Application of a Three-Dimensional Inverse Method to the Design of a Centrifugal Compressor Impeller

Author(s):  
Alain Demeulenaere ◽  
Olivier Léonard ◽  
René Van den Braembussche

The use of a three-dimensional Euler inverse method for the design of a centrifugal impeller is demonstrated. Both the blade shape and the endwalls are iteratively designed. The meridional contour is modified in order to control the mean velocity level in the blade channel, while the blade shape is designed to achieve a prescribed loading distribution between the inlet and the outlet. The method salves the time dependent Euler equations in a numerical domain of which some boundaries (the blades or the endwalls) move and change shape during the transient part of the computation, until a prescribed pressure distribution is achieved on the blade surfaces. The method is applied to the design of a centrifugal compressor impeller, whose hub endwall and blade surfaces are modified by the inviscid inverse method. The real performance of both initial and modified geometries are compared through three-dimensional Navier-Stokes computations.

1979 ◽  
Vol 193 (1) ◽  
pp. 341-347
Author(s):  
A. Goulas ◽  
R. C. Baker

Hot wire measurements at the exit of a small centrifugal compressor impeller are reported. Three different hot wire readings were obtained and stored on a magnetic tape for each point by gating the analogue hot wire signal with a pulse which indicated circumferential position. The combination of the three readings yielded the mean velocity and some Reynolds stresses at each point. The measurements show a ‘jet-wake’ profile towards the shroud and ‘isentropic’ flow near the hub.


1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. David Joslyn ◽  
Joost J. Brasz ◽  
Robert P. Dring

The ability to acquire blade loadings (surface pressure distributions) and surface flow visualization on an unshrouded centrifugal compressor impeller is demonstrated. Circumferential and streamwise static pressure distributions acquired on the stationary shroud are also presented. Data was acquired in a new facility designed for centrifugal compressor aerodynamic research. Blade loadings calculated with a blade–to–blade potential flow analysis are compared with the measured results. Surface flow visualization reveals some complex aspects of the flow on the surface of the impeller blading and hub. In a companion paper, Dorney and Davis (1990), a state–of–the–art, three–dimensional, time–accurate, Navier Stokes prediction of the flow through the impeller is presented.


Author(s):  
Y Wang ◽  
S Komori

A pressure-based finite volume procedure developed previously for incompressible flows is extended to predict the three-dimensional compressible flow within a centrifugal impeller. In this procedure, the general curvilinear coordinate system is used and the collocated grid arrangement is adopted. Mass-averaging is used to close the instantaneous Navier-Stokes equations. The covariant velocity components are used as the main variables for the momentum equations, making the pressure-velocity coupling easier. The procedure is successfully applied to predict various compressible flows from subsonic to supersonic. With the aid of the k-ɛ turbulence model, the flow details within a centrifugal impeller are obtained using the present procedure. Predicted distributions of the meridional velocity and the static pressure are reasonable. Calculated radial velocities and flow angles are favourably compared with the measurements at the exit of the impeller.


Author(s):  
Harri Pitkänen ◽  
Hannu Esa ◽  
Petri Sallinen ◽  
Jaakko Larjola

In this study, centrifugal compressor performance was predicted using CFD. Three-dimensional time-averaged impeller and volute simulations were performed using a Navier–Stokes code. The presented performance prediction method has been divided into three phases. Firstly, the impeller was calculated with a vaneless diffuser. That gives inlet boundary conditions for the volute analysis and the pressure ratio at the diffuser exit. Next, the volute analysis was performed and a static pressure recovery coefficient obtained. Finally, that result was combined with the pressure ratio prediction from the impeller analysis, and the overall compressor performance thus obtained.


Author(s):  
Daniel J. Dorney ◽  
Roger L. Davis

A three-dimensional, Navier-Stokes analysis is presented for the prediction of viscous flows through centrifugal impellers. Based on the Navier-Stokes rotor/stator interaction procedure developed by Rai, the present analysis uses a zonal grid methodology to discretize the impeller flow field and to facilitate the relative motion of the impeller. A blade surface oriented O-grid generated from an elliptic partial differential equation solution procedure is patched into an algebraically generated H-grid which is used to discretize the inlet, exit and blade-to-blade regions. The equations of motion are integrated using a spatially third-order accurate, implicit, iterative, upwind, finite difference, time-marching technique. Predicted results are presented for flow through a low speed centrifugal compressor impeller operating at design flow conditions. Comparison of these predicted results with experimental data demonstrates the capability of this procedure to predict impeller blade loading and provide insight into the secondary flow structure within the impeller blade passage.


1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Guang ◽  
Wang Shangjin ◽  
Miao Yongmiao

A method for calculating 3–D turbulent flow in a centifugal impeller is developed by solving the incompressible, steady, time averaged N–S equation in general curvilinear coordinates. The K–ε two–equation turbulence model is utilized to describe Reynolds stresses. A calculation scheme is proposed which divides a centrifugal compressor impeller into three calculation zones, i.e. the inlet zone, the channel zone, and the exit–vaneless diffuser zone. A simple and time–saving method for generating 3–D body–fitted coordinate system of a centrifugal impeller is established by means of combining an algebraic transformation with the solution of 2–D elliptic partial differential equations. This method is applied to calculate the turbulent flow in an industrial centrifugal compressor impeller. The tendency of the “jet–wake” formation and growth in the impeller can be clearly seen, and the secondary flow pattern calculated is similar to Eckardt’s measurements. The calculation results at the impeller exit are also in good agreement with the experimental results performed by the authors.


Author(s):  
Ahmed Abdelwahab

Vaned diffusers have been used successfully as efficient and compact dynamic pressure recovery devices in industrial centrifugal compressor stages. Typically such diffusers consist of a cascade of two-dimensional blades distributed circumferentially at close proximity to the impeller exit. In this paper three low-solidity diffuser blade geometries are numerically investigated. The first geometry employs variable stagger stacking of similar blade sections along the blade span. The second employs linearly inclined stacking to generate blade lean along the diffuser span. The third geometry employs the conventional two-dimensional low-solidity diffuser geometry with no variable stagger or lean. The variable stagger blade arrangement has the potential of better aligning the diffuser leading edges with the highly non-uniform flow leaving the impeller. Both variable stagger and linearly leaned diffuser blade arrangements, however, have the effect of redistributing the blade loading and flow streamlines in the spanwise direction leading to improved efficiency and pressure recovery capacity of the diffuser. In this paper a description of the proposed diffuser geometries is presented. The results of Three-dimensional Navier-Stokes numerical simulations of the three centrifugal compressor arrangements are discussed. Comparisons between the performance of the two and three-dimensional diffuser blade geometries are presented. The comparisons indeed show that the variable stagger and leaned diffusers present an improvement in the diffuser operating range and pressure recovery capacity over the conventional two-dimensional diffuser geometry.


1993 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. N. Dawes

This paper describes recent developments to a three-dimensional, unstructured mesh, solution-adaptive Navier–Stokes solver. By adopting a simple, pragmatic but systematic approach to mesh generation, the range of simulations that can be attempted is extended toward arbitrary geometries. The combined benefits of the approach result in a powerful analytical ability. Solutions for a wide range of flows are presented, including a transonic compressor rotor, a centrifugal impeller, a steam turbine nozzle guide vane with casing extraction belt, the internal coolant passage of a radial inflow turbine, and a turbine disk cavity flow.


Author(s):  
Kiyotaka Hiradate ◽  
Hiromi Kobayashi ◽  
Takahiro Nishioka

This study experimentally and numerically investigates the effect of application of curvilinear element blades to fully-shrouded centrifugal compressor impeller on the performance of centrifugal compressor stage. Design suction flow coefficient of compressor stage investigated in this study is 0.125. The design guidelines for the curvilinear element blades which had been previously developed was applied to line element blades of a reference conventional impeller and a new centrifugal compressor impeller with curvilinear element blades was designed. Numerical calculations and performance tests of two centrifugal compressor stages with the conventional impeller and the new one were conducted to investigate the effectiveness of application of the curvilinear element blades and compare the inner flowfield in details. Despite 0.5% deterioration of the impeller efficiency, it was confirmed from the performance test results that the compressor stage with the new impeller achieved 1.7% higher stage efficiency at the design point than that with the conventional one. Moreover, it was confirmed that the compressor stage with the new impeller achieved almost the same off-design performance as that of the conventional stage. From results of the numerical calculations and the experiments, it is considered that this efficiency improvement of the new stage was achieved by suppression of the secondary flows in the impeller due to application of negative tangential lean. The suppression of the secondary flows in the impeller achieved uniformalized flow distribution at the impeller outlet and increased the static pressure recovery coefficient in the vaneless diffuser. As a result, it is thought that the total pressure loss was reduced downstream of the vaneless diffuser outlet in the new stage.


1990 ◽  
Vol 112 (3) ◽  
pp. 346-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Borges

There are surprisingly few inverse methods described in the literature that are truly three dimensional. Here, one such method is presented. This technique uses as input a prescribed distribution of the mean swirl, i.e., radius times mean tangential velocity, given throughout the meridional section of the machine. In the present implementation the flow is considered inviscid and incompressible and is assumed irrotational at the inlet to the blade row. In order to evaluate the velocity field inside the turbomachine, the blades (supposed infinitely thin) are replaced by sheets of vorticity, whose strength is related to the specified mean swirl. Some advice on the choice of a suitable mean swirl distribution is given. In order to assess the usefulness of the present procedure, it was decided to apply it to the design of an impeller for a low-speed radial-inflow turbine. The results of the tests are described in the second part of this paper.


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