Influence of Blade Outlet Angle on Inner Flow Field of Centrifugal Pump Transporting Salt Aqueous Solution

During transportation of salt aqueous solutions with centrifugal pump, crystallization phenomenon is frequently encountered. For this kind of two-phase flow, it is difficult to be accurately modeled since there are various medium properties and phase change characteristics. In view of experiment, several problems are hampering the implementation of precise measurement. Influences of blade outlet angle and medium temperature on crystallization rate were studied. Sodium sulfate solution was applied to simulate practical fluid in chemical industry. Particle image velocimetry（PIV） was employed to measure velocity distributions in rotating impeller. Crystallization processes in three impellers with different blade outlet angles were investigated. Relations among crystallization and flow parameters such as temperature and velocity were obtained. With the same blade wrap angle, when blade outlet angle is larger, diffusion of single flow passage gets stronger, relative velocity at blade outlet decreases and large scale vortex tends to appear near the blade working surface. For the impact of volume effect of particle phase on fluid viscosity, both liquid and solid phase velocities decrease with continual forming and growing of crystal particles. Velocity of solid phase is greater than that of liquid phase and its direction leans more closely to blade working surface. Solid particles tend to move towards blade working surface, as is more obvious in the impeller with large blade outlet angle. Therefore, collision between solid particles with stem part of blade working surface is more intensive in impeller with large blade outlet angle. Concerning transportation of salt aqueous solution, accurate PIV measurement is conducted in centrifugal impellers with different blade outlet angles. The results are useful and instructive in relevant engineering design and operation.