Flow Field Numerical Research in a Low-Pressure Centrifugal Compressor with Vaneless Diffuser

2014 ◽  
pp. 203-210
Author(s):  
Alexey Frolov ◽  
Rudolf Izmaylov ◽  
Denis Voroshnin
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Vaneless Diffuser ◽  
Numerical Research

Effects of Non-Axisymmetric Volute on Rotating Stall in the Vaneless Diffuser of a Centrifugal Compressor

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zitian Niu ◽  
Zhenzhong Sun ◽  
Baotong Wang ◽  
Xinqian Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Stability Boundary ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Evolution Process ◽  
Vaneless Diffuser ◽  
Unstable Flow ◽  
Centrifugal Compressors ◽  
Specific Location

Abstract Rotating stall is an important unstable flow phenomenon that leads to performance degradation and limits the stability boundary in centrifugal compressors. The volute is one of the sources to induce the non-axisymmetric flow in a centrifugal compressor, which has an important effect on the performance of compressors. However, the influence of volute on rotating stall is not clear. Therefore, the effects of volute on rotating stall by experimental and numerical simulation have been explored in this paper. It’s shown that one rotating stall cell generates in a specific location and disappears in another specific location of the vaneless diffuser as a result of the distorted flow field caused by the volute. Also, the cells cannot stably rotate in a whole circle. The frequency related to rotating stall captured in the experiment is 43.9% of the impeller passing frequency (IPF), while it is 44.7% of IPF captured by three-dimensional unsteady numerical simulation, which proves the accuracy of the numerical method in this study. The numerical simulation further reveals that the stall cell initialized in a specific location can be split into several cells during the evolution process. The reason for this is that the blockage in the vaneless diffuser induced by rotating stall is weakened by the mainstream from the impeller exit to make one initialized cell disperse into several ones. The volute has an important influence on the generation and evolution process of the rotating stall cells of compressors. By optimizing volute geometry to reduce the distortion of the flow field, it is expected that rotating stall can be weakened or suppressed, which is helpful to widen the operating range of centrifugal compressors.

Non-Axisymmetric Flow Structure in Vaneless Diffuser of Centrifugal Compressor for Turbochargers

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuanjie Lan ◽  
Xinqian Zheng ◽  
Hideaki Tamaki
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Flow Structure ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Internal Combustion Engines ◽  
Combustion Engines ◽  
Vaneless Diffuser ◽  
Asymmetric Flow ◽  
Oil Flow ◽  
Flow Visualizations

Turbocharger technology is widely used in internal combustion engines. With the downsizing of internal combustion engines and the introduction of strict emission regulations, there is urgent demand for turbochargers featuring centrifugal compressors with a wide flow range. The flow in a centrifugal compressor of a turbocharger is non-axisymmetric due to the inherent asymmetry of the discharge volute. The asymmetric flow field inside the diffuser has great influence on the performance of centrifugal compressor. In order to develop a flow control method that facilitates a wider flow range of turbocharger compressors, further understanding of the asymmetric flow structure is very important. The main subject of this study is to reveal the asymmetrical characteristics of the flow field in the vaneless diffuser of a centrifugal compressor followed by a volute. Oil flow visualizations and numerical simulations were used. The results of the numerical simulations are consistent with that of the oil flow visualizations near choke and at designed flow rate. The results show that a “dual-zone mode” asymmetric flow structure exists near the shroud of the vaneless diffuser at near choke condition. A bifurcation point at the volute tongue that divides the flow and creates two distinct flow patterns was found. The asymmetry of the flow structure near the hub was much less significant than that near the shroud. At the design flow rate, asymmetric flow patterns are found neither near shroud nor near hub. At near surge condition, the pattern of the oil flow traces near the shroud is very different from those near choke.

scholarly journals Effects of a Nonuniform Tip Clearance Profile on the Performance and Flow Field in a Centrifugal Compressor

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yohan Jung ◽  
Minsuk Choi ◽  
Seonghwan Oh ◽  
Jehyun Baek
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Diffusion Processes ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Computational Results ◽  
Vaneless Diffuser ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Flow Simulations ◽  
Compressor Performance

This paper presents a numerical investigation of the effects of a nonuniform tip clearance profile on the performance and flow field in a centrifugal compressor with a vaneless diffuser. This study focuses in particular on the magnitude and location of the wake. Six impellers with different tip clearance profiles were tested in the flow simulations. The accuracy of the numerical simulations was assessed by comparing the experimental data with the computational results for a system characterized by the original tip clearance. Although the performance improved for low tip clearances, a low tip clearance at the trailing edge improved the compressor performance more significantly than a low tip clearance at the leading edge. The flow field calculated for a system characterized by a low tip clearance at the trailing edge produced a more uniform velocity distribution both in the circumferential and in the axial directions at the impeller exit because the wake magnitude was reduced. As a consequence, this impeller provided a better potential for diffusion processes inside a vaneless diffuser.

Investigation of the instability mechanisms in a turbocharger centrifugal compressor with a vaneless diffuser by means of unsteady simulations

2016 ◽  
Vol 231 (11) ◽  
pp. 1558-1567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinqian Zheng ◽  
Anxiong Liu ◽  
Zhenzhong Sun
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Simulation Method ◽  
Great Accuracy ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Vaneless Diffuser ◽  
Unstable Flow ◽  
Low Velocity

The stable-flow range of a compressor is predominantly limited by surge and stall. In this paper, an unsteady simulation method was employed to investigate the instability mechanisms of a high-speed turbocharger centrifugal compressor with a vaneless diffuser. In comparison with the variation in the pressure obtained by dynamic experiments on the same compressor, unsteady simulations show a great accuracy in representing the stall behaviour. The predicted frequency of the rotating stall is 22.5% of the rotor frequency, which agrees with to the value for the high-frequency short-term rotating stall obtained experimentally. By investigating the instability of the flow field, it is found that the unstable flow of the turbocharger compressor at high rotational speeds is caused by the tip clearance leakage flow and the ‘backflow vortices’ originating from the interaction of the incoming flow and the backflow in the tip region of the passages. The asymmetric volute helps to induce the occurrence of stall in certain impeller passages because it generates an asymmetric flow field. The high-pressure low-velocity area from the 180° circumferential position to the 270° circumferential position is dominant and strengthens the backflow at the trailing edge of the impeller, finally triggering the stall.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Flow in a Vaneless Diffuser of a Centrifugal Compressor Stage. Part 1: Experimental Investigation

2005 ◽  
Vol 219 (10) ◽  
pp. 1053-1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Sato ◽  
J M Oh ◽  
A Engeda
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Boundary Layers ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
High Flow ◽  
Flow Coefficient ◽  
Compressor Stage ◽  
Vaneless Diffuser ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor Stage ◽  
Very High

The flow in a radial vaneless diffuser downstream of a centrifugal compressor is highly complex, as the flow is turbulent, unsteady, viscous, and three-dimensional. Depending on the initial state of the end-wall boundary layers and the diffuser length, the flow may become fully developed or may separate from one of the walls. Therefore, to improve the diffuser performance, it is important to understand the flow field in the diffuser in detail. As the diffuser width is generally very small for most radial stages and an adverse pressure gradient exists, secondary flows are generated, making the flow fields more complicated. In addition, skewed boundary layers form on the wall surfaces. As flowrate is reduced, the flow field becomes more complicated and leads to rotating stall. This article presents detailed flow measurements in a vaneless diffuser of a centrifugal compressor stage with a very high flow coefficient radial impeller. Usually, centrifugal compressors with radial impellers are designed in the flow coefficient (ϕ) range ϕ = 0.01 - 0.16. Often, the need arises to design higher flow coefficient, ϕ, radial stages. Detailed measurements were carried out in the vaneless diffuser at seven radial positions downstream of a radial impeller designed for a very high flow coefficient of ϕ = 0.2. The experimental investigation was carried at four rotational speeds 13 000, 15 500, 18 000, and 20 500 r/min, but only the result of 20 500 r/min at near-design-point flowrate (5.11 kg/s) is reported in this article.

Experimental Study of Pinch in Vaneless Diffuser of Centrifugal Compressor

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teemu Turunen-Saaresti ◽  
Aki-Pekka Gro¨nman ◽  
Ahti Jaatinen
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Static Pressure ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Compressor Stage ◽  
Vaneless Diffuser ◽  
Moderate Amount ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Isentropic Efficiency

A centrifugal compressor is often equipped with a vaneless diffuser because the operation range of a vaneless diffuser is wider than the operation range of vaned diffuser, and the geometry of the vaneless diffuser is simple and inexpensive. The flow field after the centrifugal compressor rotor is highly complicated and the velocity is high. A moderate amount of this velocity should be recovered to the static pressure. It is important to study the flow field in the vaneless diffuser in order to achieve guidelines for design and an optimal performance. In this article, the experimental study of the pinch in the vaneless diffuser is conducted. Five different diffuser heights were used, b/b2 = 1, b/b2 = 0.903, b/b2 = 0.854, b/b2 = 0.806 and b/b2 = 0.903 (shroud). In three of the cases, the pinch was made to both walls of the diffuser, hub and shroud, and in one case, the pinch was made to the shroud wall. The total and the static pressure, the total temperature and the flow angle were measured at the diffuser inlet and outlet by using a cobra-probe, kiel-probes and flush-mounted pressure taps. In addition, the static pressure in the diffuser was measured at three different radius ratios. The overall performance, the mass flow, the pressure ratio and the isentropic efficiency of the compressor stage were also monitored. Detailed flow field measurements were carried out at the design rotational speed and at the three different mass flows (close to the surge, design and close to the choke). The isentropic efficiency and the pressure ratio of the compressor stage was increased with the pinched diffuser. The efficiency of the rotor and the diffuser was increased, whereas the efficiency of the volute/exit cone was decreased. The pinch made to the shroud wall was the most effective. The pinch made the flow angle more radial and increased the velocity at the shroud where the secondary flow (passage wake) from the rotor is present.

Numerical Investigation on the Flow Characteristics of a Supercritical CO2 Centrifugal Compressor

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hang Zhao ◽  
Qinghua Deng ◽  
Kuankuan Zheng ◽  
Hanzhen Zhang ◽  
Zhenping Feng
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Investigation ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Supercritical Co2 ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Vaneless Diffuser ◽  
Vaned Diffuser ◽  
Compact Size ◽  
Wide Range

Supercritical CO2 closed-loop Brayton cycles offer the potential of better economical and practical efficiency due to its compact size and smaller compression work as compared with some traditional working fluids cycles, in which compressor is the key component. In this paper, the aerodynamic design and impeller aerodynamic optimization were conducted for a single stage centrifugal compressor with a combined vaneless and vaned diffuser, operating with CO2 slightly above the vapor-liquid critical point. The NIST REFPROP database was used for the computation of supercritical CO2 properties in design analysis and numerical investigation. The flow characteristics of the supercritical CO2 compressor were investigated by NUMECA FINE/Turbo. In order to weaken the low pressure regions, a vaneless diffuser was applied in this design, which would control and reduce the distribution differences of fluid thermodynamic states and increase fluid static pressure. The results indicate that there are no obvious low pressure regions occurring close to the leading edge of vaned diffuser. So it is observed in the design process that the vaneless diffuser could improve the aerodynamic performance of supercritical CO2 compressor. Compared with the operating conditions of the compressor only under centrifugal force, the pressure load from the aerodynamic analysis and the centrifugal load due to high speed of rotation were considered in the study of the stress and deformation of the structure of impeller by ANSYS/Mechanical. It can be concluded that supercritical CO2 provides unique properties for the compressor working process, which have a significant influence on finite element modeling in structural analysis. For the present design the maximum von Mises stress and total deformation are shown much smaller than the maximum allowable values, and thus the compressor could work in a wide range of operating conditions.

scholarly journals Experimental Flow Field Investigation in a Centrifugal Compressor Vaned Diffuser

1995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Pinarbasi ◽  
Mark W. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Vaneless Diffuser ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Impeller Blade ◽  
Vaned Diffuser ◽  
Flow Angle

The purpose of this study was to improve the understanding of the flow physics in a centrifugal compressor vaned diffuser. A low speed compressor with a 19 bladed backswept impeller and diffuser with 16 wedge vanes was used. The measurements were made at three inter-vane positions and are presented as mean velocity, turbulent kinetic energy and flow angle distributions on eight diffuser cross sectional planes. The impeller blade wakes mix out rapidly within the vaneless space and more rapidly than in an equivalent vaneless diffuser. Although the flow is highly non uniform in velocity at the impeller exit, there is no evidence in the results of any separation from the diffuser vanes. The results do however suggest that the use of twisted vanes within the diffuser would be beneficial in reducing losses.

Numerical Simulation of Surge in Turbocharger Centrifugal Compressor: Influences of Downstream Plenum

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Strong Guo ◽  
Hua Chen ◽  
Xiaocheng Zhu ◽  
Zhaohui Du
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Numerical Technique ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Vaneless Diffuser ◽  
Unstable Flow

Surge is an important instability seriously affecting compression systems. This paper presents a numerical simulation of surge flow phenomenon inside a turbocharger centrifugal compressor with a vaneless diffuser. The compressor was discharged into a plenum and the effect of the plenum on surge behavior of the compressor system was investigated. The entire geometry of the compressor, including the impeller, vaneless diffuser, volute housing and downstream plenum, were included in the simulation. Three-dimensional Reynolds averaged compressible Navier–Stokes equations were solved with the k–ε turbulence model using commercial software CFX and two different sizes of plenum were studied. A new plenum model is proposed which allows temporal variation of temperature inside the plenum. The numerical technique employed to set up CFD (computational fluid dynamics) with such an unstable flow system are described. The results show that when the plenum volume was nearly doubled, the dominating frequency of the system suddenly dropped from 72Hz to 23Hz. During the surge cycle, the compressor characteristic (pressure ratio ν mass flow curve) showed distinct differences. With the smaller plenum, the characteristic showed random traces with little global backflow at the compressor inlet, while with the larger plenum, clear surge cycles are displayed with strong global backflow at the inlet. The flow fields of the two systems are presented as functions of time and show distinct differences. In the case of the smaller plenum, the circumferential flow field inside the impeller is non uniform, showing influences of rotating stall, while in the case of the large plenum, the circumferential uniformity returns and the flow field behaves quasi-steadily during the surge cycle. With the larger plenum, the volute flow synchronises with the inlet mass flow oscillation in time and a completed vortex break down occurs at every volute cross section, but with the smaller plenum the synchronisation disappears and vortex break down only occurs partially at the centers of some volute cross sections.

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