Key technologies for the system design of high-speed centrifugal pumps: A review and future trends

Abstract

High-speed centrifugal pumps represent typical high-speed rotating machinery with intensive multi-physics coupling. They serve as critical fluid-transport components for marine propulsion, aerospace, energy and petrochemical industries. Benefiting from compact layouts and efficient energy conversion, these pumps bear complex interactions among flow fields, electromagnetic fields, structural forces and thermal loads. Rotor dynamics, flow-induced vibration and fluid–structure interaction dominate the overall stability and operational performance of pump units. This paper systematically reviews the technical progress of four core modules: hydraulic structures, high-speed motors, high-speed bearings and mechanical seals. Hydraulic design has moved beyond conventional empirical formulas. Supported by computational fluid dynamics and intelligent optimization algorithms, modern hydraulic schemes realize multi-objective optimization. Such progress simultaneously boosts hydraulic efficiency and suppresses flow vibration and noise, while emerging function-driven designs oriented to constant pressure further expand application boundaries. High-speed motors combine multi-field coupled design with advanced variable-frequency control, balancing high power density against low vibration and noise output. Three bearing schemes including rolling bearings, sliding bearings and magnetic bearings evolve in parallel. They supply sufficient dynamic stability and vibration damping for high-speed rotors. For mechanical seals, innovative end-face groove layouts and ultra-hard self-lubricating composites significantly improve sealing reliability under harsh operating conditions. Finally, this paper outlines promising research avenues: integrated mechatronic system optimization, full-lifecycle intelligent health management, advanced high-performance material development, and targeted structural design for extreme operating environments. This review offers theoretical references to support future system-level performance upgrades of high-speed centrifugal pumps.