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My design
The purpose of designing and fabricating a water pump was to understand the inner working of a centrifugal pump while also building a device to transfer a relatively small amount of water from a stationary reservoir to indoor plants as a watering system. With an overall diameter of 60mm and an impeller diameter of 50mm, the pump is relatively small but functions well for the learning and prototyping use it is designed for. The design was focused around 3d printing, which led the assembly features and part size. The body of the device is split into two components, the lower half that attaches to the motor via two m3 machine screws and the outlet while the upper portion is primarily made up of the inlet. Both sections attach together though the use of three m2 self threading screws.
Since the pump will only be operating with water, an open impeller design was chosen for its higher efficiency especially at lower flows. The impeller features a 5 vane design with a 6 degree pitch to increase suction. The vanes of impeller taper off as the radius increases to assist the flow outwards and to the outlet at higher pressure and velocity.
Skills Developed:
Reverse Engineering
3D Printing
Kinetics / Dynamics
Autodesk Fusion 360
Fluid Motion
How does a centrifugal pump work?
Like most pumps, a centrifugal pump converts rotational energy into work that moves a fluid. The main rotating component, the impeller, is similar to a propeller that can be found on the rear of a boat, but functions in a different way. A propeller looks like a fan and propels a fluid by pushing against it, creating a linear force. An impeller on the other hand is a circular rotor that creates a suction force, to draw the fluid in the center before pushing it outwards to the outlet. Fluid is drawn along the axis of rotation and gets propelled along the vane tips of the impeller. This action increases the pressure and velocity of the fluid as it makes its way to the outer circumference of the impeller.
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