Hello, I am a project engineer at Delphi Automotive System. I have a need to study the flow and pressure distribution of a balanced sliding vane pump (that is used in power steering pumps with pressures up to 2,000 psi). This problem will require the CFD code to handle a deformable mesh. Vane movement is both translational because vane slides in the rotor slot (axially and radially with respect to the rotor center) and rotational because it turns with the rotor. Are any of the commercial codes capable of modeling this type of pump?

I did such a calculation using StarCD. An mpeg-movie about it is on my home page

www.beilke-cfd.de/rotary.mpg

There is also a ps-file concerning moving-mesh stuff in StarCD.

www.beilke-cfd.de/handout98.ps.gz

Just ask if you need more help.

CFD-ACE+ is being used for simulation of vane pumps and gerotor pumps. CFD-ACE+ has the capability to handle deforming as well as sliding meshes. There is also a full cavitation model avaialable with CFD-ACE+.

For more information on CFD-ACE+ visit our website http://www.cfdrc.com. You can also contact me.