Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Performance of a Centrifugal Pump When Pumping Water and Light Crude Oil

In the oil and gas industry, crude oil is frequently transported and centrifugal pumps are used extensively. The pump impeller works under both design and off-design conditions in the applications, and the flow pattern deviates from the ideal case because of viscosity and density changes. An experimental as well as a numerical study was conducted to study the performance of a pump delivering water and light crude oil under design and off-design conditions. A 3D steady incompressible flow in the centrifugal pump was simulated by solving the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and SST turbulence model. At a low flow rate, extensive reverse flow occurs at the inlet of the impeller in the case of water, whereas the opposite was found for light crude oil. Recirculation was observed in the impeller flow passage for both water and the crude oil, but this diminished at higher flow rates.