Rotor-stator interaction in a diffuser pump

Steady and unsteady pressure measurements were obtained on the diffuser vanes and the shroud wall of vaned and vaneless diffuser pumps in order to investigate the rotor-stator interaction. It is shown that the magnitude of the fluctuating lift is greater than the steady lift, and that the pressure fluctuations are larger on the suction side than on the pressure side. Pressure fluctuations near the shroud were much smaller than those near the hub across the span of the vane. Pressure fluctuations on the shroud wall itself were found to be larger for the vaned diffuser than for the vaneless diffuser.