Pressure Characteristics Optimization of Low-Speed Axial Pumps in the Aircraft Engine Power Systems with the Inlet Guide Vanes and J-Grooves Devices

Aeronautical and Space-Rocket Engineering


Аuthors

Shoronov S. V.

HMS Group, Moscow, Russian Federation

e-mail: shoronov-97@yandex.ru

Abstract

The article presents the two prospective methods that may be applied for the shape improving and pressure characteristics controlling of a low-velocity axial pump, namely the J-Grooves or inlet guide vanes installing.
Modern aircraft engines are being characterized by a wide range of thrust control that allows adapting to various flight conditions and maneuvering requirements. Axial pumps are often applied as booster pumps for the inlet pressure increasing and ensuring cavitation-free operation of the main engine pump of an aircraft. Thus, an important requirement, namely the multi-mode operation, is placed on these pumps. For the most part, the shape of energy characteristics of the low-speed pumps with axial impellers is non-monotonic (with the fall-in section). Ensuring a monotonically decreasing pressure characteristic of an axial flow pump is one of the main goals of pump design optimization.
The article presents practical recommendations on the J-Grooves with axial and inclined grooves design, based on the experimental data, which allows adjusting the shape of the pressure characteristic of a low-speed axial pump to the monotonously falling one. The results of studies of the of the inlet flow peripheral part pre-swirling at the inlet to the axial pump by the inlet guide vanes with various density are presented as well.
It was found that with various devices installing in the pump inlet line, the anti-cavitation qualities of the pump degrade in the area of the pressure characteristic non-monotonicity, which correlates with the pump pressure increase. The article gives recommendations on application of the studied j-Grooves and inlet guide vanes. For the pumps fastidious to the multi-mode operation, application of the J-Grooves devices with axial or inclined grooves for the non-monotonicity correction of the pressure characteristic is preferable. The inlet guide vanes application is possible, if necessary, to increase the head of the axial pump in the local area, if the required cavitation reserve allows this. Varying such design parameter as density (the number of blades of the inlet guide device) allows shifting the local zone of the pump pressure increase, which allows controlling the pressure characteristic. The studied inlet guide vanes and J-Grooves may be employed not only in the aviation and space industries, but in other fields as well.

Keywords:

axial pump, inlet guide vanes (IGV), J-Grooves, inlet vane device, flow swirling at the inlet

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