Effects of a Detached Eddy Simulation-Curvature Correction (DES-CC) Turbulence Model on the Unsteady Flows of Side Channel Pumps

A side channel pump is a pump with a high head and a small flow that is widely used in various industrial fields. Many scientists have studied the hydraulic performance, pressure fluctuation characteristics, and gas-liquid mixed transport characteristics of this type of pump. However, these studies mainly focused on the single-stage impeller of the side channel pump, without considering the inter-stage connection channel and the multistage timing effect. These characteristics affect the hydraulic performance and pressure-pulsation characteristics of the side channel pump. Therefore, we carried out a numerical simulation and an experimental comparison on the multistage side channel pump to explore its flow characteristics during the stages. This study focused on the influence of different turbulence models on the numerical simulation of multistage side channel pumps. Shear stress transport (SST), detached eddy simulation (DES), and detached eddy simulation-curvature correction (DES-CC) turbulence models were selected for consideration. By studying the pressure and velocity streamline distribution, the turbulent kinetic energy, and the shape and volume of the vortex core area simulated by the three models, we concluded that the DES-CC model, when compared to the other models, can more fully reflect the vortex characteristics and the simulation results that are closer to the experimental data. The results of this study can be used as the basis for future research on multistage side channel pumps.