scholarly journals A Numerical Study of the Three-Dimensional Turbulent Flow in the Impeller of a High-Speed Centrifugal Compressor

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. Clayton ◽  
W. U. A. Leong ◽  
R. Sanatian ◽  
R. I. Issa ◽  
G. Xi

Numerical analysis of the three-dimensional turbulent flow in an unshrouded impeller of a high-speed centrifugal compressor has been conducted using the multi-purpose CFD code STAR-CD. The work presented in this paper concentrates mainly on assessing the effects of the modelling of the actual spinner geometry on the quality of the predictions as compared to the often used practice of simplifying the inlet geometry. Furthermore, the contribution of detailed modelling of the flow in the tip clearance is studied using a two-layer k-ε turbulence model. As well as a qualitative analysis of the throughflow and tip leakage, a systematic quantitative comparison between the predicted and measured mean velocities and flow angles is presented.

Author(s):  
Hark-Jin Eum ◽  
Shin-Hyoung Kang

Effects of tip clearance on through flows and performance of a centrifugal compressor impeller with six different tip clearances were numerically studied using CFX-TASCflow. The flow structures inside the impeller of a centrifugal compressor were visualized observing streamlines starting the leading edge of blade tips. The calculated results at the impeller exit were circumferential averaged for quantitative discussion. Flow, pressure and entropy contours at the impeller exit were largely influenced by the tip leakage flow. Tip clearance effect on the performance was decomposed into inviscid and viscous components using one-dimensional relations expressed in terms of the specific work reduction and the additional entropy generation. Both inviscid and viscous effects affected performance to similar extent, while efficiency drop was mainly influenced by viscous loss of the tip leakage flow. Performance reduction and efficiency drop due to tip clearance was proportional to the ratio of tip clearance to blade height. A simple model suggested in the present study predicts performance and efficiency drop quite successfully.


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.


Author(s):  
Maximilian Passmann ◽  
Stefan aus der Wiesche ◽  
Franz Joos

This paper presents results of a detailed investigation of turbine tip-leakage flows at high Mach numbers. The experimental work was carried out using a small blow-down wind tunnel. An idealized blade test section was used to study blade tip-clearance effects in transonic conditions. Unshrouded blade tips are considered and different tip gap heights are investigated. A high blade exit Mach number of Me = 2 was selected deliberately. While conventional transonic turbine stages generally operate at lower supersonic exit Mach numbers, the conditions are representative for ORC turbines. Both experimental and numerical results are presented in this contribution. The results indicate, that tip leakage flow under transonic conditions leads to a complex three-dimensional flow field. A strong interaction between tip gap vortex and trailing edge shocks was observed, that also had a profound effect on the base region. While no final statement on losses could be made in the present configuration, the results indicate a weakened shock system.


Author(s):  
Hong-Won Kim ◽  
Seung-Hyup Ryu ◽  
Sang-Hak Ghal ◽  
Ji-Soo Ha

The centrifugal compressor design of the high-speed marine engine (500–900 kW) turbocharger has been done. Increased Higher compressed air and power density help improvement of the engine performance and power. The centrifugal compressor of the marine engine turbocharger is composed of impeller, 1st vaneless diffuser, vaned diffuser, 2nd vaneless diffuser and volute casing. The design process is achieved by three following stages. First, quasi-two dimensional code is used to determine the main geometry of the compressor. Second, three-dimensional compressible Navier-Stokes equation is applied to analyze the flow pattern and structures of the compressor blade loading. Here, among compressor impeller geometry, blade height variables are mainly changed. Smooth flow guidance has to precede and flow separation symptoms must not appear within compressor impeller. When the loading distribution is inadequate from blade hub to shroud, new curved profile should be designed to minimize the pressure loss. By analyzing the internal flow fields for the compressor impeller geometry variations, three dimensional impeller design profile has been confirmed. Compressed air pressure and mass flow rates from new optimized design were 2.7%, 27.3% higher than that of old one each other. Third, analyzed results are compared with experimental data for the verification of the present design method.


Author(s):  
John Moore ◽  
Joan G. Moore

A prediction of the three-dimensional turbulent flow in the NASA Low-Speed Centrifugal Compressor Impeller has been made. The calculation was made for the compressor design conditions with the specified uniform tip clearance gap. The predicted performance is significantly worse than that predicted in the NASA design study. This is explained by the high tip leakage flow in the present calculation and by the different model adopted for tip leakage flow mixing. The calculation gives an accumulation of high losses in the shroud/pressure-side quadrant near the exit of the impeller. It also predicts a region of meridional backflow near the shroud wall. Both of these flow features should be extensive enough in the NASA impeller to allow detailed flow measurements, leading to improved flow modelling. Recommendations are made for future flow studies in the NASA impeller.


2014 ◽  
Vol 663 ◽  
pp. 347-353
Author(s):  
Layth H. Jawad ◽  
Shahrir Abdullah ◽  
Zulkifli R. ◽  
Wan Mohd Faizal Wan Mahmood

A numerical study that was made in a three-dimensional flow, carried out in a modified centrifugal compressor, having vaned diffuser stage, used as an automotive turbo charger. In order to study the influence of vaned diffuser meridional outlet section with a different width ratio of the modified centrifugal compressor. Moreover, the performance of the centrifugal compressor was dependent on the proper matching between the compressor impeller along the vaned diffuser. The aerodynamic characteristics were compared under different meridional width ratio. In addition, the velocity vectors in diffuser flow passages, and the secondary flow in cross-section near the outlet of diffuser were analysed in detail under different meridional width ratio. 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 using commercial software so-called ANSYS CFX, to predict numerically the performance charachteristics. The results were generated from CFD and were analysed for better understanding of the fluid flow through centrifugal compressor stage and as a result of the minimum width ratio the flow in diffuser passage tends to be uniformity. Moreover, the backflow and vortex near the pressure surface disappear, and the vortex and detachment near the suction surface decrease. Conclusively, it was observed that the efficiency was increased and both the total pressure ratio and static pressure for minimum width ratio are increased.


Author(s):  
Masanao Kaneko ◽  
Hoshio Tsujita

A transonic centrifugal compressor impeller is generally composed of the main and the splitter blades which are different in chord length. As a result, the tip leakage flows from the main and the splitter blades interact with each other and then complicate the flow field in the compressor. In this study, in order to clarify the individual influences of these leakage flows on the flow field in the transonic centrifugal compressor stage at near-choke to near-stall condition, the flows in the compressor at four conditions prescribed by the presence and the absence of the tip clearances were analyzed numerically. The computed results clarified the following noticeable phenomena. The tip clearance of the main blade induces the tip leakage vortex from the leading edge of the main blade. This vortex decreases the blade loading of the main blade to the negative value by the increase of the flow acceleration along the suction surface of the splitter blade, and consequently induces the tip leakage vortex caused by the negative blade loading of the main blade at any operating points. These phenomena decline the impeller efficiency. On the other hand, the tip clearance of the splitter blade decreases the afore mentioned acceleration by the formation of the tip leakage vortex from the leading edge of the splitter blade and the decrease of the incidence angle for the splitter blade caused by the suction of the flow into the tip clearance. These phenomena reduce the loss generated by the negative blade loading of the main blade and consequently reduce the decline of the impeller efficiency. Moreover, the tip clearances enlarge the flow separation around the diffuser inlet and then decline the diffuser performance independently of the operating points.


Author(s):  
J. J. Adamczyk ◽  
M. L. Celestina ◽  
E. M. Greitzer

A numerical experiment has been carried out to define the near stall casing endwall flow field of a high-speed fan rotor. The experiment used a simulation code incorporating a simple clearance model, whose calibration is presented. The results of the simulation show that the interaction of the tip leakage vortex and the in-passage shock plays a major role in determining the fan flow range. More specifically, the computations imply that it is the area increase of this vortex as it passes through the in-passage shock, which is the source of the blockage associated with stall. In addition, for fans of this type, it is the clearance over the forward portion of the fan blade which controls the flow processes leading to stall.


Author(s):  
N. Lymberopoulos ◽  
K. Giannakoglou ◽  
I. Nikolaou ◽  
K. D. Papailiou ◽  
A. Tourlidakis ◽  
...  

Mechanical constraints dictate the existence of tip clearances in rotating cascades, resulting to a flow leakage through this clearance which considerably influences the efficiency and range of operation of the machine. Three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solvers are often used for the numerical study of compressor and turbine stages with tip-clearance. The quality of numerical predictions depends strongly on how accurately the blade tip region is modelled; in this respect the accurate modelling of tip region was one of the main goals of this work. In the present paper, a 3-D Navier-Stokes solver is suitably adapted so that the flat tip surface of a blade and its sharp edges could be accurately modelled, in order to improve the precision of the calculation in the tip region. The adapted code solves the fully elliptic, steady, Navier-Stokes equations through a space-marching algorithm and a pressure correction technique; the H-type topology is retained, even in cases with thick leading edges where a special treatment is introduced herein. The analysis is applied to two different cases, a linear cascade and a compressor rotor, and comparisons with experimental data are provided.


Author(s):  
T. Fondelli ◽  
D. Massini ◽  
A. Andreini ◽  
B. Facchini ◽  
F. Leonardi

The reduction of fluid-dynamic losses in high speed gearing systems is nowadays increasing importance in the design of innovative aircraft propulsion systems, which are particularly focused on improving the propulsive efficiency. Main sources of fluid-dynamic losses in high speed gearing systems are windage losses, inertial losses resulting by impinging oil jets used for jet lubrication and the losses related to the compression and the subsequent expansion of the fluid trapped between gears teeth. The numerical study of the latter is particularly challenging since it faces high speed multiphase flows interacting with moving surfaces, but it paramount for improving knowledge of the fluid behavior in such regions. The current work aims to analyze trapping losses in a gear pair by means of three-dimensional CFD simulations. In order to reduce the numerical effort, an approach for restricting computational domain was defined, thus only a portion of the gear pair geometry was discretized. Transient calculations of a gear pair rotating in an oil-free environment were performed, in the context of conventional eddy viscosity models. Results were compared with experimental data from the open literature in terms of transient pressure within a tooth space, achieving a good agreement. Finally, a strategy for meshing losses calculation was developed and results as a function of rotational speed were discussed.


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