Vibration Modeling and Experimental Results of Two-Phase Twin-Screw Pump

In turbomachines, the transfer of energy between the rotor and the fluid does not—in theory—result in lateral forces on the rotor. In positive displacement machines, on the other hand, the transfer of energy between the moving components and the working fluid usually results in unbalanced pressure fields and forces. Muhammed and Childs (2013, “Rotordynamics of a Two-Phase Flow Twin Screw Pump,” ASME J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power, 135(6), p. 062502) developed a model to predict the dynamic forces in twin-screw pumps, showing that the helical screw shape generates hydraulic forces that oscillate at multiples of running speed. The work presented here attempts to validate the model of Muhammed and Childs (2013, “Rotordynamics of a Two-Phase Flow Twin Screw Pump,” ASME J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power, 135(6), p. 062502) using a clear-casing twin-screw pump. The pump runs in both single and multiphase conditions with exit pressure up to 300 kPa and a flow rate 0.6 l/s. The pump was instrumented with dynamic pressure probes across the axial length of the screw in two perpendicular directions to validate the dynamic model. Two proximity probes measured the dynamic rotor displacement at the outlet to validate the rotordynamics model and the hydrodynamic cyclic forces predicted by Muhammed and Childs (2013, “Rotordynamics of a Two-Phase Flow Twin Screw Pump,” ASME J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power, 135(6), p. 062502). The predictions were found to be in good agreement with the measurements. The amplitude of the dynamic pressure measurements in two perpendicular plans supported the main assumptions of the model (constant pressure inside the chambers and linear pressure drop across the screw lands). The predicted rotor orbits at the pump outlet in the middle of the rotor matched the experimental orbits closely. The spectrum of the response showed harmonics of the running speed as predicted by the model. The pump rotor's calculated critical speed was at 24.8 krpm, roughly 14 times the rotor's running speed of 1750 rpm. The measured and observed excitation frequencies extended out to nine times running speed, still well below the first critical speed. However, for longer twin-screw pumps running at higher speed, the coincidence of a higher-harmonic excitation frequency with the lightly damped first critical speed should be considered.