Design of Vane Pump Suction Porting to Reduce Cavitation at High Operation Speeds

Cavitation can occur in positive displacement pumps at high operating speeds. High levels of noise and pitting damage to the pump components are the concerns. A finite difference fluid flow analysis of the suction port of a vane pump is presented as a powerful tool to optimize the pump design for eliminating the cavitation phenomenon. The test results of the original cavitating pump and the optimized design are discussed. A new design of the pump rotor is also introduced to fully utilize the potential of the optimized suction port. The approach is generic in nature and lends itself to other pump designs as well.