Unsteady Flow in a Centrifugal Compressor With Different Types of Vaned Diffusers

1988 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Haupt ◽  
U. Seidel ◽  
A. N. Abdel-Hamid ◽  
M. Rautenberg
Keyword(s):  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Nonuniform Flow ◽  
Unsteady Pressure ◽  
Wide Range

Experiments were conducted to investigate the characteristics of self-excited flow oscillations in a high-performance centrifugal compressor system with a straight channel radial vaned diffuser. Fast response dynamic pressure transducers on the shroud wall and blade-mounted strain gages were used to identify the onset of the oscillations and their characteristics in space and time. In addition, flow characteristics near the shroud wall were visualized by an oil injection method, showing the extent of upstream directed reverse flow in the impeller range during significant unsteady flow compressor operation. Rotating nonuniform flow patterns were found in a wide range of operating speeds before the occurrence of surge. The number of lobes in the nonuniform flow patterns was dependent on the operating conditions and varied from two to four. Results of this experimental investigation were compared with those obtained from a previous investigation of the same compressor but with a cambered vane diffuser. Considerable similarity between the two configurations was found in the spatial distribution of the unsteady pressure field and in the frequencies of the fluctuations. The stability margin before the occurrence of surge and the operating regimes in which very intense pressure fluctuations were found were however different. In both cases, flow visualization techniques revealed the occurrence of reversed flow near the shroud wall of the impeller. Reverse flow extent up to the leading edge of the splitter blades systematically correlated with the occurrence of a nonuniform pressure pattern rotating with relatively high speed. Low rotational speed pressure patterns were observed when the extent of the reverse flow was up to the leading edge of the long blade. These different flow characteristics can be related to the occurrence of distinct rotating stall cell numbers. This result could be confirmed by unsteady pressure and blade vibration measurements.

Free Convective Flow Patterns in Cylindrical Annuli

1969 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 310-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Powe ◽  
C. T. Carley ◽  
E. H. Bishop
Keyword(s):  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Convective Flow ◽  
Cross Flow ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Free Convective Flow ◽  
Concentric Cylinders ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Written Descriptions

The results of all available experimental investigations into the characteristics of free convective flow of air between horizontal isothermal concentric cylinders are reviewed and several discrepancies are pointed out. An experimental study is described which was directed at resolving these discrepancies and categorizing the several flow patterns which have been observed. Using six different cylinder sets and varying both the annulus pressure and temperature difference between the cylinder surfaces, a range of Grashof numbers (based on annulus width) from 300 to 3.4 × 106 was achieved. The resulting air flow patterns were made visible with the use of tobacco smoke and are documented by written descriptions, photographs, motion pictures, and quantitative data. One steady and three unsteady flow patterns were observed and comparison with the results of other investigators is presented. A chart is presented which allows prediction of the type of unsteady flow that will occur for a wide range of cylinder combinations and annulus operating conditions. A comparison with cylinders in forced cross-flow is used to satisfactorily predict the onset of one of the unsteady flow patterns. Also, the flow patterns observed experimentally are compared to those predicted by an available analytical solution.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Unsteady Flow Field in a Vaned Diffuser of a High-Speed Centrifugal Compressor

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Klemens Vogel ◽  
Reza S. Abhari ◽  
Armin Zemp
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Wake Flow ◽  
Vaned Diffuser ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Vaned diffusers in centrifugal compressor stages are used to achieve higher stage pressure ratios, higher stage efficiencies, and more compact designs. The interaction of the stationary diffuser with the impeller can lead to resonant vibration with potentially devastating effects. This paper presents unsteady diffuser vane surface pressure measurements using in-house developed, flush mounted, fast response piezoresistive pressure transducers. The unsteady pressures were recorded for nine operating conditions, covering a wide range of the compressor map. Experimental work was complemented by 3D unsteady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using ansys cfx V12.1 to detail the unsteady diffuser aerodynamics. Pressure fluctuations of up to 34.4% of the inlet pressure were found. High pressure variations are present all along the vane and are not restricted to the leading edge region. Frequency analysis of the measured vane surface pressures show that reduced impeller loading, and the corresponding reduction of tip leakage fluid changes the characteristics of the fluctuations from a main blade count to a total blade count. The unsteady pressure fluctuations in the diffuser originate from three distinct locations. The impact of the jet-wake flow leaving the impeller results in high variation close to the leading edge. It was observed that CFD results overpredicted the amplitude of the pressure fluctuation on average by 62%.

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 Unsteady Flow Characteristics in a Centrifugal Compressor With Vaned Diffuser

1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. N. Abdel-Hamid ◽  
U. Haupt ◽  
M. Rautenberg
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Dynamic Pressure ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Impeller Speed ◽  
Vaned Diffuser ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Flow Oscillations

Self-excited flow oscillations in a high performance centrifugal compressor with vaned diffuser have been experimentally investigated over a wide range of operating conditions. The space and time characteristics of the flow oscillations in the compressor from inlet to outlet were measured using fast response dynamic pressure transducers on the shroud wall and blade mounted straingages. Multi-channel signal analysis techniques in the frequency domain clearly identified the onset of the oscillations and its type. Rotating stall was found to exist in certain regimes of the compressor map but did not necessarily preceed the occurrence of the surge phenomena. At compressor speeds below 13600 rpm the rotating non-uniform flow when it occurred was composed of three lobes and rotated at approximately 5–6 % of the impeller speed. Above 13600 rpm the rotating pattern changed to two lobes and rotated at approximately 16–20 % of the impeller speed. The direction of rotation of both patterns was opposite to that of the impeller. Analysis of the performance characteristics of the compressor components prior to and during flow oscillations indicates that the relative magnitude of the flow fluctuations in the semi-vaneless space downstream of the impeller are the largest which points towards the close relationship between the conditions leading to the onset of the oscillations and the flow details in this region of the compressor. Additional confirmation of this relationship is obtained from comparison between the results obtained in this study and those obtained when the same compressor was operated with a vaneless diffuser.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Unsteady Flow Field in a Vaned Diffuser of a High-Speed Centrifugal Compressor

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klemens Vogel ◽  
Reza S. Abhari ◽  
Armin Zemp
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Wake Flow ◽  
Vaned Diffuser ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Vaned diffusers in centrifugal compressor stages are used to achieve higher stage pressure ratios, higher stage efficiencies and more compact designs. The interaction of the stationary diffuser with the impeller can lead to resonant vibration with potentially devastating effects. This paper presents unsteady diffuser vane surface pressure measurements using in-house developed, flush mounted, fast response piezo-resistive pressure transducers. The unsteady pressures were recorded for 9 operating conditions, covering a wide range of the compressor map. Experimental work was complemented by 3D unsteady CFD simulations using ANSYS CFX V12.1 to detail the unsteady diffuser aerodynamics. Pressure fluctuations of up to 34.4% of the inlet pressure were found. High pressure variations are present all along the vane and are not restricted to the leading edge region. Frequency analysis of the measured vane surface pressures show that reduced impeller loading and the corresponding reduction of tip leakage fluid changes the characteristics of the fluctuations from a main blade count to a total blade count. The unsteady pressure fluctuations in the diffuser originate from three distinct locations. The impact of the jet wake flow leaving the impeller results in high variation close to the leading edge. It was observed that CFD results overpredicted the amplitude of the pressure fluctuation on average by 62%.

Unsteady simulations of migration and deposition of fly-ash particles in the first-stage turbine of an aero-engine

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Z. Hao ◽  
X. Yang ◽  
Z. Feng
Keyword(s):  
Fly Ash ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Particle Deposition ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Internal Cooling ◽  
Aero Engine

Abstract Particulate deposits in aero-engine turbines change the profile of blades, increase the blade surface roughness and block internal cooling channels and film cooling holes, which generally leads to the degradation of aerodynamic and cooling performance. To reveal particle deposition effects in the turbine, unsteady simulations were performed by investigating the migration patterns and deposition characteristics of the particle contaminant in a one-stage, high-pressure turbine of an aero-engine. Two typical operating conditions of the aero-engine, i.e. high-temperature take-off and economic cruise, were discussed, and the effects of particle size on the migration and deposition of fly-ash particles were demonstrated. A critical velocity model was applied to predict particle deposition. Comparisons between the stator and rotor were made by presenting the concentration and trajectory of the particles and the resulting deposition patterns on the aerofoil surfaces. Results show that the migration and deposition of the particles in the stator passage is dominated by the flow characteristics of fluid and the property of particles. In the subsequential rotor passage, in addition to these factors, particles are also affected by the stator–rotor interaction and the interference between rotors. With higher inlet temperature and larger diameter of the particle, the quantity of deposits increases and the deposition is distributed mainly on the Pressure Side (PS) and the Leading Edge (LE) of the aerofoil.

Unsteady Conjugate Heat Transfer Investigation of a Multistage Steam Turbine in Warm-Keeping Operation With Hot Air

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Łuczyński ◽  
Dennis Toebben ◽  
Manfred Wirsum ◽  
Wolfgang F. D. Mohr ◽  
Klaus Helbig
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Conjugate Heat Transfer ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Angle Of Incidence ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Hot Air ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Vortex Systems ◽  
Operating Points

In recent decades, the rising share of commonly subsidized renewable energy especially affects the operational strategy of conventional power plants. In pursuit of flexibility improvements, extension of life cycle, in addition to a reduction in start-up time, General Electric has developed a product to warm-keep high/intermediate pressure steam turbines using hot air. In order to optimize the warm-keeping operation and to gain knowledge about the dominant heat transfer phenomena and flow structures, detailed numerical investigations are required. Considering specific warm-keeping operating conditions characterized by high turbulent flows, it is required to conduct calculations based on time-consuming unsteady conjugate heat transfer (CHT) simulations. In order to investigate the warm-keeping process as found in the presented research, single and multistage numerical turbine models were developed. Furthermore, an innovative calculation approach called the Equalized Timescales Method (ET) was applied for the modeling of unsteady conjugate heat transfer (CHT). The unsteady approach improves the accuracy of the stationary simulations and enables the determination of the multistage turbine models. In the course of the research, two particular input variables of the ET approach — speed up factor (SF) and time step (TS) — have been additionally investigated with regard to their high impact on the calculation time and the quality of the results. Using the ET method, the mass flow rate and the rotational speed were varied to generate a database of warm-keeping operating points. The main goal of this work is to provide a comprehensive knowledge of the flow field and heat transfer in a wide range of turbine warm-keeping operations and to characterize the flow patterns observed at these operating points. For varying values of flow coefficient and angle of incidence, the secondary flow phenomena change from well-known vortex systems occurring in design operation (such as passage, horseshoe and corner vortices) to effects typical for windage, like patterns of alternating vortices and strong backflows. Furthermore, the identified flow patterns have been compared to vortex systems described in cited literature and summarized in the so-called blade vortex diagram. The comparison of heat transfer in the form of charts showing the variation of the Nusselt-numbers with respect to changes in angle of incidence and flow coefficients at specific operating points is additionally provided.

scholarly journals Investigation on Unsteady Flow Characteristics of a SCO2 Centrifugal Compressor

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuqi Wang ◽  
Dongbo Shi ◽  
Di Zhang ◽  
Yonghui Xie
Keyword(s):  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Flow Characteristics

Experimental Validation of a Wide-Range Centrifugal Compressor Stage for Supercritical CO2 Power Cycles

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy C. Allison ◽  
Natalie R. Smith ◽  
Robert Pelton ◽  
Jason C. Wilkes ◽  
Sewoong Jung
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Compressor Stage ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Power Cycles ◽  
Casing Treatment ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor Stage ◽  
Operating Range ◽  
Wide Range

Successful implementation of sCO2 power cycles requires high compressor efficiency at both the design-point and over a wide operating range in order to maximize cycle power output and maintain stable operation over a wide range of transient and part-load operating conditions. This requirement is particularly true for air-cooled cycles where compressor inlet density is a strong function of inlet temperature that is subject to daily and seasonal variations as well as transient events. In order to meet these requirements, a novel centrifugal compressor stage design was developed that incorporates multiple novel range extension features, including a passive recirculating casing treatment and semi-open impeller design. This design, presented and analyzed for CO2 operation in a previous paper, was fabricated via direct metal laser sintering and tested in an open-loop test rig in order to validate simulation results and the effectiveness of the casing treatment configuration. Predicted performance curves in air and CO2 conditions are compared, resulting in a reduced diffuser width requirement for the air test in order to match design velocities and demonstrate the casing treatment. Test results show that the casing treatment performance generally matched computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions, demonstrating an operating range of 69% and efficiency above air predictions across the entire map. The casing treatment configuration demonstrated improvements over the solid wall configuration in stage performance and flow characteristics at low flows, resulting in an effective 14% increase in operating range with a 0.5-point efficiency penalty. The test results are also compared to a traditional fully shrouded impeller with the same flow coefficient and similar head coefficient, showing a 42% range improvement over traditional designs.

Viscous Oil-Water Flow in a Microchannel: Flow Patterns and Flow Development

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hooman Foroughi ◽  
Masahiro Kawaji
Keyword(s):  
Water Flow ◽  
Silicone Oil ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Fused Silica ◽  
Water Mixture ◽  
Injection Point ◽  
Viscous Oil ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Oil Water

The flow characteristics of a highly viscous oil and water mixture in a circular microchannel have been investigated. Water and silicone oil with a viscosity of 863 mPa.s were injected into a fused silica microchannel with a diameter of 250 μm. Before each experiment, the microchannel was initially saturated with either oil or water. In the initially oil-saturated case, different liquid-liquid flow patterns were observed and classified over a wide range of oil and water flow rates. As a special case, the flow of water at zero oil flow rate in a microchannel initially filled with silicone oil was also studied. When the microchannel was initially saturated with water, the oil formed a jet in water at the injection point but developed an instability at the oil-water interface downstream and eventually broke up into droplets.

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