A practical approach to the hydraulic design and performance analysis of a mixed-flow pump for marine waterjet propulsion

Abstract

The hydraulic design optimization and performance analysis of a mixed-flow pump for marine watejet propulsion has been carried out using mean streamline analysis and three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. In the present study, conceptual design optimization has been formulated with a nonlinear objective function to minimize fluid dynamic losses and then a commercial CFD code was incorporated to allow for detailed flow dynamic phenomena in the pump system. The newly designed mixed-flow model pump has been tested in the laboratory. Predicted performance curves by the CFD code agree fairly well with experimental data for a newly designed mixed-flow pump over the normal operating conditions. The design and prediction methods presented herein can be used efficiently as a unified hydraulic design process of mixed-flow pumps for marine waterjet propulsion.