Numerical study of a vane vacuum pump with two-phase flows

A vane vacuum pump is used for brake boosters in automobiles. In this study, the pump is investigated numerically by solving the conservation equations of mass, momentum, turbulent kinetic energy, and turbulent dissipation rate with a commercial CFD code, FLUENT. Dynamic mesh method is used to treat the vane rotation of a vane and an eccentric rotor in the pump. The volume-of-fluid method is also employed to consider the lubrication oil which is used to seal the gaps between the moving and stationary parts in of the vane pump. Numerical results demonstrate the flow and pressure characteristics in of the vane vacuum pump. The effects of check valve and groove on the pump performance are quantified.