Lumped Parameter and Three-Dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of a Variable Displacement Vane Pump for Engine Lubrication

The paper describes the modeling and the experimental tests of a variable displacement vane pump for engine lubrication. The approach used for the simulation has involved three-dimensional (3D) commercial tools for tuning a zero-dimensional (0D) customized model implemented in the LMS Amesim VR environment. Different leakage paths are considered and the axial clearances are variable to take into account the deformation of the pump cover, calculated through a finite element analysis with ANSYS. The vane tip clearances are calculated as function of the dynamic equilibrium equation of the vanes. The displacement control takes into account the internal forces on the stator due to the pressure in all variable chambers and to the contact force exerted by the vanes. The discharge coefficients in the resistive components have been tuned by means of a complete 3D transient model of the pump built with PumpLinx VR. The tuned 0D model has been proved to be reliable for the determination of the steady-state flow-speed and flow-pressure curves, with a correct estimation of the internal leakages and of the pressure imposed by the displacement control. The pump has been also tested using a simplified circuit, and a fair agreement has been found in the evaluation of the delivery pressure ripple.