performance and disk force. In this work, a regenerative hydrogen pump designed for the anode circulation loop of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell vehicle is studied. The method of experimental measurement and numerical simulation is used to study the flow field when ring tongue number is 0–2, clearance width is 0.04 mm–0.24 mm, and clearance outlet pressure decreases to 1 atm at most. The effects of these parameters on pump pressure rise, leakage, axial force, and disk friction power are analyzed. Summarized various clearance schemes with the same pressure rise or leakage flowrate. Analyzed the flow fields of main flow channels (side channel and impeller passage) and clearance with the same leakage flowrate. The objective of these works is to explore the impact of clearance parameters on pump performance, thereby identifying a potential optimal solution and offering a reference for design. Additionally, the flow field analysis elucidates the main characteristics of clearance flow and the variations of these characteristics as the parameters are changed.