Journal Pre-proofs

Research Paper

Effect of working fluid temperature on energy dissipation characteristics of

liquid ring vacuum pump

Jinshi Li, Fubao Zhou, Yifan Zhang, Di Zhang, Chun Liu, Jianhong Kang,
Ning Li, Shunlin Pan

PII: S1359-4311(23)01498-9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2023.121469
Reference: ATE 121469

To appear in: Applied Thermal Engineering

Received Date: 3 May 2023

Revised Date: 21 August 2023
Accepted Date: 31 August 2023

Please cite this article as: J. Li, F. Zhou, Y. Zhang, D. Zhang, C. Liu, J. Kang, N. Li, S. Pan, Effect of working
fluid temperature on energy dissipation characteristics of liquid ring vacuum pump, Applied Thermal Engineering
(2023), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2023.121469

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 Effect of working fluid temperature on energy dissipation
characteristics of liquid ring vacuum pump
Jinshi Li a, Fubao Zhou a,b, Yifan Zhang c,* , Di Zhang a, Chun Liu d, Jianhong Kang a, Ning Li c,

Shunlin Pan c

a School of Safety Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China

b China Academy of Safety Science and Technology, Beijing, 100012, China

c School of Low-Carbon Energy and Power Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou

221116, China

d IoT Perception Mine Research Center, China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China

Highlights

 A new energy dissipation model for liquid ring vacuum pump was proposed.
 Influence of temperature on energy dissipation of the pump was analyzed.
 Effect of temperature on vaporization loss rate of the working fluid was studied.
 The influence mechanism of the working fluid temperature was studied.

Abstract
Liquid ring vacuum (LRV) pump working fluid temperature has a great influence on its energy

efficiency. To improve the energy efficiency of the pump, a new model for the energy dissipation

of the LRV pump was established based on the relationship between pump suction capacity, the

vaporization loss rate of the working fluid and working fluid temperature. Furthermore, the

theoretical model was experimentally verified and quantitatively analyzed. The results showed that

the useless power increased and suction capacity decreased with increasing working fluid

temperature. When the pump shaft speed was 1500r/min and the inlet pressure was 45kpa, the inlet

liquid temperature increased from 15°C to 45°C, while the proportion of waste work dissipated by

temperature rise of the working fluid significantly decreased from 78.8% to 22.1%. On the contrary,

the proportion of the working fluid vaporization, the temperature rise of gas, and the convective

 Corresponding author at: School of Safety Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou
221116, China. E-mail addresses: f.zhou@cumt.edu.cn (F. Zhou); yifan.zhang@cumt.edu.cn (Y. Zhang)
heat transfer from the pump outer wall increased. The working fluid temperature positively

correlated with the inlet fluid temperature and negative correlated with the inlet flow rate. To further

reduce the pump operating temperature, it is necessary to increase the flow rate and reduce the inlet

temperature.

Keywords: Liquid ring vacuum pump; energy dissipation; working fluid temperature;
vaporization loss; suction capacity.

Nomenclature vmd Droplet loss rate

Nz Shaft power v'mb Measured vaporization loss rate
Nu Useful power qth1 Theoretical suction capacity of ideal
cycle
Nd Useless power qth2 Theoretical suction capacity considering
the residual gas during the cycle
Nt Isothermal compression power b Impeller width
q Inlet flow rate q0 Residual high-pressure gas flow
Pi Inlet pressure m Polytropic index
Pe Exhaust pressure qa Actual suction capacity rate
Ef Heat dissipation of working fluid heating Ta Actual operating temperature
Eb Heat dissipation of working fluid Tth Standard temperature
vaporization
Eg Heat dissipation of gas heating Greek
Ec Pump surface convection heat transfer φ Relative humidity
cf Specific heat capacity of the working fluid ρg Density of dry air under inlet conditions
vf Working fluid flow rate φi Relative inlet humidity of the pump
Tif Working fluid inlet temperature ρf Working fluid density
Tef Working fluid discharge temperature φe Relative exhaust humidity of the pump
Qw Heat dissipation by water evaporation μ Blade excretion coefficient
vmb Loss rate of working fluid vaporization ω Impeller angular velocity
vmg Inlet gas mass flow rate υ Hub ratio
cpg Specific heat capacity of gas at constant α Relative submergence depth
pressure
Tig Inlet gas temperature Δ Variation
Teg Exhaust gas temperature Subscripts
k Convective heat transfer coefficient of the i In
pump surface
Sc Area of the pump surface e Exhaust
Tc Temperature of the pump surface f Working fluid
To External ambient temperature of the pump g Gas
Hig Moisture content of inlet air c Pump surface
Heg Moisture content of exhaust air w Water
H Moisture content a Actual measurement
 P Total gas pressure s Saturated vapor pressure
Pw Gas water vapor partial pressure th Theoretical calculation
Pws Water vapor saturated vapor pressure m Quality
Psi Saturated vapor pressure under inlet Acronyms
conditions
Pse Saturated vapor pressure under exhaust LRV Liquid ring vacuum pump
conditions pump
Δvmft Working fluid loss rate

1 Introduction

The liquid ring vacuum (LRV) pump inhales and discharges gas through periodic volume

changes in the air chamber consisting of a liquid ring and blades[1,2]. Compared with dry vacuum

pumps, roots vacuum pumps and other types of vacuum pumps, LRV pump is not easy to generate

sparks, and do not require tight fit of gear parts, which is safer and more reliable[3]. Therefore, they

are widely used in mine, electric power, and other industries to generate vacuum or transport gas.

Additionally, the size and shaft power of LRV pumps are constantly increasing in practical

applications[4]. Since the operating efficiency of the LRV pump is only 25%–50%, more than half

of the shaft work is dissipated in the form of useless power, resulting in huge energy waste. Limited

energy savings can be achieved by various methods, such as improving the pump structure[5].

However, the change of the internal working fluid temperature of LRV pumps was neglected.

Temperature has always been an important factor affecting the working efficiency of the

pump[6,7]. Increased temperature changes the air pressure, reducing the suction capacity, lowering

the operating efficiency, and even accelerating equipment aging[8,9]. Researchers also found that

increased temperature can reduce the suction capacity and accelerate equipment fouling for the LRV

pump. On this basis, a series of engineering solutions was proposed[10]. Researchers have explored

ways to reduce the operating temperature of LRV pumps according to their application conditions.

Ma et al.[11] proposed to reduce the heat generation of LRV pumps by adjusting the operating

conditions. By using sufficient cold water sources in the LRV pump application, Wang et al.[12]

reduced the pump operating temperature in the working fluid non-circulation mode. Zhao et al.[13]

improved the cooling effect of the LRV pump by controlling the cooling tower fan with frequency

conversion. However, the cooling effect was restricted by the ambient temperature. Powle et al.[14]

developed automatic control techniques for heat exchangers to optimize the cooling effect and
stability. These techniques were only applicable to small and medium-sized LRV pumps. Yi et al.[15]

used chilled water from air conditioning for the cooling of the LRV pump. Although the above

engineering methods promote the cooling and efficiency of LRV pumps, the cooling of LRV pumps

during the actual application still needs further investigation as the energy dissipation and heat

production patterns under different working conditions have not been quantitatively analyzed.

Studying the energy conversion and dissipation of LRV pumps can help determine the cause

of heat generation and design efficient cooling methods. Currently, the research methods for energy

dissipation include theoretical derivation, simulation, and experimental investigations. Feng[16]

studied the maximum compression power and power consumption based on the summary of 2BEI

pump measurement data and theoretical derivation. A method to improve the pump structure and

key components was proposed. Pfleiderer[17] first derived the theoretical formula for calculating the

suction capacity of the LRV pump and proposed calculation method of compression ratio and gas-

liquid interface shape for each rotation angle. Through statistical analysis of extensive experimental

data, Prager[18] found a way to calculate the actual suction capacity. Its relationship with the

maximum suction at atmospheric pressure was also obtained. Based on the previous work, Huang

et al.[19] derived a general theoretical model for performance of LRV pumps. The suction capacity

and shaft power of the pumps were calculated according to the operating conditions and structural

parameters, and the calculation results were further verified by experiments. Zhang et al.[20]

established an energy analysis model and proposed the use of drag-reducing fluid to reduce friction

and turbulence losses, thus improving pump efficiency. Zhang et al.[21] developed an ultra-high

shear flow failure model for drag-reducing fluids in LRV pumps and optimized the anti-shear

performance of the drag-reducing fluid. Based on the RNG k-ε[23], SST k-ω[24], and LES[25]

turbulence models, Guo et al.[22] simulated flow field in the pump and proposed an optimization

method for the critical loss zone. Ding et al.[26] characterized the air-water interface through time-

accurate 3D simulations and focused on the variations in air intake and power consumption. The

above studies only focused on energy conversion, with no in-depth analysis of the power loss and

its synergistic change pattern with working fluid temperature. Additionally, these studies were based

on standard working conditions and did not consider the differences between the actual and standard

operating conditions of the LRV pump. In particular, the problem of reduced operating efficiency

due to lower actual flow rate or higher inlet fluid temperature was ignored.
 This study investigated the effect of the operating temperature on the energy efficiency of LRV

pumps. A mathematical model for the energy dissipation of LRV pumps was established, and the

relationship between temperature and suction capacity, vaporization rate, and energy dissipation

were quantitatively analyzed. Furthermore, an LRV pump performance test system was developed

to research the influence of working fluid inlet temperature and flow rate on the operating

characteristics of the LRV pump at different pump speeds and suction pressures. Based on the

analysis results, an efficient cooling method was proposed.

2 Experimental system and method

2.1 Experimental equipment

An LRV pump performance test system was established to evaluate the operating parameters

under different working conditions. The system mainly includes the LRV pump module (2BV6131

LRV pump, motor, gas-liquid separator, heat exchanger, and variable frequency circulating pump),

temperature control module (refrigeration unit, heater, liquid tank, and variable frequency

circulating pump), and data monitoring module (instrument, control cabinet, and data collector), as

shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Performance test system for an LRV pump (A- Electric control valve; B- Heater; C, D- Circulating pump;

1- Shaft power measurement point; 2- Inlet flow measurement point; 3- Inlet pressure measurement point; 4- Inlet

temperature measurement point; 5- Speed measurement point; 6- Outlet pressure measurement point; 7- Outlet

temperature measurement point; 8- Working fluid outlet temperature measurement point; 9- Working fluid tank

level measurement point; 10- Working fluid tank temperature measurement point; 11- Working fluid flow

measurement point; 12- Working fluid inlet temperature measurement point.)

The 2BV6131 LRV pump (Zibo Quandu Pump Co., Ltd.) with an ultimate vacuum of 3300

Pa, a rated power of 11 kW, a maximum pumping capacity of 111 L/s, and a rated motor speed of

1460 r/min was selected. The structural parameters are shown in Table 1. The selected YVP-200L2-

2 variable frequency motor (Shandong Lijiu Special Motor Co., Ltd.). The gas-liquid separator

adopted baffle separation, with a small pressure drop and strong processing capacity, enabling 100%

separation of droplets above 8 microns.

 Table 1 Parameter of the LRV pump.

No. Parameter Value

1 Pump casing radius R (mm) 154.35
2 Axial width b (mm) 141.3
3 Blade angle β (°) 45
4 Impeller radius r2 (mm) 127.5
5 Hub radius r1 (mm) 60
6 Eccentricity e (mm) 21.6
7 Blade thickness δ (mm) 6
8 Blade number Z 15

The experimental system for the LRV pump mainly includes the LRV pump, gas-liquid

separator, temperature-controlled working fluid tank, heat exchanger, refrigeration unit, control

cabinet, and data acquisition. At activation of the system, the LRV pump drives the liquid ring to

form vacuum, and the liquid is discharged together with the gas and enters the gas-liquid separator.

The gas is discharged after being separated, and the liquid enters the temperature-controlled working

fluid tank and returns to the pump for circulation after being processed by the refrigeration unit and

heat exchanger. A motor inverter was used to adjust the pump shaft speed; electrical parameters and

speed sensors were used to measure the operating power and motor speed. The inlet pressure was

adjusted by an electronically controlled valve, with a pressure sensor to measure the suction pressure

and an orifice flow meter to measure the gas volume flow rate. The refrigeration unit and heater

were used to regulat the inlet temperature of the working fluid. The electromagnetic flowmeter was

used to measure the flow rate of the working fluid, and the flow rate was regulated by the variable

frequency circulating pump and valves. The liquid level sensor was used to measure the liquid level

of tank. The inlet and exhaust humidities were measured by a hygrometer, the working conditions

were regulated by a controller, and the data were monitored and processed by a data collector. The

instrument specifications of the system are shown in Table 2.

Table 2 The instrument specifications of the system.

Measuring
No. Instrument Type Precision Manufacturer
range
Beijing Sendege
1 Speed sensor SGD-1-5V 0–3000 rpm 0.1% Technology Co.,
Ltd.
Chongqing
Orifice-plate 700–2800
2 EJA-120E 0.25% Henghe Chuanyi
flowmeter m3/h
Co., Ltd.
 Temperature Shanghai Automation
3 controller and WZP-012S 0–100℃ 1℃ Instrument Co.,
sensor Ltd.
Shanghai Automation
Pressure
4 PM10 0–101.3 kPa 0.1% Instrument Co.,
transducer
Ltd.
Hongqi
5 Flow sensor HQ-LDE 0.6–100m3/h 0.05 m3/h Instrument
(Jiangsu) Co., Ltd.
Four-channel Shanghai Binghan
6 digital display / / 0.2%FS+1 Environmental
meter Technology Co., Ltd.
AI519 Shanghai Binghan
7 intelligent / / 0.3%FS+1 Environmental
controller Technology Co., Ltd.
Liquid level Dalian Youke Instrument
8 YK-131 0–500 mm ±0.075%FS
sensor Co., Ltd.
AR847 ±3%(30~99%) Xima Instrument & Meter
9 AR847 5%–98%RH
humidity meter ±5%(10%~30%) Co., Ltd.

2.2 Experimental procedure

The 2BV6131 pump has a recommended speed which is 1430r/min. For the pump, an effective

liquid ring cannot be generated to allow for gas extraction when the shaft speed is lower than

700r/min. In addition, the pump will generate a large amount of heat and its efficiency will rapidly

decrease when the speed is higher than 1500r/min. Therefore, shaft speeds of 1500 r/min (high),

1200 r/min (medium), and 900 r/min (low) were selected to analyze the performance of LRV pumps

under different working conditions (such as shaft speed, suction pressure, and temperature). The

experimental suction pressure of LRV pump is selected according to the common working

conditions in practical application. When the LRV pump is used for gas drainage in coal mine, the

working conditions mainly include low negative pressure drainage, high negative pressure drainage

and extremely high negative pressure drainage, and the corresponding suction pressure ranges from

90-80kPa, 60-70kPa and 40- 50kPa, so three suction pressures of 85kPa, 65kPa and 45kPa were

selected for research. In addition, five inlet temperatures and a range of common flow rates were

also selected, as shown in Table 3. The procedure for LRV pump testing is as follows:

(1) Fill the fluid tank with the appropriate amount of working fluid. (2) Start the LRV pump

and adjust the motor inverter to achieve the desired pump shaft speed reading from the speed sensor;
adjust the frequency converter and valve of the circulating pump to enable the flow sensor to indicate

the required value. (3) Start the compression refrigeration unit and heater and adjust the working

fluid temperature to required value. (4) Adjust the electronically controlled valve to make pressure

sensor indicate the required inlet pressure. (5) After the system is stabilized, record the pump

operating parameters, the liquid level of the working fluid tank, and inlet and exhaust humidities

every 2 min for 60 min. (6) Shut down the experimental system and prepare for the experiment with

the next working condition; repeat the above steps until sufficient data are obtained.

Table 3 Experimental conditions for the LRV pump test

The inlet
The flow rate of
Pump shaft speed Inlet pressure temperature of the
Item working fluid
(r/min) (kPa) working fluid
(L/min)
(℃)
Performance testing
1500, 1200, 900 85, 65, 45 15, 25, 35, 45, 55 12
experiment
Experiment on
influencing factors of 1200 85, 65, 45 15, 25, 35, 45, 55 0.3–18
working fluid temperature

3 Modeling

3.1 Energy dissipation model

The operating cycle of an LRV pump includes suction, compression, exhaust, and formation

of negative pressure. The shaft power is consumed during operation, part of which is useful work

for gas compression, and the rest is useless power converted into heat energy in the form of friction

and turbulence loss. When the LRV pump runs stably, it approximates a dynamically balanced

circulation system with stable intake and exhaust, liquid intake and discharge, and pump parameters.

A large amount of heat energy must be dissipated to maintain the stable operating temperature of

the LRV pump.

According to the first law of thermodynamics, the shaft power can be divided into useful power

and useless power:

𝑁𝑧 = 𝑁𝑢 + 𝑁𝑑 (1)

where Nz is shaft power (kW); Nu is useful power (kW); Nd is useless power (kW).

The useful power (i.e., isothermal compression power) is calculated by assuming isothermal

compression conditions[20]:
 38.37 𝑝𝑒
𝑁𝑢 = 𝑁𝑡 = 1000 ⋅ 𝑝𝑖 ⋅ 𝑞 ⋅ 𝑙𝑔 𝑝𝑖

(2)

where Nt is isothermal compression power (kW); q is inlet flow rate (m3/min); Pi is inlet pressure

(kPa); Pe is exhaust pressure (kPa).

The heat transfer between the LRV pump system and the external occurs through heating rise

from working fluid, working fluid vaporization, heating rise from gas, and pump surface convection

heat transfer:

𝑁𝑑 = 𝐸𝑓 + 𝐸𝑏 + 𝐸𝑔 + 𝐸𝑐 (3)

where Ef is heat dissipation power of working fluid heating (kW); Eb is heat dissipation power of

working fluid vaporization (kW); Eg is heat dissipation power of gas heating (kW); Ec is pump

surface convection heat transfer power (kW).

(1) The heat dissipation of working fluid heating is calculated as follows:

1
𝐸𝑓 = 3600 ⋅ 𝑐𝑓 ⋅ 𝑣𝑓 ⋅ 𝜌𝑓 ⋅ (𝑇ef ― 𝑇if) (4)

where cf is specific heat capacity of the pump fluid (kJ/(K·kg)); vf is pump fluid flow rate (m3/h); ρf

is working fluid density (kg/m3); Tif is working fluid inlet temperature (K); Tef is working fluid

discharge temperature (K).

(2) The heat dissipation of working fluid vaporization can be expressed as follows:
1
𝐸𝑏 = 60 ⋅ 𝑄𝑤 ⋅ 𝑣mb

(5)

where Qw is latent heat generated by water vapor vaporization (kJ/kg); vmb is working fluid

vaporization loss rate (kg/min).

(3) The heat dissipation of gas heating can be expressed as follows:

𝐸𝑔 = 𝑣mg ⋅ 𝑐pg ⋅ (𝑇eg ― 𝑇ig)

(6)

where vmg is inlet gas mass flow rate (kg/min); cpg is specific heat capacity of gas (kJ/(K·kg)); Tig is

inlet gas temperature (K); Teg is exhaust gas temperature (K).

(4) Convective heat transfer of the pump wall

𝐸𝑐 = 𝑘 ⋅ 𝑆𝑐 ⋅ (𝑇𝑐 ― 𝑇𝑜)

(7)
where k is convective heat transfer coefficient of the pump surface (kW/(m2·K)); Sc is area of the

pump surface (m2); Tc is temperature of the pump surface (K); T0 is external ambient temperature

of the pump (K). In the experiment, the heat transfer area of the pump is considered as 2 m2 when

calculating convective heat transfer on the pump surface. The forced convection gas values in

projects range from 20 to 300 W/(m2·K). Since there is a breeze (3–5 m/s) on the pump surface,

heat transfer coefficient is taken as 55 W/(m2·K)[27].

3.2 Working fluid vaporization loss model

Under high-temperature and low-pressure conditions, the working fluid is highly prone to

vaporization, absorbing the heat energy generated by useless power while causing substantial

working fluid loss. According to the theory of saturated vapor pressure, the vaporization loss rate

of the working fluid is directly influenced by the mass flow rate of the dry gas carrier and the

moisture content of the inlet and exhaust gases:

𝑣mb = 𝑣mg ⋅ (𝐻eg ― 𝐻ig) (8)

where Hig is moisture content of inlet gas (kg/kg); Heg is moisture content of exhaust gas (kg/kg).
𝑃𝑤 𝑃ws
𝐻 = 0.622 × 𝑃 ― 𝑃𝑤 = 0.622 × 𝜑 ⋅ 𝑃 ― 𝜑 ⋅ 𝑃ws

(9)

where H is moisture content (kg/kg); P is total gas pressure (kPa); Pw is gas water vapor partial

pressure (kPa); Pws is saturated vapor pressure of water vapor (kPa); φ is relative humidity.

The saturated vapor pressure of water vapor at different temperatures can be fitted as follows:

(
𝑃ws = 1000 × exp 9.876 ― 𝑇 ― 45.47
3826.36
) (10)

(
𝑣mb = 𝑞 ⋅ 𝜌𝑔 ⋅ 0.622 × 𝑃𝑒 ― 𝜑𝑒
𝜑𝑒 ⋅ 𝑃se
⋅ 𝑃se
𝜑𝑖 ⋅ 𝑃si
― 0.622 × 𝑃𝑖 ― 𝜑𝑖 ⋅ 𝑃si )
(11)

where ρg is density of dry air under inlet conditions (kg/m3); φi is relative inlet humidity; Psi is

saturated vapor pressure of water vapor under inlet conditions (kPa); φe is relative exhaust humidity;

Pse is saturated vapor pressure of water vapor under exhaust conditions (kPa).

In the experiment, the working fluid in the fluid tank experiences vaporization and droplet

losses. On this basis, the vaporization loss rate can be measured as follows:

𝑣′mb = 𝛥𝑣mft ― 𝑣md (12)

where v'mb is measured vaporization loss rate (kg/min); Δvmft is working fluid loss rate in the fluid

tank (kg/min); vmd is droplet loss rate (kg/min).

The high-precision baffle plate gas-liquid separator in the experimental system can filter

droplets with a particle size larger than 8 µm. When the flow velocity is less than 7 m/s, the droplet

loss rate and gas volume conform to Formula (13)[28]. The separator parameters used in this

experiment are a=33.8, b=287, and c=639.

𝑣md = 𝑎 ⋅ 𝑣2𝑔 + 𝑏 ⋅ 𝑣𝑔 + 𝑐

(13)

3.3 Suction capacity model

The internal working cycle of the LRV pump is shown in Fig. 2(a). As the research on LRV

pumps has progressed, the calculation of theoretical suction capacity has been improved.

Fig. 2. Working cycle of the LRV pump (a) Working divisions of the LRV pump; (b) Ideal cycle; (c) Cycle

considering residual gas.

(1) Theoretical suction capacity under ideal cycle conditions

The original ideal cycle of the LRV pump is shown in Fig. 2(b). During the suction process,

the inlet pressure Pi unchanged until the maximum inlet capacity qth1 is reached. During the

compression process, the gas is compressed, and the exhaust pressure Pe is achieved. During the

exhaust process, the exhaust pressure Pe constant until the gas is emptied from the pump. When the

LRV pump is fully suctioned, the gas flow through the OA section reaches the maximum flow rate

of the pump. So, the theoretical suction capacity qth1 is[18]:

1
𝑞th1 = 2μωbr22[(1 ― 𝛼)2 ― 𝜈2] (14)

where μ is blade excretion coefficient; ω is impeller angular velocity; b is impeller width; α is

relative submergence depth; υ is the hub ratio.

(2) Theoretical suction capacity considering the residual gas volume

The theoretical suction cycle is modified considering the residual gas volume, as shown in Fig.

2(c). The impeller goes through four processes: suction → compression → exhaust → formation of

negative pressure. After the exhaust, the remaining high-pressure gas enters the suction area, and

the gas volume becomes q0 after expansion, followed by the next working cycle. The theoretical
suction volume qth2 can be expressed as[29]:

{
𝑞th2 = 0，𝑝𝑖 ≤ 𝑝𝑣
1
(15)
𝑞th2 =
1
[(1 ― 𝛼)2 ― 𝜈2] ― 𝑞0
2
2μωbr2 ( ) ,𝑝 > 𝑝
𝑝𝑒
𝑝𝑖
𝑚
𝑖 𝑣

where q0 is residual high-pressure gas flow; m is polytropic index.

(3) Actual suction volume affected by temperature

The previous studies assumed that the inlet gas temperatur was the liquid ring temperature.

However, the temperatures show significant differences in practical applications. Unlike the ideal

situation, the suction capacity is affected by the re-expansion of the residual gas volume and the

operating temperature of the pump. After the operating temperature changes, the temperature of the

gas entering the pump changes accordingly, leading to contraction or expansion. The partial pressure

of saturated water vapor inside the suction chamber also changes due to the liquid ring temperature.

When the suction chamber was formed, the liquid ring water first vaporizes and shares a part of the

air cavity pressure, resulting in a decrease in the suction capacity. This working cycle still consists

of four processes: suction → compression → exhaust → expansion. Considering the effect of

temperature, the process (1→2) is corrected based on the theoretical calculation formula of gas

residuals.

The actual suction capacity qa is:

{
𝑞𝑎 = 0，𝑝𝑖 ≤ 𝑝𝑣
1

𝑞𝑎 = { 1
[(1 ― 𝛼) ― 𝜈 ] ― 𝑞0
2
2μωbr2
2 2
( ) } ⋅（
𝑝𝑒
𝑝𝑖
𝑚 𝑝𝑖 ― （1 ― 𝜑𝑖） ⋅ 𝑝ws
𝑝𝑖 ） ⋅
𝑇th
𝑇𝑎 ，𝑝𝑖 > 𝑝𝑣 (16)

where qa is actual suction capacity rate (m3/min); Ta is actual operating temperature (K); Tth is

standard temperature (K).

4 Results and discussion

4.1 Effect of temperature on the gas volume and vaporization rate

To verify the theoretical relationship between temperature and gas volume, the suction capacity

of the LRV pump with different fluid inlet temperatures was tested at pump shaft speeds of 1500

r/min, 1200 r/min, and 900 r/min and an inlet pressure of 85 kPa. The measured gas volume qm was

compared with the theoretical suction capacity qth1 in an ideal cycle, the theoretical suction capacity

qth2 considering the residual gas volume, and the actual suction capacity qa. As shown in Fig. 3, the
qa calculated by the formula considering the effect of temperature is closer to the actual result, and

the average absolute error with the measured data is below 2%. Based on this gas volume formula,

the vaporization loss rate and related parameters can be predicted for the new equilibrium working

condition temperature after changing the inlet temperature..

Fig. 3. Effect of temperature on suction capacity.

As shown in Fig. 4 and Table 4, the theoretical vaporization rate of the working fluid is

significantly close to the experimental results, and the absolute error is less than 9.55%. Due to

errors in the experimental instrument, an error of less than 10% is acceptable[5]. The results show

that the vaporization rate increases with the inlet temperature regardless of the suction pressure. The

increased operating temperature of the pump can lead to a higher moisture content of the exhaust

gas and a lower suction capacity. When the increase in moisture content far exceeds the suction

capacity, the vaporization rate tends to increase. Furthermore, the amount of heat dissipation

through the working fluid vaporization also increases as the temperature increases. Therefore, the

vaporization rate of the LRV pump can be predicted by the proposed formula, enabling the analysis

of the vaporization loss and vaporization energy consumption.

Fig. 4. Comparison of theoretical and measured evaporation rates at different temperatures.

Table 4 Analysis of the error between theoretical and measured evaporation rates of the working fluid.

The inlet temperature

Inlet pressure Error
of the working fluid
(kPa) (%)
(℃)
85 55 1.31
85 45 -4.80
85 35 -5.34
85 25 -6.50
85 15 -8.42
65 55 2.27
65 45 -3.66
65 35 5.24
65 25 5.76
65 15 9.14
45 55 7.54
45 45 6.00
 45 35 -9.55
45 25 5.53
45 15 9.08

4.2 Effect of temperature on power loss

It is difficult to directly measure the useless power. To verify the theoretical formula of power

loss, the obtained values of isothermal compression work was summed with the heat dissipation

values of the four modes, and then compared with the actual shaft power. As shown in Fig. 5, the

theoretical and measured values are similar at 1500 r/min with different inlet pressures and working

fluid inlet temperatures, demonstrating the accuracy of the formula. There are still differences

between theory and actual practice. The error might be caused by the small shaft power of the pump

and the changes in the operating environment (such as changes in intake and exhaust temperature

and humidity during operation, changes in room temperature, or the inability of the instrument to

accurately measure the parameters with small values).

Fig. 5. Comparison of theoretical and measured shaft power under different operating conditions.

Table 5 Error analysis of theoretical and measured shaft power under different operating conditions.

The inlet
Measured shaft Theoretical shaft
Inlet pressure temperature of Error
power power
(kPa) the working fluid (%)
(kW) (kW)
(℃)
85 55 9.96 9.72 -2.41
85 45 9.84 9.42 -4.27
85 35 10.1 9.9 -1.98
85 25 10.13 9.81 -3.16
85 15 10.02 9.59 -4.29
65 55 10.98 11.34 3.28
65 45 11.29 11.7 3.63
65 35 11.05 11.55 4.52
65 25 11.25 11.72 4.18
65 15 11.29 11.65 3.19
45 55 11.97 12.51 4.51
45 45 11.92 12.5 4.87
45 35 12.09 12.37 2.32
45 25 12.11 12.8 5.70
45 15 12.31 13 5.61

The total useless power and the proportion of each dissipation form were calculated according
to the theory. As shown in Fig. 6, the total useless power increases with the increasing temperature

at the same speed and suction pressure. In the total useless work, the energy consumption for

vaporization of the working fluid, heat absorption by gas heating, and heat dissipation by convection

at the pump wall exhibit an increased proportion, and the proportion of the power dissipation of

working fluid heating decreases significantly. At a shaft speed of 1500 r/min and an inlet pressure

of 45 kPa, the fluid inlet temperature increases from 15℃ to 45℃; the proportion of the four power

loss forms changes from 6.6%, 3.9%, 10.7%, and 78.8% to 38.7%, 9%, 30.2%, and 22.1%,

respectively. Heat dissipation at low fluid inlet temperature is primarily accomplished through

working fluid heating. At high inlet temperatures, it is dominated by the energy consumption of

working fluid vaporization. The proportion of heat dissipation by the wall and heat dissipation by

gas heating is relatively small at any temperature. It should be noted that the negative heating energy

consumption is caused by the higher inlet temperature than the experimental ambient temperature.

Under this condition, the internal energy carried by the high-temperature working fluid before

entering the pump is dissipated through the convective heat transfer of the pump wall. However, the

useless power of a small pump is not enough to compensate for the energy loss, which will not

happen for a high-power pump.

Fig. 6. Effect of temperature on the form of energy dissipation.

4.3 Effect of temperature on pump shaft power and operating efficiency

The operating temperature of the pump is determined by the inlet temperature, fluid inlet

temperature, inlet liquid flow rate, and heat production of the pump. Temperature changes also

affect pump performance, such as shaft power, suction capacity, and operating efficiency. Several

tests were conducted at speeds of 900 r/min, 1200 r/min, 1500 r/min and inlet pressures of 45 kPa,

65 kPa, and 85 kPa, as shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 7(a) shows the relationship between power and

temperature under different conditions. It can be seen that the shaft power slightly decreases with

the increasing temperature under all working conditions. Moreover, a higher speed shows a lower

suction pressure and a more obvious drop. Can be understood as: follows: First, when the

temperature rises, the water viscosity, friction loss, and shaft power decrease. Second, the liquid

ring in the pump produces tiny uniform bubbles, which can reduce the flow resistance[30]. At higher
shaft speeds, the suction pressure is lower, the flow resistance is higher, and the decrease becomes

more significant.

Fig.7(b) shows the relationship between gas volume and temperature under different

conditions. As the temperature increases, the suction volume under each working condition

decreases, with the lower suction pressure indicating a more significant decrease. As constant speed,

suction pressure, and water flow rate, the volume of the suction cavity is approximately constant.

The increased temperature of the pump causes the incoming air to be heated, resulting in air

expansion and the occupation of the entire space, thus reducing the air intake volume. As the

temperature increases, the partial pressure of water vapor in the gas chamber increases, resulting in

a lower suction capacity. With the decreased suction pressure, the proportion of water vapor partial

pressure increases, leading to a more significant impact on gas volume. The above result is

consistent with results obtained from Formula (16).

As shown in Fig.7(c), under different operating conditions such as speed and pressure changes,

the variation law of efficiency with temperature as: with the increasing inlet temperature, the

efficiency under each working condition significantly decreases, with a lower suction pressure

indicating a more significant decrease. The shaft power remains unchanged when the temperature

increases. At constant inlet and exhaust pressure, the decrease in operating efficiency is mainly due

to the decrease in air volume. The lower inlet pressure indicates a greater influence of temperature

on air volume. This study further illustrates the performance improvement of the LRV pumps by

operating them at lower temperatures.

Fig. 7. The influence of inlet temperature on (a) shaft power, (b) suction capacity, and (c) efficiency of the pump.

4.4 Factors affecting the working fluid temperature in the pump

According to the above analysis, the high operating temperature of the LRV pump is negatively

correlated with the suction capacity and operating efficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to implement

cooling without affecting the function of the system.Working fluid inlet flow and temperature are

the main factors affecting the operating temperature

4.4.1 Effect of working fluid flow rate

To determine the effect of the working fluid flow rate on the operating temperature and overall

performance of the pump, the working fluid temperature and operating parameters were tested at a
speed of 1200 r/min and suction pressures of 45 kPa, 65 kPa, and 85 kPa.

As shown in Fig. 8, when the inlet temperature is 35°C, the flow rate has little effect on the

working fluid temperature, and the temperature remains high under different suction pressures. As

the inlet temperature of 15°C, the flow rate significantly influences the working fluid temperature,

especially under low suction pressures. The small suction pressure leads to high heat production by

useless power, the temperature of the working fluid in the pump is relatively high. And the increased

working fluid flow rate at low temperatures can absorb more heat.

Fig. 8. The influence of working fluid flow rate on working fluid temperature inside the LRV pump.

Figure 9 shows the relationship between pump power, gas volume, efficiency, inlet pressure,

and flow rate at different inlet temperatures and initial suction pressures. The power gradually

increases with the increasing working fluid flow rate, which can be attributed to the increasing pump

impeller load. The gas volume significantly increases at the flow rate of 0.3–4 L/min and slowly

increases at the flow rate above 4 L/min. When the flow rate is relatively low, the increased flow

rate facilitates the formation of the liquid ring and increases the negative suction pressure. After the

liquid ring is stabilized, the flow rate mainly affects the suction capacity by changing the pump

operating temperature. As the flow rate increases, the isothermal compression efficiency showed a

trend of firstly increasing significantly and then gradually becoming stable. Under different

resistance conditions, the LRV pump has the corresponding optimal working fluid flow rate. At this

time, the pump reaches a relatively large suction capacity and the highest operating efficiency.

Therefore, adjusting the flow rate can reduce the working fluid temperature in the LRV pump within

a certain range, but the adjustment ability is limited. To maintain the operating conditions of the

pump, it is necessary to maximize the flow rate of the working fluid at a constant negative pressure

during cooling and reduce the fluid inlet temperature.

Fig. 9. The influence of working fluid flow rate on the operating performance of the LRV pump.

4.4.2 Effect of fluid inlet temperature

The above analysis shows that under certain inlet and exhaust pressures, changing the fluid

inlet temperature is the primary method for cooling the LRV pump at an optimal temperature. The

variation of the pump operating temperature with the fluid inlet temperature was experimentally
analyzed at different conditions. As shown in Fig. 10, the temperature inside the pump decreases

with the decreasing fluid inlet temperature. It is worth noting that the decreasing trend of the

working fluid temperature differs from that of the fluid inlet temperature. For example, at a pump

shaft speed of 1500 r/min and a suction pressure of 45 kPa, the fluid inlet temperature is reduced

from 45℃ to 35℃, while the pump operating temperature is reduced from 40.6℃ to 34.7℃. At

high fluid inlet temperatures, the temperature of the working fluid in the pump is lower than that of

the fluid inlet, which can also be attributed the heat dissipation rate of the experimental pump surface

is greater than the supplement of heat produced by useless power. To accurately adjust the

temperature of the working fluid, the relationship between the temperatures of the fluid inlet and

the working fluid in the pump needs to be further quantified.

Fig. 10. The influence of working fluid inlet temperature on pump operating temperature.

The parameters of the pump operating state change after cooling, indicating the process of

energy distribution rebalancing after temperature reduction. According to the theoretical formulas

of temperature and gas volume, vaporization volume, energy dissipation distribution, the total

energy dissipation of the LRV pump can be calculated (Formula 17). This formula can predict the

new steady-state temperature after changing the fluid inlet temperature and derive the distribution

of the new steady-state pumping capacity and power consumption.

𝑁𝑧 = 𝑁′𝑡 + 𝐸′𝑓 + 𝐸′𝑏 + 𝐸′𝑔 + 𝐸′𝑐

38.37 𝑝𝑒 1
= 1000 ⋅ 𝑝𝑖 ⋅ 𝑞′ ⋅ 𝑙𝑔 𝑝𝑖 + 60 ⋅ 𝑄𝑤 ⋅ 𝑣′mb + 𝑣′mg ⋅ 𝑐pg ⋅ (𝑇′eg ― 𝑇ig) +𝑘 ⋅ 𝑆𝑐 ⋅

(𝑇′𝑐 ― 𝑇𝑜) (17)

Based on the steady-state formed at a fluid inlet temperature of 45°C under various speeds and

suction pressures, a new steady-state temperature was calculated and verified by comparing it with

experimental data at a fluid inlet temperature of 15°C. As shown in Fig. 11, compared the predicted

rebalance temperature value with the actual value, the relative error is less than 8%, demonstrating

the feasibility of this method. Furthermore, the equilibrium temperature is high when the shaft speed

is 1500 r/min. At high shaft speed, the total shaft work is large, with a high heat value generated by

useless power.
 Fig. 11. Comparison of the theoretical and experimental results of pump rebalance temperature.

5 Conclusion
In this paper, the mathematical model of energy dissipation of LRV pump is established, and

the power consumption mechanism of LRV pump is analyzed from the relationship between pump

suction, vaporization loss rate and working fluid temperature. The experimental system of 2BV6131

LRV pump was built, and the influence of temperature on pump energy consumption under various

working conditions was tested by adjusting the pump shaft speed, suction pressure, inlet liquid flow,

inlet temperature and other parameters, and the numerical model was verified to be accurate. The

factors affecting the temperature of the working medium in the pump were analyzed. The

conclusions of this study are as follows:

(1) Useless power dissipation was mainly from the working fluid heating and vaporization.

The proportion of the convective heat transfer from the pump surface and the heating rise from gas

was small. As the operating temperature of the pump increased, the suction capacity and operating

efficiency decreased, and the heat generated by useless power and the vaporization rate of the

working fluid increased. The proportion of vaporization of the working fluid, gas heating and

convective heat transfer from the pump surface increased, while the proportion of energy dissipation

for heating the working fluid decreased.

(2) The operating temperature of the LRV pump decreased as the inlet flow of working fluid

rate increased and the temperature decreased. When cooling the LRV pump, the flow rate of the

working fluid should be adjusted to the optimum flow rate under the conditions permitted by the

working conditions, and the temperature of the inlet liquid should be reduced. However, the lower

the inlet temperature, the more the working fluid heats rise and dissipates heat and the cooling cost

of the working fluid increase. Therefore, the practical application needs and system operating costs

should be integrated to determine the appropriate cooling target temperature and process. The above

findings can guide the analysis of the energy loss characteristics of LRV pumps, thus facilitating

their cooling and efficiency.

Acknowledgments
 This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52204251),

the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20210502), the Key Research and

Development Program of Zibo City (Grant No. 2021XCCG0051), and the 2nd Xplorer Prize

sponsored by the Tencent Foundation.

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Declaration of interests

☒ The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal
relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

☐ The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be
considered as potential competing interests: