To study the energy loss characteristics of a semi-open mixed-flow multiphase pump, an improved entropy generation theory considering the slip velocity was established to locate local areas with high energy loss. The relationships among local entropy generation, phase interface entropy generation, wall entropy generation, and unstable flow were analyzed for each component. The results showed that magnitude of interface entropy generation was similar to turbulent entropy generation and wall entropy generation, which could not be ignored. The interface entropy generation was mainly distributed at the leading edge, trailing edge, hub, and blade tip clearance. With an increased inlet gas volume fraction, the proportion of interfacial entropy production loss to total entropy production loss increased. As the inlet gas volume fraction increased to 30%, the interface entropy generation loss accounted for 70% of the local entropy generation loss at leading edge and 63% at trailing edge. The high interface entropy generation zone at the tip clearance region began to extend from the pressure side of the blade to the suction side of the blade. During the evolution of tip leakage vortex, the generation, unstable stretching, and breakup–regeneration stages were accompanied by a large loss of interface entropy generation.

Discrete tip injection is an effective method to enhance stability of compressors. This study compares the effects of injection parameters on compressor performance and underlying mechanisms in two different compressors. The transonic compressor is studied using unsteady simulations, and the subsonic compressor is mainly investigated with experiments. Results show that tip injection improves stable operating range by 35.6% and 77.9% for the transonic compressor and subsonic compressor, respectively, without decreasing compressor efficiency. The effects of circumferential coverage percentage and injector throat height on compressor stability are similar in the two compressors when the injection velocity is double the velocity of the main flow. The optimal injector throat height which is normalized by the tip clearance size is the same for the two compressors, and the best circumferential coverage percentage for the subsonic compressor is lower than that in the transonic compressor. For the two compressors, the adaption of the main flow to the discrete tip injection is unsteady, and the hysteresis effect that the recovery of tip blockage lags behind the recovery of tip leakage vortex accounts for the improved stability using partial coverage of injection. The injection efficiency, which is defined to quantify the improved quality of the flow field in the injection domain, is proven to determine the stall limits by studying the effects of different injection parameters. The guidelines built in the subsonic compressor can be used in the transonic compressor to design tip injection, but the optimal values of some injection parameters should be reconfirmed.

In the petroleum industry, multiphase transport pumps are a crucial technology for petroleum extraction. Therefore, the pressure fluctuation and internal-flow characteristics of multiphase transport pumps with different inlet-gas-volume fractions (IGVFs) have become an important research topic. Studying the pressure fluctuation and its effects on the performance of mixed-transport pumps under different IGVFs is significant for improving the running stability of pumps. In this work, steady and transient flow with different IGVFs was solved using the Navier–Stokes equation applied to a structured grid and the Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence model. The effects of IGVFs on the pressure pulsation and the performance of a three-stage, mixed-transport pump were studied. Results indicated that the numerical calculation results agreed well with the experimental data. The numerical method could predict the gas and liquid two-phase flow in the mixed-transport pump accurately. The pressure increase of this pump decreased with the increased flow quantity and the IGVFs. The efficiency improvement of the pump was limited by the increasing the flow rate. Under the rated-flow condition, a quantitative relationship was established between the relative discharge of the IGVF and the decrease in the pump head; when the IGVF exceeded 15%, the pressurization capacity decreased by more than 30%. Along the blade centerline direction, the pressure fluctuation amplitude near the suction surface of the impeller blade head gradually increased. Numerical simulation results showed that the dominant frequency of the pressure fluctuation of the impeller and diffuser was ten and seven times that of the rotation frequency, respectively. Thus, the IGVFs greatly influenced the dominant frequency of the pressure fluctuation. The air in the impeller primarily piled up at the suction surface of the blade head near the front cover. Under a centrifugal force, water was pushed to the back cover plate, making the gas-volume fraction near the front cover plate higher. Consequently, the distribution of gas content in the impeller became uneven. On the blade suction surface near the front cover plate, a low-velocity area caused by flow separation was generated, which further affected the pressure pulsation in the impeller. There were obvious vortices in the diffuser, and the vortex position had a tendency to move toward the inlet of the diffuser with an increased gas content. The flow pattern in the impeller was consistent, which indicated the great transport performance of this pump. In conclusion, through numerical simulation and experimental research, this study revealed the effects of the IGVFs on the performance and pressure pulsation of a mixed-transport pump under a gas–liquid two-phase flow condition. Our findings may serve as a guide for the optimization of a multiphase pump.

The flow in mixed-flow pumps under gas–liquid operating conditions is complex, involving special phenomena such as secondary flow and bubble breakup and coalescence. As a result, its pressure fluctuation characteristic is far different from that under pure water conditions. In this work, the energy performance, pressure fluctuation characteristics, and flow pattern under different inlet gas volume fractions (IGVFs) are studied through a visualization test in a mixed-flow pump. The air pocket forms easily close to the suction side of diffuser vanes, where two pressure fluctuation monitoring points are set up. The pressure increment decreases continuously when the IGVF increases, and the flow pattern shows a transition from bubble, condensed bubble, and air pocket to separated flow. Moreover, the pressure fluctuation amplitude and peak-to-peak values increase. The main frequency under different IGVFs is maintained as the blade passing frequency. When the IGVF increases to 15%, the peak-to-peak amplitude at P1 reaches the maximum, which is 2.24 times that of the pure water condition. Some amplitudes at one frequency fluctuate at different times when the IGVF is higher than 10%. The findings contribute theoretical support in improving the stability of multiphase pumps.