Theoretical model of energy performance prediction and BEP determination for centrifugal pump as turbine

Abstract Pump as Turbine (PAT) is an effective alternative of power generation for small hydropower system. Since the characteristic curves under turbine mode are not supplied by manufacturer of pumps, the theoretical model for energy performance of centrifugal turbomachinery under pump and turbine modes is proposed by means of detailed modeling of losses inside hydraulic machinery. Based on the theoretical model, a flowrate-based iteration method is proposed to determine the best efficiency point (BEP) under turbine mode. In order to validate the accuracy of established theoretical model, case studies are carried out under three centrifugal pumps, with the specific speed varied from 103 to 187, and the predicted results by theoretical model are compared with experimental measurements and numerical simulations. It is found that the average relative variations for prediction of pump head and efficiency are 6.12% and 5.51%, respectively, and they are 5.40% and 3.63% for turbine head and efficiency, which is of sufficient accuracy for engineering practice. The predicted BEP under turbine mode is also of great accuracy, with relative variation of 1.28% on average. In addition, the PAT performance as well as losses under pump and turbine modes have been analyzed in detail.