Conceptual Design of a Centrifugal Compressor Including Consideration of the Effect of Inlet Prewhirl

Author(s):  
A. Whitfield

A non-dimensional impeller design procedure, including the effect of inlet prewhirl, is described. It is shown that the basic non-dimensional parameters commonly used to present the performance of compressors also provide an adequate basis from which a conceptual design procedure can be developed. The adoption of composite non-dimensional groupings such as specific speed and specific diameter are unnecessary. The design procedure is developed non-dimensionally to provide the appropriate impeller geometry as a ratio of the outer radius, and inlet and discharge blade angles. A compressor design for a pressure ratio of 4 to 1 is used to provide an illustrative example.

Author(s):  
P. M. Came

A computer-based centrifugal compressor design procedure developed at the National Gas Turbine Establishment is described. The impeller design package includes a geometry modelling procedure, aerodynamic analysis, stress analysis, and the direct generation of data for manufacture by numerical control. The method of diffuser design incorporates analyses of the flow in the vaneless space and ‘semi-vaneless’ space adapted from a new performance prediction technique; published diffuser pressure recovery data are used in the selection of the diffuser channel geometry. The application of these methods to the design of a 6.5 pressure ratio centrifugal compressor stage is described. The experimental rig testing of this compressor has been used to evaluate the advantages offered by the new design procedure. By comparing the measured performance with that of an earlier compressor designed with less advanced techniques for the same aerodynamic duty, the advantages of the new design procedure are established.


1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Whitfield ◽  
Abu Hasan Abdullah

In many turbomachinery applications a compressor is directly driven by a turbine; for turbocharger applications a centrifugal compressor is usually adopted which is generally driven by a radial flow turbine, although mixed flow or axial flow turbines are occasionally required. A non-dimensional design procedure is developed to provide the basic dimensions and blade angles of centrifugal compressor impellers, whilst accounting for the turbine conditions as assessed through the matching requirements. The design of the turbine is then considered further in Part B. The procedure can be applied for any desired compressor pressure ratio and target efficiency to develop an initial non-dimensional skeleton design. No other parameters are required from the initial specification and the design is developed non-dimensionally without recourse to empirical loss models and the associated uncertainties as the target efficiency must be specified. The procedure provides graphical information with respect to the impeller discharge conditions and inlet conditions from which the designer must select the most appropriate design. The screen graphics interface enables the designer to search across the design options; as this search is carried out numerical data are displayed and continuously up-dated to provide immediate information on which an infnrmed assessment can be based. In addition to the compressor design options which are provided the matching conditions for the drive turbine provides information, such as specific speed, non-dimensional mass flow rate and pressure ratio, relevant to the turbine design. Judgements with respect to the design options for the compressor can then be made with the consequences for the associated turbine design clearly in view. The non-dimensional design can be translated into an absolute design through the specification of the required mass flow rate and the inlet stagnation pressure and temperature.


Author(s):  
C. Rodgers

This paper describes the development of a subscale single stage centrifugal compressor with a dimensionless specific speed (Ns) of 1.8, originally designed for full size appllcatioa as a high volume flow, low pressure ratio, gas booster compressor. The specific stage is noteworthy in that it provides a benchmark representing the performance potential of very high specific speed compressors of which limited information is found in open literature. Stage & component test performance characteristics are presented together with traverse results at the impeller exit. Traverse test results were compared with recent CFD computational predictions, for a exploratory analytical callbration of a very high specific speed impeller geometry. The tested subscale (0.583) compressor essentially satisfied design performance expectations with an overall stage efficiency of 74% incinding, excessive exit casing losses. It was estimated that stage efficiency could be increased to 81% with exit casing losses halved.


Author(s):  
Shashank Mishra ◽  
Shaaban Abdallah ◽  
Mark Turner

Multistage axial compressor has an advantage of lower stage loading as compared to a single stage. Several stages with low pressure ratio are linked together which allows for multiplication of pressure to generate high pressure ratio in an axial compressor. Since each stage has low pressure ratio they operate at a higher efficiency and the efficiency of multi-stage axial compressor as a whole is very high. Although, single stage centrifugal compressor has higher pressure ratio compared with an axial compressor but multistage centrifugal compressors are not as efficient because the flow has to be turned from radial at outlet to axial at inlet for each stage. The present study explores the advantages of extending the axial compressor efficient flow path that consist of rotor stator stages to the centrifugal compressor stage. In this invention, two rotating rows of blades are mounted on the same impeller disk, separated by a stator blade row attached to the casing. A certain amount of turning can be achieved through a single stage centrifugal compressor before flow starts separating, thus dividing it into multiple stages would be advantageous as it would allow for more flow turning. Also the individual stage now operate with low pressure ratio and high efficiency resulting into an overall increase in pressure ratio and efficiency. The baseline is derived from the NASA low speed centrifugal compressor design which is a 55 degree backward swept impeller. Flow characteristics of the novel multistage design are compared with a single stage centrifugal compressor. The flow path of the baseline and multi-stage compressor are created using 3DBGB tool and DAKOTA is used to optimize the performance of baseline as well novel design. The optimization techniques used are Genetic algorithm followed by Numerical Gradient method. The optimization resulted into improvements in incidence and geometry which significantly improved the performance over baseline compressor design. The multistage compressor is more efficient with a higher pressure ratio compared with the base line design for the same work input and initial conditions.


1984 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
pp. 475-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Moore ◽  
J. G. Moore ◽  
P. H. Timmis

Calculations of three-dimensional viscous flow in the impeller of a centrifugal compressor are used as the basis of a study of the thermodynamics of the compression process. Flow in a high hub-tip ratio low specific speed impeller of approximately 3.4:1 pressure ratio is considered. Results are presented showing the work and loss production processes in the impeller. A strong influence of tip-leakage flow on the performance of this unshrouded wheel is found.


1978 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Mishina ◽  
I. Gyobu

An experimental investigation concerning the optimum relative velocity distribution within impellers, the optimum diffusion ratio of vaned diffusers and the optimum circumferential area distribution, sectional shape of scrolls was carried out using high specific speed shrouded impellers with backward leaning blades. A performance design procedure based on loss analysis and quasi-three-dimensional flow analysis was also developed and modified by introducing experimental results. The design procedure was applied to a 7900-kw four-stage air compressor to demonstrate the usefulness. Field test results of the complete machine showed that the maximum isothermal efficiency was 75 percent with the pressure ratio of 5.96 and the flow rate of 29.3 m3/s.


2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor I. Mileshin ◽  
Igor A. Brailko ◽  
Andrew N. Startsev ◽  
Igor K. Orekhov

Present paper is devoted to numerical investigation of unsteadiness caused by impeller-diffuser interaction in a 8:1 total pressure ratio centrifugal compressor. The compressor designed by CIAM [7], and manufactured and tested by Customer gave satisfactory performances even under the first test. Further development requires new insights and advanced numerical tools. In this context, this paper presents Navier-Stokes computations of 3D viscous unsteady flow field within the impeller-diffuser configuration. Steady and unsteady computations indicated spacious zone of low velocity / reverse flow on pressure surface of the diffuser vane. To suppress this reverse flow, new vaned diffuser has been tailored through application of 3D inverse design procedure for Navier-Stokes equations [8]. Subsequent steady and unsteady N-S calculations performed for compressor with the new diffuser demonstrated depression of reverse flow within diffuser and different unsteady loading of the diffuser vane.


Author(s):  
D. Wittrock ◽  
M. Junker ◽  
M. Beversdorff ◽  
A. Peters ◽  
E. Nicke

Abstract In the last decades major improvements in transonic centrifugal compressor design have been achieved. The further exploration of design space is enabled by recent progress in structural mechanics and manufacturing. A challenging task of inducer design especially in terms of transonic inflow conditions is to provide a wide flow range and reduced losses due to a sufficient shock control. The use of so called multidisciplinary design optimization with an extensive amount of free parameters leads finally to complex designs. DLR’s latest Fast Rotating Centrifugal Compressor (SRV5) operates at a design speed of Mu2 = 1.72 and a total pressure ratio of 5.72. This compressor design is characterized by an S-shaped leading edge and free-form blade surfaces. Due to the complex design the key design features are difficult to explore. Therefore, non-intrusive measurements are conducted on the highly loaded SRV5. The Laser-2-Focus (L2F) approach that is used in addition with the Doppler Global Velocimetry (DGV) delivers a three dimensional velocity field. Besides the impeller inflow the ouflow is also part of the experimental and numerical verification of the advanced compressor design. Experimental results are compared with the numerical analysis of the compressor using DLR’s RANS Flow Solver TRACE. The deep insight of the inflow leads to a better understanding of the operating behavior of such impeller designs.


1975 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Eckardt

One of the critical problems in centrifugal compressor design is the diffuser-impeller interaction. Up to now, theoretical models, which describe one of the salient features of this problem, the impeller discharge mixing process, appear to be proved experimentally only at low tip speeds. In the present study investigations on this subject were accomplished in the vaneless diffuser of a low-pressure ratio centrifugal compressor, running at tip speeds of 300 m/s. Detailed, instantaneous measurements in the impeller discharge mixing zone were performed by high-frequency measuring systems. Relative velocity distributions at the exit of impeller blade channels show pronounced jet/wake-patterns. The radial extension of flow distortions in the vaneless diffuser entry region, caused by rotating wakes, reached up to higher radius ratios than predicted by theoretical models.


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