International Journal of Engineering and Technology Innovation, vol. 12, no. 4, 2022, pp. 347-363 Effect of Volute Collector on the Performance of Centrifugal Pump Based on Entropy Generation Analysis Maitrik Shah * , Beena Baloni, Salim Channiwala Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Gujarat, India Received 22 May 2022; received in revised form 30 July 2022; accepted 08 August 2022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.46604/ijeti.2022.9741 Abstract A proper design of centrifugal pumps reduces power loss and improves efficiency. This study aims to investigate and analyze the effect of different volute collector configurations on centrifugal pump performance. Locations of losses are detected using the entropy production rate, whereas the number of losses is evaluated using user-defined codes. Three volute collectors are selected based on their connections with standard pipes. A steady flow numerical analysis is performed to determine the performance parameters of the centrifugal pump and select a modified volute collector design. Comparing the results of experiments on the base and modified volute collectors confirmed that the proper design of the volute collector can help reduce the secondary flow losses at subsequent locations, which reduces the entropy production and losses. As compared to the base pump, the modified volute collector improved the pump efficiency by 3% at the duty flow. Keywords: centrifugal pump, entropy production, energy loss, volute collector 1. Introduction Centrifugal pumps consume approximately 22% of the total standard electricity consumed by electric-powered motors globally; thus, they can significantly help in energy savings [1-2]. Single-stage radial flow centrifugal pumps with a medium head and flow are widely used in processing, agricultural, and industrial projects. Proper design of the centrifugal pumps with upstream and downstream pipe connections reduces the power loss and improves their efficiency. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques help predict the performance characteristics of these pumps. Various studies have employed numerical and theoretical methodologies to evaluate the locations and mechanisms of loss production. The entropy production theory explores unknown power losses. It locates local flow losses caused by the design structure under various operating conditions, which are difficult to investigate using experimental analyses. Kock and Herwig [3] proposed detailed CFD techniques for the entropy production in turbulent shear flows involving a heat transfer; first, they locally calculated the entropy production and subsequently integrated the entire flow domain. Bohle et al. [4] used Kock and Herwig’s method to confirm that entropy production may be used to locate and identify high-loss areas in hydraulic machinery. Hongyu et al. [5] used the total pressure head difference at the inlet and outlet of the analyzed domain to calculate the head loss. They reported that the theoretical hydrodynamic performance was satisfactorily consistent with the experimental data of the tested centrifugal pump. Gu et al. [6] compared the measured power loss using entropy production and total pressure head difference methods. They detected significant flow losses owing to the clocking position of the vaned diffuser associated with the circular casing. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: maitrikshah2006@gmail.com Tel.: +91-972-5852858