The impact of ice particles on the internal flow field and pressure characteristics of the centrifugal pump in an icebreaker is investigated using the mixture model

When the ice–water mixture from the polar region is pumped into the seawater pump, it may lead to a reduction in the operational efficiency of the icebreaker. So this work used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to describe the flow properties and pressure changes of the ice–water mixture inside a centrifugal pump based on the mixture model. In this study, the error between the numerical simulation results and the experimental results was approximately 5%. This study revealed that ice particles predominantly accumulate in the mid-region of the impeller blades, which made this area susceptible to wear and erosion. We also analyzed the pressure pulsations using fast Fourier transform (FFT). It was found that the primary frequency peak corresponded to the blade passing frequency (290 Hz). As the concentration and particle diameter of the ice–water mixture increased, both the pressure pulsations and the radial force exerted on the impeller within the pump exhibited a significant increase, with their time-domain variation trends being synchronized. This study investigates the distribution characteristics of ice particles and their influencing mechanisms on pump pressure and radial force, thereby providing a theoretical foundation for improving the stability of centrifugal pumps during dense two-phase flow transport and supporting related research efforts.