Fluid-structure coupling effects on periodically transient flow of a single-blade sewage centrifugal pump

A partitioned fluid-structure interaction (FSI) solving strategy that depends on problem characteristics is applied to quantitatively obtain the coupling effects of a fluid-structure system in a single-blade centrifugal pump on the unsteady flow. A two-way coupling method is employed to realize strong FSI effects in the calculation procedure. The successful impeller oscillation measurement using two proximity sensors validated the FSI simulation accuracy in a complicated and practical fluid-structure system having a rotating component. The results show that the hydrodynamic force deviation can be observed in the results for the coupled versus uncoupled cases. Additionally, the coupled unsteady pressure is larger than the uncoupled value for every monitoring point at every impeller rotation position. Comparison results for different monitoring points under an overload condition and partial-load condition display the same regularities. To some extent, this interaction mechanism would affect the accuracy and reliability of the unsteady flow and rotor deflection analysis.