Improving flow performance of irrigation pump station intake

The Irrigation Improvement Project is being implemented at a national scale in Egypt with a target of improving the old irrigation system in the Nile Delta for increasing water-use efficiency and agricultural production. The objective of this research is to study the influence of existing circular sump shape on the flow conditions of tertiary canals (mesqa) pump station. Field measurements were conducted on the Efrank (1) mesqa pumping station. Three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics model solved the Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes equations for predicting the occurrence of vortices and swirl in pump intakes. In this study, three different modifications were done. The research shows that existing circular sump shape generates swirl flow. The submerged cone under suction pipes does not reduce the swirl flow and vortex. The installation of vertical splitter wall between the two vertical suction pipes reduces the pre-swirling surface flow and improves the pump performance.