Numerical investigation of flow patterns in different pump intake systems

A 3-D numerical model for pump intake is established based on the Navier-Stokes equations with the RNG k – ɛ turbulence model and the VOF method to simulate the free surface. The applicability of the proposed model is validated by a test case of non-symmetric pump-intake bay. The predicted locations, structures and shapes of all vortices are in good agreement with those observed in experiments, though with some differences in vorticity strengths. The flow pattern and the efficiency of five types of pump intake systems are studied. The discharge and the velocity uniformity of the intake system are used as indices to evaluate its performance.