Numerical Analysis of the Vaned Diffuser of a Transonic Centrifugal Compressor

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Marconcini ◽  
Filippo Rubechini ◽  
Andrea Arnone ◽  
Seiichi Ibaraki

A three-dimensional Navier–Stokes solver is used to investigate the flow field of a high pressure ratio centrifugal compressor for turbocharger applications. Such a compressor consists of a double-splitter impeller followed by a vaned diffuser. Particular attention is focused on the analysis of the vaned diffuser, designed for high subsonic inlet conditions. The diffuser is characterized by a complex three-dimensional flow field and influenced by the unsteady interaction with the impeller. Detailed particle image velocimetry flow measurements within the diffuser are available for comparison purposes.

Author(s):  
Michele Marconcini ◽  
Filippo Rubechini ◽  
Andrea Arnone ◽  
Seiichi Ibaraki

A three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver is used to investigate the flow field of a high pressure ratio centrifugal compressor for turbocharger applications. Such a compressor consists of a double-splitter impeller followed by a vaned diffuser. Particular attention is focused on the analysis of the vaned diffuser, designed for high subsonic inlet conditions. The diffuser is characterized by a complex three-dimensional flow field, and influenced by the unsteady interaction with the impeller. Detailed Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) flow measurements within the diffuser are available for comparison purposes.


2006 ◽  
Vol 129 (4) ◽  
pp. 686-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seiichi Ibaraki ◽  
Tetsuya Matsuo ◽  
Takao Yokoyama

Transonic centrifugal compressors are used with high-load turbochargers and turboshaft engines. These compressors usually have a vaned diffuser to increase the efficiency and the pressure ratio. To improve the performance of such a centrifugal compressor, it is required to optimize not only the impeller but also the diffuser. However the flow field of the diffuser is quite complex and unsteady because of the impeller located upstream. Although some research on vaned diffusers has been published, the diffuser flow is strongly dependent on the particular impeller exit flow, and some of the flow physics remain to be elucidated. In the research reported here, detailed flow measurements within a vaned diffuser were conducted using a particle image velocimetery (PIV). The vaned diffuser was designed with high subsonic inlet conditions marked by an inlet Mach number of 0.95 for the transonic compressor. As a result, a complex three-dimensional flow with distortion between the shroud and the hub was observed. Also, unsteady flow accompanying the inflow of the impeller wake was confirmed. Steady computational flow analysis was performed and compared with the experimental results.


Author(s):  
Seiichi Ibaraki ◽  
Tetsuya Matsuo ◽  
Takao Yokoyama

Transonic centrifugal compressors are used with high-load turbochargers and turboshaft engines. These compressors usually have a vaned diffuser to increase the efficiency and the pressure ratio. To improve the performance of such a centrifugal compressor, it is required to optimize not only the impeller but also the diffuser. However the flow field of the diffuser is quite complex and unsteady because of the impeller located upstream. Although some research on vaned diffusers has been published, the diffuser flow is strongly dependent on the particular impeller exit flow, and some of the flow physics remain to be elucidated. In the research reported here, detailed flow measurements within a vaned diffuser were conducted using a particle image velocimetery (PIV). The vaned diffuser was designed with high subsonic inlet conditions marked by an inlet Mach number of 0.95 for the transonic compressor. As a result, a complex three-dimensional flow with distortion between the shroud and the hub was observed. Also, unsteady flow accompanying the inflow of the impeller wake was confirmed. Steady computational flow analysis was performed and compared with the experimental results.


Author(s):  
Michele Marconcini ◽  
Filippo Rubechini ◽  
Andrea Arnone ◽  
Seiichi Ibaraki

The flow field of a high pressure ratio centrifugal compressor for turbocharger applications is investigated using a three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver. The compressor is composed of a double-splitter impeller followed by a vaned diffuser. The flow field of the transonic open-shrouded impeller is highly three-dimensional, and it is influenced by shock waves, tip leakage vortices and secondary flows. Their interactions generate complex flow structures which are convected and distorted through the impeller blades. Both steady and unsteady computations are performed in order to understand the physical mechanisms which govern the impeller flow field while the operation ranges from choke to surge. Detailed Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) flow measurements are available at various cross-sections inside the impeller blades at both design and off-design operating conditions.


Author(s):  
Mahdi Nili-Ahmadabadi ◽  
Ali Hajilouy-Benisi ◽  
Mohammad Durali ◽  
Sayyed Mostafa Motavalli

In this research, the centrifugal compressor of a turbocharger is investigated experimentally and numerically. Performance characteristics of the compressor were obtained experimentally by measurements of rotor speed and flow parameters at the inlet and outlet of the compressor. Three dimensional flow field in the impeller and diffuser was analyzed numerically using a full Navier-Stokes program with SST turbulence model. The performance characteristics of the compressor were obtained numerically, which were then compared with the experimental results. The comparison shows good agreement. Furthermore, the effect of area ratio and tip clearance on the performance parameters and flow field was studied numerically. The impeller area ratio was changed by cutting the impeller exit axial width from an initial value of 4.1 mm to a final value of 5.1 mm, resulting in an area ratio from 0.792 to 0.965. For the rotor with exit axial width of 4.6 mm, performance was investigated for tip clearance of 0.0, 0.5 and 1.0 mm. Results of this simulation at design point showed that the compressor pressure ratio peaked at an area ratio of 0.792 while the efficiency peaked at a higher value of area ratio of 0.878. Also the increment of the tip clearance from 0 to 1 mm resulted in 20 percent efficiency decrease.


2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Marconcini ◽  
Filippo Rubechini ◽  
Andrea Arnone ◽  
Seiichi Ibaraki

A three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver is used to investigate the flow field of a high-pressure ratio centrifugal compressor for turbocharger applications. Such a compressor consists of a double-splitter impeller followed by a vaned diffuser. The inlet flow to the open shrouded impeller is transonic, thus giving rise to interactions between shock waves and boundary layers and between shock waves and tip leakage vortices. These interactions generate complex flow structures which are convected and distorted through the impeller blades. Detailed laser Doppler velocimetry flow measurements are available at various cross sections inside the impeller blades highlighting the presence of low-velocity flow regions near the shroud. Particular attention is focused on understanding the physical mechanisms which govern the flow phenomena in the near shroud region. To this end numerical investigations are performed using different tip clearance modelizations and various turbulence models, and their impact on the computed flow field is discussed.


Author(s):  
Michele Marconcini ◽  
Filippo Rubechini ◽  
Andrea Arnone ◽  
Seiichi Ibaraki

A three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver is used to investigate the flow field of a high pressure ratio centrifugal compressor for turbocharger applications. Such a compressor consists of a double-splitter impeller followed by a vane diffuser. The inlet flow to the open shrouded impeller is transonic, thus giving rise to interactions between shock waves and boundary layers and between shock waves and tip leakage vortices. These interactions generate complex flow structures which are convected and distorted through the impeller blades. Detailed Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) flow measurements are available at various cross sections inside the impeller blades highlighting the presence of low velocity flow regions near the shroud. Particular attention is focused on understanding the physical mechanisms which govern the flow phenomena in the near shroud region. To this end numerical investigations are performed using different tip clearance modelizations and various turbulence models, and their impact on the computed flow field is discussed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. H. Jawad ◽  
S. Abdullah ◽  
R. Zulkifli ◽  
W. M. F. W. Mahmood

ABSTRACTThis paper is a numerical simulation that was made in the three-dimensional flow, carried out in a modified centrifugal compressor, having vaned diffuser stage, used as an auto-motive turbo charger. Moreover, the performance of the centrifugal compressor was dependent on the proper matching between compressor impeller and vaned diffuser, influencing significantly surge and the efficiency of centrifugal compressor stages. In addition, a modified compressor impeller, coupled with vane and vaneless diffuser, has been found to have similar internal flow patterns for both the vaneless and vaned diffuser design. The vaned diffuser effect has been paid particular attention in terms of better analysis where the diffuser was designed for high sub-sonic inlet conditions. Another aim of this research was to study and simulate the effect of vaned diffuser on the performance of a centrifugal compressor. The simulation was undertaken by using a commercial software, the so-called ANSYS CFX, to predict numerically the performance in terms of pressure ratio, poly tropic efficiency and mass flow rate for the centrifugal compressor stage. The results were generated from CFD and were analyzed for better understanding of the fluid flow through centrifugal compressor stage. Conclusively, it was observed that the effect of the vaned diffuser is to convert the kinetic energy into a high static pressure after analyzing the results of the simulation.


Author(s):  
Mohammad Mojaddam ◽  
Ali Hajilouy Benisi ◽  
Mohammad Reza Movahhedi

In this article, the effects of volute cross section shape and centroid profile of a centrifugal compressor volute were investigated. The performance characteristics of a turbocharger compressor were obtained experimentally by measuring rotor speed and flow parameters at the inlet and outlet of the centrifugal compressor. The three dimensional flow field model of the compressor was obtained numerically solving Navier-Stokes equations with SST turbulence model. The compressor characteristic curves were plotted. For model verification, the results were compared with experimental data, showing good agreement. Modification of a volute was performed by introducing a shape factor for volute cross section geometry. By varying this parameter, new volutes were generated and modeled. The effect of volute cross section shape on compressor pressure ratio and efficiency at design rotational speed were investigated. Also pressure non-uniformity around compressor impeller for new cases was calculated and reported. The results showed how the cross section shape of the volute can influence the compressor characteristics and the non-uniformity of circumferential static pressure as well.


Author(s):  
N Bulot ◽  
I Trébinjac ◽  
X Ottavy ◽  
P Kulisa ◽  
G Halter ◽  
...  

Numerical and experimental investigations were conducted in a transonic centrifugal compressor stage composed of a backswept splittered unshrouded impeller and a vaned diffuser. The present article focuses on the results obtained within the impeller, at an operating condition close to the surge of the compressor. The experimental results were obtained from a laser Doppler anemometry investigation. Unsteady numerical simulations of the compressor stage were performed using a three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier—Stokes code with a phase-lagged technique, at both peak efficiency and close to surge operating conditions. A good agreement between the experiments and simulations were obtained, which justifies the use of the computational fluid dynamics results for the comparison of the flow field at both operating conditions (peak efficiency and near surge). Even if the change in flow field within the impeller from peak efficiency to near surge looked to be gradual, an overall rotation of the whole flow in the blade passages led to a non-homogeneous flow at the impeller exit in terms of angle and velocity level. Therefore, the vaned diffuser has to tolerate upstream flows, which are all the more distorted as the operating point moves towards surge.


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