Performance Analysis of a Centrifugal Pump with Varying Bade Number and Angles under Stable and Unstable Emulsion Flows: Experimental, Analytical, and Numerical Approaches
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 2026
By
Mohamed El-sayed Mohamed Abdelaal Noureldin
Supervisors
Prof. Hassan A. El-Gamal
Mechanical Engineering Department
Faculty of Engineering College of Engineering and Technology
Alexandria University
Prof. Kamal A. Ibrahim
Mechanical Engineering Department
Faculty of Engineering College of Engineering and Technology
Alexandria University
Prof. Ahmed Hanafy
Mechanical Engineering Department
College of Engineering and Technology
Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Maritime Transport
Mechanical Engineering Department
College of Engineering and Technology
Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Maritime Transport
Abstract
The hydraulic performance of a centrifugal pump operating with water and oil-water emulsions is investigated in this thesis using an integrated experimental, theoretical, and numerical approach. Experimental tests are conducted at a constant rotational speed to evaluate pump head, efficiency, and power consumption under varying flow rates, oil volume fractions, and emulsion stability conditions. A theoretical performance model based on Euler pump theory and loss analysis is developed to assess the influence of impeller blade number and blade inlet and outlet angles on pump head and efficiency. In parallel, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are performed using ANSYS Fluent to resolve the internal flow field within the impeller and volute, enabling detailed analysis of velocity distributions, pressure fields, and flow separation characteristics. The numerical framework employs a steady-state rotating reference frame and evaluates multiple turbulence models, with the shear stress transport (SST) k-ω model providing the best agreement with experimental measurements. Grid independence is established, and numerical predictions are validated against experimental pump performance curves. The results demonstrate that increasing oil concentration leads to a reduction in pump head and efficiency due to increased effective viscosity and internal hydraulic losses. Moreover, stable emulsions consistently exhibit superior hydraulic performance compared to unstable emulsions at the same oil concentration. Parametric investigations reveal that impeller geometry has a dominant influence on pump performance, where increasing blade number enhances pump head but may reduce efficiency due to increased hydraulic losses, while an optimal combination of blade inlet and outlet angles yields improved overall performance. The findings of this research provide physical insight into the mechanisms governing centrifugal pump operation with emulsions and offer practical guidance for impeller design and performance optimization in applications involving contaminated or multiphase working fluids.
Published Papers
Noureldin, M., El-Gamal, H., Hanafy, A., Ibrahim, K., Afify, R., “Assessment of impeller geometry effects on centrifugal pump performance with aqueous emulsion flows”, Journal of Engineering and Applied Science, vol. 73, no. 34 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s44147-026-00884-0
Noureldin, M., El-Gamal, H., Hanafy, A., Ibrahim, K., Afify, R., “Enhancing Centrifugal Pump Performance by Varying the Pump Rotational Speed, Number of Blades, and Working Fluid Characteristics”, Journal of Al-Azhar University Engineering Sector, vol. 78, no. 21, pp. 511 – 538, January 2026. Doi 10.21608/auej.2026.482981
Noureldin, M., El-Gamal, H., Hanafy, A., Ibrahim, K., Afify, R., “Enhancing Centrifugal Pump Performance by Varying the Pump Rotational Speed, Number of Blades, and Working Fluid Characteristics”, 10th International Conference on Advanced Technology and Applied Science (ICaTAS 2025), AASTMT, Cairo, Egypt, 21-23 October, 2025. Certificate
