Measurements of axial and radial thrust forces working on a three-stages centrifugal pump rotor

In this study, radial and axial thrust forces working on the whole rotor in a three-stages centrifugal pump are measured in a wide range of flow rate. The forces are measured at two floating journal bearings and one floating ball bearing, which are supported by the individual load cells. The effects of the offset of rotor position in the axial direction on the thrust forces are investigated. It is found that the effect of the axial offset is significant for the axial thrust force in the low flow rate range, whereas it has little influence on the head and efficiency performances in the whole flow rate range.