Numerical Modeling of 3D Flow Field in a Seawater Intake System Study Case: Bandar Abbas Seawater Desalination Plant

Safarzadeh, Akbar; Shafieefar, Mehdi

doi:10.61186/NMCE.2410.1078

Numerical Modeling of 3D Flow Field in a Seawater Intake System Study Case: Bandar Abbas Seawater Desalination Plant

Document Type : Research

Authors

Akbar Safarzadeh

Mehdi Shafieefar

Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

10.61186/NMCE.2410.1078

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of CFD analyses conducted to simulate the flow in the intake system of the Bandar Abbas seawater desalination plant. To accurately simulate turbulent flow with sudden strain rate, separating and circulating zones within the basin, the Reynolds Stress Model (RSM) was used as the turbulence closure model. The effects of different pump operation scenarios on the hydromechanics of the forebay area and pump bays were investigated. Flow streamlines, velocity distribution, and swirl angle values at different planes were used to evaluate the performance of the intake system under symmetric and asymmetric operating modes. The results revealed that the initial design geometry of the basin had multiple unfavorable dead zones along the forebay, and complex flow structures in the forebay led to flow non-uniformity and development of separation zones along the pump bays. Asymmetric operation of the intake system resulted in even more unfavorable flow conditions. However, modifying the basin's geometry by adding three diverging guide vanes at the forebay inlet resulted in a more proper flow pattern compared to the flow in the intake system with the initial geometry. The modified geometry eliminated all dead zones along the forebay and created uniform flow along all pump bays without any separation zones. This modified geometry met all recommendations of the ANSI/HI 9.8-2012 standard.

Keywords

Pump Intake

Desalination Plant

CFD

Swirl Angle

Guide Vane

Subjects

Hydraulic Engineering

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