Ultrafast X-ray tomography for two-phase flow analysis in centrifugal pumps

The unsteady behavior of gas-liquid two-phase flow in a centrifugal pump impeller has been visualized, using ultrafast X-ray tomography. Based on the reconstructed tomographic images an evaluation and detailed analysis of the flow conditions has been done. Here, the high temporal resolution of the tomographic images offered the opportunity to get a deep insight into the flow to perform a detailed description of the transient gas-liquid phase distribution inside the impeller. Significant properties of the occurring two-phase flow and characteristic flow patterns have been disclosed. Furthermore, the effects of different air entrainment conditions have been investigated and typical phase distributions inside the impeller have been shown.