Numerical Modelling and Experimental Validation of Twin-Screw Pumps Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics using SCORG^® and SIMERICS MP+^®

¹ University of Naples Federico II, Department of Industrial Engineering, Via Claudio, 21 - 80125 Naples, Italy
² University of Sannio, Department of Engineering, Piazza Roma, 21 – 82100 Benevento, Italy
³ Omiq s.r.l., Via Serviliano Lattuada, 31 - 20135 Milano, Italy

^* Corresponding author: pasquale.borriello@unina.it

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology for simulating screw pumps using a 3D-CFD transient approach. It is known in literature that the advantages of screw pumps in noise emission, reliability, and their capacity to work with any kind of fluid make their applications interesting for many fields. Increasing demands for high-performance screw pumps require a deep understanding of the flow field inside the machine. The investigation is performed by use of a 3D computational fluid dynamics analysis based on a single-domain structured moving mesh obtained by novel grid generation procedure through the commercial software SCORG. The real-time mass flow rate, rotor torque, pressure distribution, velocity field, and other performance indicators including the indicated power were obtained from numerical simulations performed in the SimericsMP+ environment. The performance curves of the numerical model were produced for variable rotation speeds and discharge pressures and compared with experimental data with high accuracy. The pressure distribution in the screw groove is relatively uniform, the screw clearance and the meshing area pressure are different from the screw groove pressure distribution. The results demonstrate that the speed does not have a considerable effect on the pressure field. At last, the numerical model was validated by comparing the numerical results with the measured performance obtained in the experimental test rig through the comprehensive experiment performed for a set of discharge pressures and rotational speeds. The model has shown to predict pressure variation and flow rate with good accuracy.