To study the significance of internal pressure pulsation characteristics between prototype and model pump devices, monitoring of computational fluid dynamics and dynamic measurement of a model were carried out under different working conditions and measuring points. The results of computational fluid dynamics calculation and model test are as follows. First, the positions of main frequency and subfrequency are almost the same, whereas the amplitude has a slight deviation. Second, the amplitude of inlet impeller is larger, and the main frequency is three times of rotating frequency. Third, the inlet speaker has mainly low pulsation, which is almost distributed in blade frequency and 1/3 times of rotating frequency. Moreover, the pressure pulsation of symmetrical points in each condition has a good symmetry. As the flow rate decreases, both the mixing and blade frequency amplitudes in the inlet speaker and impeller first decrease and then increase. The minimum mixing amplitude appears in the design condition of 253 L/s, whereas the blade frequencies are 203 and 253 L/s. The numerical calculation results are almost the same as those of prototype and model devices. Therefore, numerical calculations and experimental studies on pressure pulsation can guide the design and stable operation of similar pump stations.

Low-head vertical axial-flow pump as turbine (PAT) devices play a vital part in the development of clean energy for hydropower in plain areas. The traditional method of evaluating the flow loss in hydraulic machinery is calculated by the pressure drop method, the limitation of which is that the location of the occurrence of large losses cannot be accurately determined. In this paper, entropy production theory is introduced to evaluate the irreversible losses in the axial-flow PAT from the perspective of the second law of thermodynamics. A three-dimensional model of the axial-flow PAT is established and solved numerically using the Reynolds time-averaged equation, and the turbulence model is adopted as Shear Stress Transport–Curvature Correction (SST-CC) model. The validity of the entropy production theory to evaluate the energy loss distribution of the axial-flow PAT is illustrated by comparing the flow loss calculated by the pressure drop and the entropy production theory, respectively. The entropy production by turbulent dissipative dominates the total entropy production in the whole flow conduit, and the turbulent dissipative entropy accounts for the smallest percentage of the whole conduit entropy production at the optimal working condition Q_bep, which is 51%. The impeller and the dustpan-shaped conduit are the essential sources of hydraulic loss in the entire flow conduit of the axial-flow PAT, and most of the energy loss of the impeller occurs at the blade leading edge, the trailing edge, and the flow separation zone near the suction surface. The energy loss of the dustpan-shaped conduit results from the high-speed flow from the impeller outlet to dustpan-shaped conduit to form a vortex, backflow and other chaotic flow patterns. Flow impact, flow separation, vortex and backflow are the main causes of high entropy production and energy loss.

The use of existing large pumping station equipment for upstream residual water reverse power generation is an unrealized yet valuable renewable energy project. At present, some large axial flow pump stations have begun to perform reverse power generation operations; however, related research has not yet started. In this paper, entropy generation theory is applied to a large-scale axial flow pump station system in reverse power generation operations, and the entropy generation method is used to investigate the accurate size and distribution of the mechanical energy dissipation of each component under different flow conditions. First, the energy characteristics and pressure fluctuations in the pump of the large axial flow pump station system are experimentally tested under reverse power generation conditions. The reliability of the entropy generation numerical calculation is verified both experimentally and theoretically. Then, the proportion of each component in the total entropy production is compared to illustrate how each component contributes to the total entropy production of the system and how this contribution changes as operating conditions vary. Then, the type of entropy production of each component is accurately determined under different flow conditions, revealing the changes in the proportions of the different types of entropy production of each component. Finally, components with large mechanical energy dissipations are selected, and the changes and causes of the energy dissipation distribution of the components are thoroughly analysed under different flow conditions. The research results can aid in better understanding the energy dissipation mechanism of large axial flow pump systems in reverse power generation operations.

As a low-head and non-drive pump, the head reduction and stall advance are the key factors that restrict the popularization and application of the full tubular pump (FTP). In this paper, the shear stress transport (SST) k-ω turbulence model is used for the numerical calculation of the FTP. Additionally, based on the entropy generation theory, the energy loss and main distribution zones of the FTP under all working conditions are analyzed, and the mechanism of inducing its stall advance is explored. By comparison, we found that there is little difference between the numerical simulation results and the model test. Turbulence entropy generation has a high proportion under small flow conditions, which is mainly reflected in the outlet flow separation zone of the suction surface of the impeller blade, the guide vane inlet zone where inlet deviation exists, and the trailing edge of the guide vane where the flow separation exists. Compared with the axial flow pump (AFP), when the flow rate decreases, the clearance reflow between the stator and rotor induces the deterioration of the flow at the impeller inlet, and the turbulent entropy generation in the impeller channel increases rapidly, making the FTP enter the stall zone ahead of time. The clearance backflow affects the flow pattern of the inlet pipe, making the turbulence entropy generation in the outlet area of the inlet pipe increase. The total entropy generation in the stator–rotor region is little affected by the pump flow conditions, and it is mainly affected by different stator–rotor backflow clearance dimensions. This study can provide a reference for exploring the energy loss of the FTP and revealing its stall characteristics.

In actual operation, axial flow pump stations are often used for various special purposes to meet changing needs. However, because the hydrodynamic characteristics of axial flow pump systems are still unclear when used for special purposes, there are many risks when pump systems are used for special purposes. To explore the hydrodynamic characteristics of an axial flow pump system under special utilization conditions, a high-precision full-feature test bench for an axial flow pump system is established in this paper. For the first time, an energy characteristics experiment and a pressure fluctuation measurement for a pump are carried out for a large axial flow pump system model under zero head, reverse pump and reverse power generation conditions. Then, ANSYS CFX software is used to solve the continuous equation and Reynolds average Navier–Stokes equation, combined with the SST k–ω turbulence model, and the characteristic curve and internal flow field of the pump system under special conditions are obtained. Finally, the numerical simulation results are compared with the experimental results. The results show that the velocity gradient distribution in the pump is uniform under the near zero head condition (NZHC), and there is no obvious flow collision and reflux phenomenon in the pump. Compared with the designed condition (DC), the peak-to-peak value (PPV) of pressure pulsation at the inlet of the impeller decreased by 67.16%, and the PPV at the outlet of the impeller decreased by 8.14% at H = 0 m. The maximum value of the main frequency amplitude (MFA) in the impeller area appears at the impeller inlet. Under reverse pump conditions (RPC), the phenomenon of unstable flow in the pump system is obvious, and a large range of recirculation zones appears in the nonworking face of the blade. Compared with the DC, the PPV of the impeller inlet at the optimal point of RPC increased by 122.61%, and the impeller outlet PPV increased by 11.37%. The maximum value of MFA in the impeller area appears at the impeller inlet. Under the reverse power generation condition (RPGC), no obvious flow separation was found in the nonworking face of the impeller. Compared to the DC, the PPV of the impeller inlet at the optimal point of the RPGC increased by 65.34%, and the PPV of the impeller outlet increased by 206.40%.

The large axial flow pump systems used in coastal pump stations are often required to add flap valves to the gates to improve the quality of the transition process. However, due to the unclear mechanism of the additional flap valve on the transition process of the large axial flow pump system, there are many difficulties in the design and application of this feature. In this paper, six kinds of flap valves with different areas are designed. On the basis of the secondary development of the Flomaster software, the transient simulation method is used to study the impact of flap valves with different areas on the large axial flow pump system synchronous start-up process, the asynchronous start-up process, the synchronous stop process and the asynchronous stop process. The research results show that when the AOF is less than 38% A_g during the asynchronous startup, increasing the AOF can significantly improve the shunt ability of the flap valve during startup. However, in the process of asynchronous starting, the working capacity of the flap valve is less affected by the AOF. During the asynchronous shutdown process, the additional flap valve can effectively delay the attenuation of the LAPS flow and reduce the instantaneous head and power. However, when the AOF reaches 38% A_g, further increasing the AOF has no obvious gain in reducing the maximum instantaneous head and power of the LAPS. When the AOF increases from 38% A_g to 49% A_g, the maximum instantaneous head and the power of the LAPS only decrease by 2.7% and 1.4%, respectively.