Method to estimate complete curves of hydraulic pumps through the polymorphism of existing curves

Abstract

Modeling of hydraulic machines is fundamental in steady and unsteady analysis. The simulations carried out in different scenarios will define the need for protection devices or other mechanisms that ensure the operational safety of the installation with minimum investment. In addition, the employment of pumps operating as turbines (PATs) for small hydropower plants are very common. PATs are also being considered for use in water supply networks for pressure control and energy generation. In this case, modeling the reverse rotation is necessary to evaluate project feasibility. This study proposes a method to predict the complete curves of pumps using only their normal operation data and curves of other machines with similar specific speed. The complete curves are modeled as a trigonometric series, where the coefficients are fitted using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique. The results are compared with laboratory tests and a simulation of a pump shutdown is made to verify the differences using the modeled curve and a similar one