Improving the Performance of an Axial Flow Pump: An Overview

Thus far, axial flow pumps remain a significant hydrodynamic unit. These pumps have common applications for various systems that require a high flow rate and a lower head. They tend to be less efficient and consume excessive power when operating at low flow conditions. Most of the studies focus on improving the hydraulic performance of these pumps based on the best efficiency point (BEP) flow conditions. This approach is mostly based on the assumption that the pump will always operate at BEP. However, this is not always the case, because the operational condition of the pump may require an adjustment to meet certain system demands. Hence, it is necessary to emphasize the need to improve the hydraulic performance of these pumps for multiple flow conditions. This means that in addition to BEP, the lowest, and the highest operational conditions need to be considered when improving the pump performance. Also, it is important to review the phenomenon of cavitation in every design optimization investigation, given its significance to pump performance and some misrepresentation which are sometimes associated with its assessment. Therefore. the main contribution of this article is to briefly discuss the successful and unsuccessful design optimization methods of an axial flow pump. Furthermore, it highlights the significance of improving the pump performance at multiple flow conditions and also to incorporate the analysis of using CFD methods to analyze the results of cavitation performance in every pump performance improvement investigation.