Hydraulic analysis of an axial-flow pump and nozzle for an off-shore sheet wave simulator

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Voltus Industries® is developing an off-shore recreational product that mimics surfing by producing ahigh-speed water sheet on a contoured ramp. Voltus Industries' design is novel because it is a floating platformdesigned for off-shore locations in lakes. While the off-shore design provides flexibility for use in camps,beaches, and other recreational locations, it also imposes environmental and ecological constraints. An axialpump draws water through an intake plenum and passes it through a special nozzle to produce the water sheet.After flowing over the ramp, the water returns to the lake. This design requires a large uptake of lake water,which has negative ecological and environmental impacts. This research will minimize the ecological impactsof the platform and decrease the amount of water uptake from the lake by simulation-based optimization of theplatform's flow configuration. Computational fluid dynamics simulations of the water flowing through thepump, nozzle, and ducting will be employed to identify the configuration that minimizes the energy losses,ensures suitable uniformity of the water sheet, and minimizes the rate of water uptake from the lake. Theproduction of vapor bubbles in low-pressure regions inside the pump--referred to as cavitation--must beavoided to ensure high reliability and low maintenance of the platform. Therefore, cavitation prediction modelswill be developed and implemented into the flow simulations. The research will ensure that the off-shoreplatform has a minimal impact on the local environment while also ensuring it is technically and economicallycompetitive in Canada's $100 million+/year amusement park industry.