Extent, capacity and possibilities of computational fluid dynamics as a design tool for pump intakes: a review

Flow near pump intakes is three-dimensional in nature, and is affected by many factors such as the geometry of the intake bay, uniformity of approach flow, critical submergence, placements and operation combinations of pumps and so on. In the last three decades, advancement of numerical techniques coupled with the increase in computational resources made it possible to conduct computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations on pump intakes. This article reviews different aspects involved in CFD modeling of pump station intakes, outlines the challenges faced by current CFD modelers, and provides an attempt to forecast future direction of CFD modeling of pump intakes.