The practicality of adaptable geometry centrifugal pumps in U.S. Navy systems

Unlike traditional impeller trimming, mechanically varying centrifugal pump impellers or volutes can significantly affect pump performance. This thesis explores the potential for performance enhancement by variable impellers as an alternative to, or possibly in conjunction with, popular pump improvement methods like adjustable speed drives (ASD) and permanent impeller trimming. A review of the theory, existing technology, and potential for future advancement creates the foundation for the final assessment and comparison. The methods developed in the thesis are applied to a case study of the United States Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer (DDG-51 class) firemain to propose appropriate impeller trimming to improve system performance, resulting in an annual fuel savings of nearly 10,000 gallons per ship. Although the DDG firemain is used as the primary example throughout the thesis, the review of pump improvement methods could be applied to many Navy, military, or civilian pumping systems. Additionally, the inclusive analysis that the thesis provides may serve as a helpful starting point for future centrifugal pump research and concept development.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Cumming, Julia E.,S. M.Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• .Alexander Slocum

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/127166

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/127166