REVIEW ON EFFECTS OF CAVITATION IN THE PERFORMANCE OF CENTRIFUGAL PUMP

Abstract

Design and development of turbo machines like centrifugal pump is highly complex due to turbulence flow
structure, unsteadiness and cavitation inside the pump. The pump suffers with loss of efficiency, erosion of material,
degradation of its useful life caused by cavitation. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique has been applied by the
researchers to carry out different improvements on centrifugal pump in cavitational analysis, efficiency prediction. The
analysis is done through various turbulence models in CFD to get accurate numerical results. Cavitation and its interaction
to the impeller and volute of centrifugal pump appeared as the research field for further development of pump performance.
A review on effects of cavitation in the performance of centrifugal pump along with the scope for further improvement
presented in this paper. Certain number of parameters is derived from the literatures which may act as causes for cavitation
in the centrifugal pump. The further analysis of theses parameters is needed to get an optimum value to reduce the effect of
cavitation.