IAETSD JOURNAL FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH IN APPLIED SCIENCES, VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1, JAN-JUNE /2017

ISSN (ONLINE): 2394-8442

CFD SIMULATION OF TWIN SCREW VACUUM PUMP WITH

VARIABLE PITCH SCREWS
KEDAR SHINTRE#1, SUNIL SHINDE#2, SAJID KHAN*3
#
Mechanical engineering department, Vishvakarma institute of technology, Pune University.
1
Shintre.kedar@gmail.com, 2Suni.shinde@vit.edu, 3skhan@dekkervacuum.com

ABSTRACT.

In the present study, Numerical simulation of a screw vacuum pump with variable pitch is
done using commercial CFD package ANSYS fluent. The results are compared with the experimental data
obtained on the test rig. Results for a simulated pump are similar to those obtained for the real pump,
indicating that simulations could serve as a time-saving reference for pump designers.

Keywords Screw vacuum pump, Variable pitch, CFD, Simulation, ANSYS Fluent.

I. INTRODUCTION
Industrial vacuum pumps are mechanical devices that remove gases from an enclosed space for the purpose of creating a vacuum. Industrial
vacuum pumps are used for numerous applications in a wide range of industries including pharmaceutical, oil & gas, food & beverage
processing, power generation and many others. There are many types of vacuum pumps such as Rotary vane, articulated piston, screw, liquid
ring.

For the working of screw compressors two parallel bearing-supported, intermeshing screw rotors having opposite threads as shown in the
fig.00 synchronously and contactless counter-rotate in a cylindrical housing that tightly encloses them, and together form a multi-stage pump.
Because of the counter-mesh of the two rotors, the volumes sealed in each thread are advanced along the rotors to the outlet.

Fig 1. Rotors of screw compressor [1]

The pump has no valves at either the inlet or the outlet. When a displacement volume reaches the outlet opening, the pressure is equalized
with the atmosphere. Excess compression is achieved by reducing the thread pitch in the direction of the outlet [2] The gaps between the housing
and the rotors, as well as between the rotors relative to one another, determine the ultimate pressure which a screw pump can attain. The
geometry and the gap configuration which results when the rotors engage with each other also significantly influence the ultimate pressure.
Screw vacuum pumps are widely used in industries for their ability to produce very deep vacuums and very large flow rates as well. Study of
performance prediction of vacuum pump was done by Ohbayashi [3] in the year 2001 and an analytical method was presented. This study was
only related to the performance prediction of pumps with constant pitch screws. A finite element method for the solution of rotary pumps was
discussed by Guillaume et al [4] in 2007 in which a numerical strategy for the simulation of rotary positive displacement pumps was discussed.

To Cite This Article: KEDAR SHINTRE, SUNIL SHINDE AND SAJID KHAN,. CFD
SIMULATION OF TWIN SCREW VACUUM PUMP WITH VARIABLE PITCH SCREWS.
Journal for Advanced Research in Applied Sciences ;Pages: 381-384
382. Mr. Shivarajakumar N Madar and Mrs. Priya D,.Towards The Comprehension And Development Of Monolithic
Applications As Micro services. Journal for Advanced Research in Applied Sciences; Pages: 381-384

CFD study of flow through screw compressor was done by G. Reddy [5] in the year 2007 with the help of Gambit and Fluent but this study
lacked validation. Theoretical and experimental analysis of a multiphase screw pump, handling gasliquid mixtures with very high gas volume
fractions was done in the year 2008 by K. Rbiger et all [6] this involved study of clearances and their impact on the performance. It was found
that screw vacuum pumps with varying pitch give better results and the optimum pitch distribution for a screw vacuum pump was prescribed by
Pfaller et.al. [2] in 2011. Grid deformation strategies for CFD analysis of screw compressors were discussed by Sham Rane et.al. [7] in 2011
which can be also useful for CFD analysis of screw vacuum pump due to similarity in construction. Deforming grid generation and CFD analysis
of variable geometry screw compressors was also done by Rane et.al. [8]CFD analysis of roots blower with varying profile was done in the year
2014 by varma [9] which are also similar in construction as screw vacuum pumps. Fluid analysis of cylindrical and screw type Roots vacuum
pumps was done by Chiu-Fan Hsieh et.al. [10] in the year 2015. Computer modeling of a pump screw and disc tool cross shaping process was
done by Lyashkov A.A. et. Al. [11] in the year 2015 in which a manufacturing process to generate screws was discussed. A lot of work on rotary
devices has been carried out but the extent of work is towards the root pumps and compressors very few work on screw vacuum pump with
varying pitch screws is done till date, CFD simulation of one such work was carried out in the current study.

Fig 2. Schematic of screw vacuum pump.

Due to intricate geometry and large number of variables affecting the performance of screw vacuum pump it is difficult to predict its
performance analytically whereas Numerical simulations could serve as a time-saving reference [10] for pump designers.

II. CFD MODELING

Unsteady, asymmetric, 3D numerical simulations were performed with double precision using commercial CFD package ANSYS Fluent and
the flow inside the casing of the pump and around the screws was obtained. Pressure based transient solver was used as the flow is
incompressible and the rotors are constantly changing the position with respect to time. Energy equation was activated so as to account the
effects of temperature change. Transition SST (4 equations) model was selected as the flow has a lot of swirling. Vacuum pump in our case is
working to pump air hence air was selected as working fluid. Rotor and casing material was selected as stainless steel. The two rotors were given
movement in opposite directions using mesh motion and the screws were rotated at the rated at the speed of 3600 Rpm and mesh interface was
created between rotors. Pressure inlet and pressure outlet was selected as boundary condition and outlet was kept at the atmospheric pressure.
inlet pressure was changed so as to study the performance at different inlet vacuum levels. pressure and mass flow rate were monitored with
respect to time and later the results were superimposed to display the variation of mass flow rate against inlet pressure. Time step of 0.015s was
selected and 100 iterations were carried out for each time step. Solution was initialized from the inlet. Results were displayed with the help of
different contours and vectors.

III. EXPERIMENTATION
All Experimentation was carried out on the screw pump with the help of test rig in Dekker vacuum technologies Inc. The inlet side of the
screw vacuum pump was connected to a vacuum chamber and outlet was open to atmosphere. Flow meter was arranged so as to measure the
flow rate at inlet and pressure gauge was connected just near the inlet side of the screws. One more pressure gauge was connected to the outlet
side of the screws.

Fig 3. Experimental pump characteristics

383. Mr. Shivarajakumar N Madar and Mrs. Priya D,.Towards The Comprehension And Development Of Monolithic
Applications As Micro services. Journal for Advanced Research in Applied Sciences; Pages: 381-384

The recorded data was in the terms of inlet, outlet pressures with respect to time and flow rate with respect to time. The time required to
reach a specific vacuum level is dependent on the size of the vassal which is to be evacuated but the mass flow rate at that point is independent
of the size of vessel and it depends on the vacuum level. Mass flow rate was calculated with the help of flow rate. The data was processed so as
to display the variation of mass flow rate with respect to inlet vacuum pressure. Gradient of pressure was found to be very steep on the linear
scales hence the graph was plotted by taking logarithmic pressure scale.

IV. RESULTS
The CFD simulation was done on the modeled pump by giving different inlet pressure values in the boundary conditions while keeping
output pressure as atmospheric. Mass flow rate was measured through the pump when the steady state was achieved. Contour plots and vector
plots were plotted so as to visualize the flow inside the pump.

Fig 4. Pressure contours inside the pump.

Six simulation runs were given using different pressures until the convergence was achieved and the resultant mass flow rates were noted. The
resultant mass flow rates are as tabulated bellow. The numerical results were validated with the help of experimental results the plots of
numerical and experimental variation of mass flow rate against pressure were superimposed for better visualization of the results.

Table 1. Experimental results

Inlet Pressure (mbar) Mass flow rate(m3/hr)

0.01 5
0.1 330
3 520
70 560
200 540
1000 500

Fig 5. Numerical and experimental characteristics.

384. Mr. Shivarajakumar N Madar and Mrs. Priya D,.Towards The Comprehension And Development Of Monolithic
Applications As Micro services. Journal for Advanced Research in Applied Sciences; Pages: 381-384

V. CONCLUSION
CFD simulation of a screw vacuum pump with varying pitch screws was done and the experimental and numerical results were found
to be in good agreement with each other validating the computational model. We can also conclude that Simulations can be used as a time-
saving reference for designing a screw vacuum pump which can result in saving the design time and cost.

REFERENCES

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11521155, 2011.

[3] T. Ohbayashi, T. Sawada, M. Hamaguchi, and H. Miyamura, Study on the performance prediction of screw vacuum pump, Appl. Surf. Sci.,
vol. 169170, pp. 768771, 2001.

[4] G. Houzeaux and R. Codina, A finite element method for the solution of rotary pumps, Comput. Fluids, vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 667679, 2007.

[5] G. C. Reddy, Cfd Studies on Flow Through Screw Compressor Cfd Studies on Flow Through Screw, 2007.

[6] K. Rbiger, T. M. A. Maksoud, J. Ward, and G. Hausmann, Theoretical and experimental analysis of a multiphase screw pump, handling
gas-liquid mixtures with very high gas volume fractions, Exp. Therm. Fluid Sci., vol. 32, no. 8, pp. 16941701, 2008.

[7] S. Rane, A. Kovacevic, N. Stosic, and M. Kethidi, Grid deformation strategies for CFD analysis of screw compressors, Int. J. Refrig., vol.
36, no. 7, pp. 18831893, 2013.

[8] S. Rane, A. Kovacevic, N. Stosic, and M. Kethidi, Deforming grid generation and CFD analysis of variable geometry screw compressors,
Comput. Fluids, vol. 99, pp. 124141, 2014.

[9] S. K. Verma, Performance of Roots Blower My Father , Shri V . N . Verma, 2014.

[10] C.-F. Hsieh and Q.-J. Zhou, Fluid analysis of cylindrical and screw type Roots vacuum pumps, Vacuum, vol. 121, pp. 274282, 2015.

[11] A. A. Lyashkov and K. L. Panchuk, Computer Modeling of a Pump Screw and Disc Tool Cross Shaping Process, Procedia Eng., vol. 113,
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