Assessment of impeller geometry effects on centrifugal pump performance with aqueous emulsion flows

Abstract For industrial fluid transport systems to be energy-efficient, centrifugal pumps are essential. By examining the effects of impeller shape on pumps managing trace-level oil-water emulsions (0.05% − 0.2% holdup), this study fills a major research gap. Optimizing inlet (β 1 : 10° − 30°) and output (β 2 : 20° − 30°) blade angles throughout different emulsion stability phases was the main goal. The study found a particular geometric “sweet spot” for performance improvement using integrated experimental, analytical, and numerical (Ansys CFD with SST k-ω) techniques. The uncertainty analysis for the flow rate in the experimental approach was determined to be 3.3% at a 95% confidence level. The finding that an input angle of β 1 = 20 o and an exit angle of β 2 = 30 o considerably reduces hydraulic losses with low-concentration emulsion, producing the largest head and peak efficiency, is innovative. The results also demonstrate that stable emulsions perform better than unstable ones, even when efficiency is slightly decreased by increasing concentration. These findings, which are validated by agreement across all approaches, provide practical insights for the chemical and petroleum industries, particularly for multi-phase transport, cooling systems, and lubrication optimization.