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Computational fluid dynamics integrated development of gerotor pump inlet components for engine lubrication
M Suresh Kumar and K Manonmani Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering 2010 224: 1555 DOI: 10.1243/09544070JAUTO1594 The online version of this article can be found at: http://pid.sagepub.com/content/224/12/1555

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Computational fluid dynamics integrated development of gerotor pump inlet components for engine lubrication
M Suresh Kumar1* and K Manonmani2 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Anna University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Government College of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India The manuscript was received on 8 April 2010 and was accepted after revision for publication on 11 June 2010. DOI: 10.1243/09544070JAUTO1594

Abstract: Generated rotor (gerotor) pumps are widely used in the automotive industry for engine oil lubrication. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can be utilized as a useful design tool not only to optimize the flow performance of gerotor pumps but also to develop and finalize specifications for the gerotor pump inlet components. In this paper, a CFD integrated development process for the gerotor pump inlet components such as the suction pipe, strainer, and ports has been executed using a three-dimensional transient mathematical model. The effects of the rotor speed, strainer porosity, and number of ports on the pump performance have been investigated. The results showed that the inlet pipe size, the free area ratio of the strainer, and the sizing of the ports have vital roles in the suction capacity, flow velocity, and volumetric efficiency of the gerotor pump. The selected pump components based on CFD simulation were validated using physical test data, and good agreement was found. Keywords: gerotor, computational fluid dynamics, suction pipe, strainer, ports

INTRODUCTION

Generated rotor (gerotor) pumps are internal rotary positive-displacement pumps in which the outer rotor has one tooth more than the inner rotor. The gear profiles have a cycloidal shape. Both are meshed in conjugate to each other [1]. Gerotor pumps are commonly used for cooling, lubrication, and filtration systems, for pumping liquids such as oil, transmission fluid, and fuel. They provide high volumetric efficiency and smooth pumping action and they work well with a wide range of fluid viscosities. In a gerotor pump, the fluid is sucked into the inlet port through inlet passageways and shifted from the inlet port to the outlet port. If one portion of the cavity opens because of the relative movement of the gears, that is filled by the liquid. As rotation continues, that portion of the cavity becomes closed so that the liquid is
*Corresponding author: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Anna University, Jothi Puram, Coimbatore-641 037, Tamil Nadu, India. email: msureshkumar01@yahoo.com
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squeezed out. Then this liquid enters into an adjacent portion that starts to open owing to the pressure difference [2]. After fixing the basic dominant design parameters of the gerotor oil pump body, it is essential to decide the parameters of the suction and discharge lines with respect to the dimensions of other engine components in order to correlate all the parameters. The selection of the suction pipe for an oil pump such as a gerotor is highly critical as it plays a vital role in obtaining a better suction head, which is the minimum pressure required at the suction port of the pump to avoid cavitation and to provide smooth functioning at high speeds. Proper design of this pipe will help to avoid undesired phenomena such as a low net inlet pressure, cavitation, excessive noise and vibration, vaporization of oil, and reduced volumetric efficiency due to leakages. If the oil flow through the intake and the interior of the case is not optimal, a restricted and non-uniform flow will be developed, reducing the efficiency of oil replenishment in the pump [3]. Therefore, it was decided to conduct a study on the flow behaviour inside the suction pipe to
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address the large oil supply needs of an engine in a compact space. The strainer fitted at the bottom of the inlet suction pipe also contributes to the smooth functioning of the pump as it has a mesh screen suitable for straining large particles from the oil and yet passes a sufficient quantity of oil to the inlet side of the oil pump. The pressure pulsation due to the gear geometry mainly occurs in the instant that the chamber of the gerotor enters the delivery port and leaves the suction port. Such pressure pulsations or ripples result in undesirable vibration and noise of pump components as well as cavitation in the hydraulic system. Therefore, it is very important to examine the pressure characteristics of the gerotor pump due to the design, position, and number of ports [4]. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis can be used as a cost-effective design tool not only to optimize the flow performance of gerotor pump but also to develop and finalize specifications of the gerotor pump inlet components such as the inlet pipe, strainer, and ports. CFD analysis provides insights into the flow behaviour inside the pump that cannot be captured in physical testing. This technique predicts the flowrate for different outlet pressures or vice versa, bubble formation, recirculation of flow, cavitation, torque to be delivered by the electric motor, pressure on the seals, forces exerted by fluids on the shafts, and fluid-borne noise [5]. In this paper, a comprehensive CFD analysis was carried out to predict the flow performance of both the gerotor pump and its components at different outlet pressures and rotor speeds. The work was carried out by fitting, first, inlet pipes with different diameters to check the suction and pump-filling effects, second, strainers with different porosities for monitoring the clogging and filtering capacities, and, third, a port cover with either a single inlet or double inlets for streamlining the flow.

Table 1 Specifications of the gerotor pump


Rotor diameter Rotor thickness Number of pockets Lobe area Suction volume (pipe inside diameter, 18 mm; length, 200 mm) Face clearance between the rotors and the pump cover Clearance between the outer rotor and the pump body Clearance between the shaft and the pump body Tightening torque of the cover-fixing screws 49.13 mm 21 mm 4 154.18 mm2 160 cm3 0.0250.073 mm 0.0250.073 mm per side 0.0080.0305 mm per side 56 N m

continuously in the range between 1594 r/min and 6579 r/min. Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional (3D) model of the pump created by using the computeraided design (CAD) software Pro-Engineer, and Fig. 2 exhibits the internal construction of the inner and outer rotors inside the body of the pump.

2.1

Inlet suction pipe size

METHODOLOGY

The suction piping design is more important as many pump-related problems are caused by poor suction conditions. The function of the suction piping is to supply an evenly distributed flow of liquid to the pump suction, with sufficient pressure to the pump to avoid excessive cavitation. The suction pipe should never be smaller than the suction connection of the pump and in most cases should be at least one size larger. Suction pipes should be as short and as straight as possible [6]. In this study, two standard sizes of suction pipe (15.85 mm and 19 mm) were chosen for final selection after reviewing all other constraints such as the accommodation, space availability, and dimensional factors of the engine lubrication system. These pipes were fitted with gerotor pump inlet ports at one end and a strainer at the other end. Figure 3 displays the real component of the suction pipe assembly used for testing.

A detailed description of the methodology used for CFD analysis and physical testing of gerotor pump components is presented in this section. The gerotor pump model used for this study was developed in house and had similar proportions to commercially available gerotor pumps; that part of the work is not discussed here. Table 1 shows the specification of the gerotor pump used for this study. The gerotor pump is made of stainless steel for the gear rotors and cast iron for the gear housing and consists of four basic components: the casing, the driving gear, the driven gear, and the end plates. The pump operates at 24 bar
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Fig. 1

Gerotor pump model with its cover


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which is expected to improve the filtering capacity. Figure 4 shows the construction of the strainer assembly used in the automotive lubrication systems.

2.3

Number of ports

Fig. 2

Inner construction of the rotors

2.2

Strainer porosity

The strainer assemblies normally used are either a floating or a fixed type. A fixed strainer is simply an inverted funnel-like device, placed about 1225 mm from the bottom of the oil pan. This device prevents any sludge or dirt that has accumulated from entering and circulating through the system. The assembly is attached solidly to the oil pump in a fixed position. The porosity of the strainer fitted at the bottom of the inlet suction pipe for cases 1 to 10 (Table 2) was simulated with a strainer having a 3 mm opening with 23 per cent free area ratio (FAR), which is the ratio of the open area to the total area of a porous medium. Since this size of strainer was used for an existing pump, it was decided to continue with the same size initially. However, the size was changed to 40 mm opening with FARs of 33 per cent and 43 per cent,

The design of the ports in the gerotor pump is used to control the pressure ripples and consequent effects such as the noise and structural rigidity. The pump cover with inlet ports streamline the flow inside the pump and mean that recirculation of the flow is avoided. A pressure drop occurs from the inlet port to the pumping chamber owing to the inertia of the fluid, the centrifugal forces of the rotors, and the axial and tangential forces. The design of the suction passage imposes limits on the pressure that must be available at the inlet port of the pump and also on the maximum speed at which the pump can effectively operate. Both single- and double-port covers were chosen to study the effect on the pump performance. Figures 5 and 6 show the configurations of the singleand double-port covers respectively used for this study. These port configurations of the pump were tested together with both 15.85 mm and 19 mm inlet suction pipes with strainers having 23 per cent FAR.

EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP

The basic performance tests performed for this gerotor pump are as follows: a test demonstrating free movement of the rotors, a priming test, static and dynamic leak tests, and a flow performance test for the operating conditions specified in Table 2. Figure 7 shows the schematic diagram of the performance test rig used for this study, and Table 3 lists the properties of the oil, the range of pump pressures, and the speeds of the rotors employed for testing. The different testing procedures followed to evaluate the performance of the pump are described briefly in this section.

3.1

Test demonstrating free movement of the rotors

Fig. 3
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Gerotor pump suction pipe assembly

A test was conducted to check the gentle and smooth rotation of the pump to ensure proper functioning of the rotors while carrying the fluid from the inlet to the outlet. A rotation-checking fixture was used to ensure free movement of the rotors and to identify jerks in the rotation. The free movement of the rotors was verified by feeling the fixture by hand, and it was confirmed that there was no jerking in the rotary movement of the rotors.
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Table 2
Case 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Description of pipe

Operating conditions
Outlet pressure (bar) 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 1.6 2.5 3.2 1.6 2.5 3.2 Speed of rotors (r/min) 4465, 4465, 4465, 4465, 1594, 2552, 6579, 1594, 2552, 6579, 3572 3572 3572 3572 1273 2042 4083 1273 2042 4083

15.85 mm inlet pipe with a single-port cover 15.85 mm inlet pipe with a double-port cover 19 mm inlet pipe with a single-port cover 19 mm inlet pipe with a double-port cover 19 mm inlet pipe with a single-port cover 19 mm inlet pipe with a single-port cover 19 mm inlet pipe with a single-port cover 19 mm inlet pipe with a double-port cover 19 mm inlet pipe with a double-port cover 19 mm inlet pipe with a double-port cover

3.2

Priming test

After completion of the test demonstrating free movement of the rotors, a priming test was performed to check the presence of entrained air in the flow path and to test the effect of air bubbles on smooth pumping of the lubricating oil to the engine. The experimental circuit used for this testing was as in Fig. 7 except for the flow-measuring unit. The specification

criteria set for this test was that a discharge pressure of 6 bar should be achieved within 12 s. As such, the pump to be tested was washed and dried at a temperature of 80 uC for 10 min, and all oil traces were removed from the inner side of the pump, the intake, and the delivery pipes. The pump was operated at a speed of 4500 r/min with a 15W40 lubricating oil as the flow medium at room temperature. The outlet pipe was blocked by completely closing the pressureregulating valve, and no leakage through the outlet was ensured. An electric motor was run at the prescribed speed, and the time taken for the discharge pressure to reach 6 bar was recorded. As the time line was met well within 10.5 s, the priming capacity of the pump was found to qualify for the present requirements.

3.3

Static and dynamic leak tests

Fig. 4

Gerotor pump oil strainer assembly

Static and dynamic leak tests were conducted on the pump to inspect for leakage losses before carrying out a characterization test so that these losses can be accounted for when calculating the system efficiency. As such, the pump speed was kept idle during the static leak test and air was applied for 2 min at a testing pressure of 4 bar. Then, the presence of air bubbles in the seal zones was checked for by applying turpentine oil to this area and it was ascertained that

Fig. 5

Cover for the single-port configuration

Fig. 6

Cover for the double-port configuration


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Fig. 7

Schematic diagram of the test circuit

there were no air bubbles. Meanwhile, the pump was running at 6500 r/min during the dynamic leak test at the same testing pressure and room temperature for 2 min, and it was confirmed that there was no leakage in the seal zone and no slipping of the seal.

3.4

Flow characterization test

A flow characterization test was conducted to measure the flowrate and the delivery pressure for different pump speeds. The total suction head maintained was 0.0225 bar and the minimum submergence of the inlet pipe inside the tank was 17.5 mm. The specification set for this test was that flow variation between free discharge and 4 bar delivery pressure should be within 25 per cent for pump speeds less than 2000 r/min and within 15 per cent for pump speeds more than or equal to 2000 r/min. An electric motor with the required power capacity which was coupled to the pump shaft for rotating the inner and the outer rotors
Table 3
Oil grade Viscosity at 40 uC Viscosity at 100 uC Density at 15 uC Speed Pressure Flowrate Ambient temperature

was used for this test. The flow meter and pressure gauge were fitted at the outlet of the system to measure the flowrate and the delivery pressure respectively. The flow-regulating valve was operated between the fully opened and the shut-off condition to extract the characteristic curve between the flowrate and the pressure for the tested pump. Figure 8 shows the results of the flow characterization test at different rotor speeds. The flow variation between the free discharge pressure and the delivery pressure of 4 bar realized was less than 15 per cent for the 2500 r/min, 4500 r/min, and 6500 r/min speeds, and less than 25 per cent for the 1500 r/min speed. Since the flow variation was achieved within the set criteria for the defined range of speeds, the performance of the pump was declared to be fit for further use.

CFD MODELLING

Test conditions
SAE 15W-40-CH 0.000 124 7 m2/s 0.000 015 2 m2/s 885 kg/m3 30006500 r/min Up to 4 bar Up to 72 l/min at 6500 r/min 40100 uC

This section illustrates the procedure followed for building a mathematical model, discretization of a computational domain, assigning motion to rotating rotors, porous modelling, and CFD solver set-up. Cfdesign [7], a design-oriented CFD modelling code with a moving dynamic meshing capability, was selected to investigate the flow behaviour in the gerotor pump. Although the complexity of analysis is inherent in all positive-displacement pumps, the gerotor pump poses an exceptional challenge in numerical
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Fig. 8 Flow characterization test

modelling that requires a single fluid domain. This fluid domain was created by considering the cavity inside the geometry by utilizing the CAD modelling package Pro-Engineer.

At the outlet port, pressure 5 1.6 bar(gauge), 2.5 bar (gauge), 3.1 bar(gauge), and 3.2 bar(gauge)

4.2 4.1 Governing equations

Mathematical model

The assumptions made in the present analysis are as follows. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. The fluid is Newtonian and incompressible. The fluid is initially stationary. The flow is 3D and transient. The flow is turbulent. Body forces acting on the fluid are negligible. The fluid is isothermal and has constant properties.

Based on these assumptions, the governing equations used are the continuity and NavierStokes equations for the conservation of mass and the conservation of momentum respectively. Energy equations are not considered because heat transfer is not of interest in this study. The initial condition is At time t ( 0, velocity 5 0 The boundary conditions are On the casing wall, V 5 0 On the gear surfaces, V 5 Vs At the inlet port, pressure 5 0 bar (gauge)
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The computational model was built such that external structural parts were removed and simplified to reduce the complexity of the problem and the solution time. The inlet and outlet of the pipe were extended with two additional caps to obtain fully developed parabolic flow and to reduce entry and exit losses. The domain was discretized into 1.56106 tetrahedral cells together with three prismatic boundary layers to capture the flow behaviour along the walls. A grid independence study was conducted to obtain the mesh convergence before starting a parametric study by matching the test data. Considering the fairly good agreement and saving in central processing unit (CPU) time, a mesh count of 1.56106 was selected for future analyses. The details of the grid independence study are provided in Table 4.

4.3

Motion assignment and porous modelling

The motion module of the Cfdesign was enabled to assign the rotary movement of the two rotors. It was assumed that the fluid that comes into contact with a solid will take on the instantaneous velocity at the
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Table 4
Mesh count (6106) Experiment 1 1.5 2

Grid independence study


Change in the flowrate (%) 6.327 1.763 1.727 CPU time (h) 72 102 148

Flowrate (l/min) 55.00 51.52 54.03 54.05

point of contact. It was expected that some pressure pulses will be generated in the pump by air bubble formation, compression, and disintegration, and also by fluid inertial forces. As such, the fluctuation in the speed of the rotors in accordance with these fluid pressure pulses is considered when assigning motion to the rotors. The preview of the motion of the rotors was visualized before solving to ensure the correct movement of the rotors. Strainer modelling incorporates an empirically determined flow resistance in the flow domain called porous and a momentum sink was added to the governing momentum equations. This helps to convert the repeated hole patterns in thin walls into an equivalent opening area out of the total area. This simplification was necessary to save time and cost as modelling all the holes in the simulation would increase the mesh count and solution time. Strainers with FARs of 23 per cent, 33 per cent, and 43 per cent were used in this study to find the pressure drop, capillary rise, and clogging capability respectively. The pressure drop in a porous medium is calculated using the Darcy law DP~ K rU 2 2 1

simulation with such a small time step will require more solving time to reach convergence after flow stabilization is achieved. As such, the pump will have to run for five to six full revolutions of the rotors to reach flow stabilization so that the time taken for the simulation will be longer. As a segregated solver was selected for solving, each of the governing equations was solved sequentially. Since the governing equations are non-linear, they were solved iteratively by using a Picard or successive substitution method. In this method, estimates of the solution variables (u, v, w, and P) were substituted into the governing equations. The equations were solved for new values, which are then used as the estimates for the next pass. The solver either performed a fixed number of these global iterations or checked for the convergence criterion which is the level that the specified variables residual norm should reach.

5 5.1

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Inlet suction pipe

4.4

Solving parameters

The transient flow equations were discretized by implicit schemes so that the iterations had to run for every time step which is the ratio of the average mesh (cell) size to the translational speed. A dimensionless number called the Courant number C was used to define the time step according to Dt~ C Dx u 2

The time step chosen for the motion analysis was of the order of 1027 after ensuring that this value should not be larger than the time that it takes for a moving cell to advance past a stationary point. Such a small time step for solving the temporal terms of governing equations will be more effective to capture the flow gradients along the pump walls accurately. However,
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The gerotor pump model fitted with inlet suction pipes of selected diameters 15.85 mm and 19 mm was simulated for rotor speeds of 1594 r/min, 2552 r/min, 4465 r/min, and 6579 r/min, and the flowrates for the corresponding speeds were predicted. Figures 9 and 10 show the time variations in the flowrate and the pressure ripples respectively for both the CFD model and the experimental values. The behaviour patterns of the parameters with respect to time were similar for both cases with a time difference of 0.2 ms in a span of 6 ms. Moreover, the same pattern was repeated for the subsequent cycles also to ensure that the developed CFD model has a good correlation with the real model. Figures 11 and 12 show the flowrates for different speeds for a single-port configuration and a doubleport configuration respectively. The results showed a slight increase in flowrate through the 19 mm pipe in comparison with the 15.85 mm pipe due to a larger suction pressure head. At a speed of 1500 r/min, the flowrate difference between the pipes is 5 per cent and, for speeds of 2500 r/min and 3500 r/min, the flowrate difference between the pipes is 9 per cent. However, flow started to choke after 4500 r/min in the 15.85 mm pipe, and this led to flow starvation in the pump. Even though the capillary rise in the 15.85 mm pipe is relatively good, choking of the flow after 4500 r/ min reduced the flowrate by 25 per cent. This will affect the engine cooling effectiveness at higher speeds as this pump was not able to suck oil from the sump required for lubricating the engine because
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Fig. 9

Variation in the flowrate with time

of the flow resistance in the suction pipe. Figure 13 shows the pressure drop details for each flowrate for the pump with the double-port structure. The pressure drop was lower for all conditions in the 19 mm pipe as it is inversely proportional to the diameter of pipe according to the HagenPoiseuille law.

This gerotor pump maintained a constant flow up to its maximum pressure of 3.2 bar owing to the nature of the positive-displacement pumps. In a positive-displacement pump, the flow is directly related to the rotor speed and the pressure by the restriction of the flow in the discharge line. Once the system pressure is

Fig. 10 Variation in the pressure with time


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Fig. 11

Rotor speed versus flowrate for a single port

set, any change in the flow will result in a change in the pressure. These changes in the flow can occur from certain conditions in the pump inlet line, in the pump itself, in the pump drive, or in the pump discharge line.

The inlet conditions are often one of the first places to investigate when a system loses pressure. Suction pipe velocities were maintained in the range 1.66.5 m/s for different rotor speeds. This is the basic

Fig. 12 Rotor speed versus flowrate for two ports


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Fig. 13 Relationship between the flowrate and the pressure drop

requirement for smooth functioning of the pump as higher velocities increase the friction loss and result in troublesome air or vapour separation in the suction pipe. An additional cap was modelled to reduce the entry and exit losses and to achieve fully developed parabolic flow on the suction side. This may be further complicated when bends are located adjacent to the pump suction port, because an uneven flow pattern or vapour separation keeps the liquid from evenly filling the chambers. This upsets hydraulic balance, leading to vibration, possible cavitation, and excessive shaft deflection. An uneven flow distribution is characterized by strong local currents, swirls, and/or excessive entrained air. One bend was necessary for the inlet piping system owing to space constraints. This bend caused more frictional losses and recirculation in the 15.85 mm pipe than in the 19 mm pipe. The area where the suction pipe connects the inlet port is very critical as ports act as a vital point for connecting the flow of sucked oil and pockets formed by rotation of the rotors inside the pump body. The mechanism by which the fluid leaves the inlet port and reaches the outlet port causes pressure pulsations and ripples. During this time, a complete change in the fluid volume occurs within the pump during the shaft rotation. Incomplete filling of the pumping chamber with liquid occurred because of the low pressure at the pump intake port, the high
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resistance in the suction duct at high speeds, and the possible undesired presence of entrained air in the suction fluid. Given the limitations of the 15.85 mm suction pipe in terms of the flowrate, pressure drop, frictional losses, and choked flow, it was decided to continue with the 19 mm pipe having a 0.5 mm thickness and a 200 mm length for the next phase of the design process. Improper submergence of the pump suction line can cause a vortex, which is a swirling funnel of air from the surface directly into the pump suction pipe. In addition to submergence, the location of the pipe in the sump and the actual dimensions of the sump are also important in preventing vortices and/ or excess turbulence.

5.2

Strainer porosity

The simulations were performed with a strainer of 3 mm opening size and 23 per cent FAR for most cases initially for both the 15.85 mm and the 19 mm pipe. This specified strainer was used for earlier versions of the gerotor pump and the same size was utilized as the effect of the inlet suction pipe performance was known. However, there were some clogging issues as dust particles of size less than 3 mm entered with the air and caused troubles in suction and chamber filling, which led to noise and bubble formation. This
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may also cause wear of the rotors, thereby reducing the life of the rotors. On considering this, a 40 mm strainer with 33 per cent and 43 per cent FARs was used for simulation and tested to find the impact on the sucking efficiency of the inlet pipe and gerotor pump. There was an improvement in the flowrate by nearly 1 l/min when the opening area was increased by 2343 per cent. All these tests were conducted at a pump speed of 6500 r/min so that the phenomenon of flow starvation could be studied in detail. Figure 14 shows the correlation between the strainer porosity and the flowrate at a pump speed of 6500 r/min. The high porosity of the strainer increased the flowrate and created a slight drop in the pressure. All liquids should be filtered before entering the pump to minimize wear of the pump. The entry of solid particles can result in cavitation and erratic or diminishing pressure. Use of a strainer having a FAR from 40 per cent to 50 per cent was recommended in order to avoid blockage of the flow in the case when fluid is entering with a low suction pressure based on the simulation results. A slight deviation was realized between physical testing and CFD simulation at high speeds. This deviation happened because of the real-time factors such as the entry of tiny solid particles (4050 mm size) through the strainer into the suction pipe and the compressibility of entrained air inside the fluid, if any. This phenomenon of solid- and liquid-phase mixing was not taken into account for these CFD simulations

and can be simulated by using multi-phase models such as the Eulerian model so that more agreement can be found between the current CFD simulation and test data.

5.3

Number of ports

A high rotor speed reduces the pressure in the suction chamber not only to below the airfluid saturation pressure where dissolved air is released but also to below the vapour pressure of the liquid where vaporous cavitation can occur. While communicating with the suction port, the volume of working chambers periodically increased or decreased. This resulted in reduced recirculation and better streamlined flow. The gerotor pump equipped with the double-port configuration exhibited good streamlined flow behaviour without any recirculation; in turn, a slightly increased flowrate resulted. The double-port structure absorbs the pressure pulsations and ripples created owing to movement of fluid from the suction port to the delivery port. The flow has improved streamlines from the inlet to the outlet because of the presence of two ports so that a momentum balance and less fluidborne noise were realized. This double-port structure contributed to proper filling of the chamber too, thereby reducing the possibility of pressure ripples. Consequently, the pressure at the relief valve location with two ports is slightly lower than with a single port. Figure 15 clearly shows the difference between the

Fig. 14
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Variation in the flowrate with the strainer porosity


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Fig. 15

Variation in the relief valve pressure with the flowrate

pressure developed at the relief valve location when using a single port and that when using two ports.

CONCLUSION

CFD analysis has proved to be a valuable tool to design better inlet accessories for oil pumps such as the gerotor pump for engine lubrication. Using CFD, a development process was carried out to decide the specifications of the inlet suction pipe, strainer, and inlet ports before the physical prototyping stage so that the corresponding cost and time were reduced considerably. Development started by simulating the designed gerotor model with 19 mm and 15.85 mm pipes and the flowrates for different rotor speeds were calculated. The pressure drop for each case was also determined to obtain a balance with the flowrate. As the gerotor pump with 19 mm pipe was able to achieve the targeted performance in all ranges of speeds, a pipe of the same size was fitted between the oil sump and the pump inlet port. This configuration worked well from a low speed of 1500 r/min to a high speed of 6500 r/min in terms of the flowrate, pressure drop, and relief valve pressure. The role of the strainer porosity in the pump performance was also studied by using porosities of 0.23, 0.33, and 0.43 with the 19 mm pipe. A higher FAR of the
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strainer increased the flow in the pump; however, it is possible that clogging of solid particles entrained with fluid medium occurred. A strainer of 3 mm hole size with 23 per cent FAR was used for earlier cases and found to have an improved performance compared with a strainer of 40 mm hole size with 43 per cent FAR. This specification slightly increases the flowrate, avoids clogging, and reduces the pressure drop at the suction line. Because of these properties, a strainer with 40 mm hole size and 43 per cent FAR was recommended for future use based on the CFD results. This specification was tested physically and good agreement was found between the theoretical and experimental results. Simulations with a single port and with two ports at the inlet of pump have provided more insight into the flow patterns. Flow with two ports considerably reduced the recirculation, reversals, and separation in the regions where this phenomenon occurred with a single port. The cover with the doubleport configuration also reduced the material addition as the ports are in the shape of grooves, thus reducing the material cost of the oil pumps. Ultimately, a gerotor pump with 19 mm inlet suction pipe, 43 per cent FAR with 40 mm hole size, and an inlet cover with two ports is suggested in order to obtain a better performance in engine cooling. This study focused only on the oil flow in the suction pipe and did not consider phenomena such as cavitation,
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air entrainment, bubble formation, and oil vaporization due to heat, which require a multi-phase analysis. Future research will be extended to investigate the possibilities of cavitation, noise generation, and air entrainment in the suction line, inlet ports, and chambers, and their effects on the pump performance. It is imperative that the amount of turbulence and entrained air is kept to a minimum. Entrained air can cause a reduced efficiency as well as vibration, noise, and/or accelerated corrosion. The challenge was to ensure that as much oil as possible would be fed evenly into the pump, even when operating at high speeds. By performing a series of CFD simulations, the design of the intake channel was optimized. In this way, it is now possible to preevaluate designs more accurately at lower costs and shorter times using CFD, which will considerably reduce the turnaround time of a physical model test and provide more information about the inner behaviour of fluids. F Authors 2010 REFERENCES
1 Technical catalogue for gerotor pumps, 2004 (Nichols Portland, a Division of Parker Hannifin Corporation, Portland, Maine). 2 Ludicello, F. CFD modelling and design optimization of a gerotor pump. In Proceedings of the Eighth European Congress on Fluid machinery for the oil, gas and petrochemical industry, The Hague, The Netherlands, 31 October1 November 2002, pp. 1520 (Professional Engineering Publishing, UK). 3 ANSYS, Inc., Keeping the engine oil flowing. Fluent News, 2001, available from www.fluent.com/about/ news/newsletters/01v10i2/s10.htm (accessed 15 September 2009).

4 Kim, S.-Y., Nam, Y.-J., and Park, M.-K. Design of port plate in gerotor pump for reduction of pressure pulsation. J. Mech. Sci. Technol., 2006, 20(10), 16261637. 5 Versteeg, H. K. and Malalasekara, W. An introduction of computational fluid dynamics the finite volume method, 1st edition, 1995 (Longman Scientific & Technical, Harlow, Essex). 6 ITT, Goulds Pumps, Pump application guide, Piping design section 01, 2010, available from www. gouldspumps.com/pag_0005.htm (accessed 3 August 2010). 7 Cfdesign user guide, 2008 (Blue Ridge Numerics, Inc., Charlottesville, Virginia).

APPENDIX Notation C CPU FAR K u U v Vs w Courant number central processing unit free area ratio constant loss coefficient in a porous medium velocity in the x direction in a control volume velocity of fluid in a porous medium velocity in the y direction in a control volume velocity on the rotor surfaces velocity in the z direction in a control volume

DP Dx r

pressure drop average cell size density of oil

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