Meanline Modelling of Inlet Recirculation in Automotive Turbocharger Centrifugal Compressors

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Harley ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Dietmar Filsinger ◽  
Michael Dietrich ◽  
Juliana Early
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Flow Coefficient ◽  
Centrifugal Compressors ◽  
Flow Paths ◽  
Operating Range ◽  
Recirculating Flow ◽  
Mass Flow Rates ◽  
Modelling Techniques ◽  
Compressor Map ◽  
Modelling Approach

This study provides a novel meanline modelling approach for centrifugal compressors. All compressors analysed are of the automotive turbocharger variety and have typical upstream geometry with no casing treatments or pre-swirl vanes. Past experience dictates that inducer recirculation is prevalent toward surge in designs with high inlet shroud to outlet radius ratios; such designs are found in turbocharger compressors due to the demand for operating range. The aim of the paper is to provide further understanding of impeller inducer flow paths when operating with significant inducer recirculation. Using 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and a single-passage model, the flow coefficient at which the recirculating flow begins to develop and the rate at which it grows are used to assess and correlate work and angular momentum delivered to the incoming flow. All numerical modelling has been fully validated using measurements taken from hot gas stand tests for all compressor stages. The new modelling approach links the inlet recirculating flow and the pressure ratio characteristic of the compressor. Typically for a fixed rotational speed, between choke and the onset of impeller inlet recirculation the pressure ratio rises gradually at a rate dominated by the aerodynamic losses. However, in modern automotive turbocharger compressors where operating range is paramount, the pressure ratio no longer changes significantly between the onset of recirculation and surge. Instead the pressure ratio remains relatively constant for reducing mass flow rates until surge occurs. Existing meanline modelling techniques predict that the pressure ratio continues to gradually rise toward surge, which when compared to test data is not accurate. A new meanline method is presented here which tackles this issue by modelling the direct effects of the recirculation. The result is a meanline model that better represents the actual fluid flow seen in the CFD results and more accurately predicts the pressure ratio and efficiency characteristics in the region of the compressor map affected by inlet recirculation.

Meanline Modeling of Inlet Recirculation in Automotive Turbocharger Centrifugal Compressors

2014 ◽  
Vol 137 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Harley ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Dietmar Filsinger ◽  
Michael Dietrich ◽  
Juliana Early
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Flow Coefficient ◽  
Centrifugal Compressors ◽  
Flow Paths ◽  
Operating Range ◽  
Recirculating Flow ◽  
Modeling Approach ◽  
Mass Flow Rates ◽  
Compressor Map

This study provides a novel meanline modeling approach for centrifugal compressors. All compressors analyzed are of the automotive turbocharger variety and have typical upstream geometry with no casing treatments or preswirl vanes. Past experience dictates that inducer recirculation is prevalent toward surge in designs with high inlet shroud to outlet radius ratios; such designs are found in turbocharger compressors due to the demand for operating range. The aim of the paper is to provide further understanding of impeller inducer flow paths when operating with significant inducer recirculation. Using three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and a single-passage model, the flow coefficient at which the recirculating flow begins to develop and the rate at which it grows are used to assess and correlate work and angular momentum delivered to the incoming flow. All numerical modeling has been fully validated using measurements taken from hot gas stand tests for all compressor stages. The new modeling approach links the inlet recirculating flow and the pressure ratio characteristic of the compressor. Typically for a fixed rotational speed, between choke and the onset of impeller inlet recirculation the pressure ratio rises gradually at a rate dominated by the aerodynamic losses. However, in modern automotive turbocharger compressors where operating range is paramount, the pressure ratio no longer changes significantly between the onset of recirculation and surge. Instead the pressure ratio remains relatively constant for reducing mass flow rates until surge occurs. Existing meanline modeling techniques predict that the pressure ratio continues to gradually rise toward surge, which when compared to test data is not accurate. A new meanline method is presented here which tackles this issue by modeling the direct effects of the recirculation. The result is a meanline model that better represents the actual fluid flow seen in the CFD results and more accurately predicts the pressure ratio and efficiency characteristics in the region of the compressor map affected by inlet recirculation.

Impact of Main and Splitter Blade Leading Edge Contour on the Performance of High Pressure Ratio Centrifugal Compressors

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo R. Erdmenger ◽  
Vittorio Michelassi
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Flow Coefficient ◽  
Centrifugal Compressors ◽  
Operating Range ◽  
High Pressure Ratio ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Blade Leading Edge

The impact of leading edge sweep in an attempt to reduce shock losses and extend the stall margin on axial compressors has been extensively studied, however only a few studies have looked at understanding the impact of leading edge contouring on the performance of centrifugal compressors. The present work studies the impact of forward and aft sweep on the main and splitter blade leading edge of a generic high flow coefficient and high pressure ratio centrifugal compressor design and the impact on its overall peak efficiency, pressure ratio and operating range. The usage of aft sweep on the main blade led to an increase of the pressure ratio and efficiency, however it also led to a reduction of the stable operating range of the impeller analyzed. The forward sweep cases analyzed where the tip leading edge was displaced axially forward showed a slight increase in pressure ratio, and a significant increase on operating range. The impact of leading edge sweep on the sensitivity of the impeller performance to tip clearance was also studied. The impeller efficiency was found to be less sensitive to an increase of tip clearance for both aft and forward sweep cases studied. The forward sweep cases studied also showed a reduced sensitivity from operating range to tip clearance. The studies conducted on the splitter leading edge profile indicate that aft sweep may help to increase the operating range of the impeller analyzed by up to 16% while maintaining similar pressure ratio and efficiency characteristics of the impeller. The improvement of operating range obtained with the leading edge forward sweep and splitter aft sweep was caused by a reduction of the interaction of the tip vortex of the main blade with the splitter tip, and a reduction of the blockage caused by this interaction.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Operating Range Enhancement Techniques in Centrifugal Compressor for Turbochargers

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kishore Kumar Chandramohan ◽  
Kirubakaran Purushothaman ◽  
Vidyadheesh Pandurangi ◽  
Kishore Prasad Deshkulkarni
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Centrifugal Compressors ◽  
Operating Range ◽  
Auxiliary Power Units ◽  
Flow Mechanisms ◽  
Cruise Missiles ◽  
Compressor Map ◽  
Ported Shroud

High speed centrifugal compressors are used in turbochargers and in small gas turbine engines that typically power cruise missiles, helicopters and auxiliary power units (APU). Centrifugal compressors have wider operating range compared to axial compressor and are compact. Though centrifugal compressors having a pressure ratio of the order of 12:1 per stage have been demonstrated with reasonably good isentropic efficiencies, achieving a wider operating range has always been a challenge. A Turbocharger that needs to be designed to function both at sea-level and 5 km altitude conditions, requires a wider compressor map to accommodate the diesel engine operating line. A wider compressor map can be achieved by various techniques. The approaches used in the present study include providing pinch in the diffuser entry region and ported shroud arrangement in the compressor casing. A parametric study has been carried out by varying geometric parameters and an appropriate configuration that offers lower total pressure loss and better diffuser pressure recovery is chosen. The flow mechanisms responsible for better performance is investigated numerically for various configurations with diffuser pinch. To further enhance the operating range, a ported shroud configuration in the compressor housing is designed and analysed with the finalized diffuser pinch. Results of computational analysis for different ported shroud slot geometries have been studied numerically and are presented. Two configurations have been tested in a turbo-drive based test rig. The first configuration is only with diffuser pinch and the second configuration is with diffuser pinch and ported shroud. The extent of map width enhancement obtained by each technique is presented and compared with numerical analysis. The test results show good match with the predicted trend and confirms that diffuser pinch and ported shroud configurations offer significant enhancement in achieving a wider operating range. The flow mechanisms responsible are discussed in detail in the paper.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Different Rectangular Volute Geometries for Large Radial Compressors

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Bartelt ◽  
Thomas Kwitschinski ◽  
Thomas Ceyrowsky ◽  
Daniel Grates ◽  
Joerg R. Seume
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Reduced Dimensions ◽  
External Reference ◽  
Mass Flow Rates ◽  
Compressor Map ◽  
Operating Points

Increases on mass flow rates of modern radial process compressors result on larger machine components. In particular, the dimensions of the outlet volutes increase strongly, resulting in disproportionately large machines whose technical feasibility is restricted due to technological and economical reasons. A resulting aim is to design modern radial compressors much more compact, while improving the efficiency and the pressure ratio. Therefore, the present experimental investigation addresses the compressor behaviour for reduced dimensions of rectangular volutes. Furthermore, the experimental setups are numerically modelled and different operating points are simulated with a commercial CFD-Code. A rectangular, external reference volute is equipped with differently shaped blockage-inlays and the global compressor parameters are measured for all variants. Additionally, the pressure and velocity distributions of the local flow field are determined experimentally for varying mass flow ratios at different circumferentially distributed volute layers. The decrease of the volute cross-section results in a reduction of the compressor map width especially at high mass flow rates. Recommendations are given for designing compact volutes of large radial compressors.

An Impact of Various Shroud Bleed Slot Configurations and Cavity Vanes on Compressor Map Width and the Inducer Flow Field

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Subenuka Sivagnanasundaram ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Juliana Early ◽  
Bahram Nikpour
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Incidence Angle ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Choked Flow ◽  
Recirculating Flow ◽  
Heavy Duty Diesel ◽  
Compressor Map ◽  
The Impact

This paper describes an investigation of map width enhancement and a detailed analysis of the inducer flow field due to various bleed slot configurations and vanes in the annular cavity of a turbocharger centrifugal compressor. The compressor under investigation is used in a turbocharger application for a heavy duty diesel engine of approximately 400 hp. This investigation has been undertaken using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the full compressor stage, which includes a manual multiblock-structured grid generation method. The influence of the bleed slot flow on the inducer flow field at a range of operating conditions has been analyzed, highlighting the improvement in surge and choked flow capability. The impact of the bleed slot geometry variations and the inclusion of cavity vanes on the inlet incidence angle have been studied in detail by considering the swirl component introduced at the leading edge by the recirculating flow through the slot. Further, the overall stage efficiency and the nonuniform flow field at the inducer inlet have been also analyzed. The analysis revealed that increasing the slot width has increased the map width by about 17%. However, it has a small impact on the efficiency, due to the frictional and mixing losses. Moreover, adding vanes in the cavity improved the pressure ratio and compressor performance noticeably. A detail analysis of the compressor with cavity vanes has also been presented.

An Investigation of the Use of Wet Compression in Industrial Centrifugal Compressors

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Abdelwahab
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Water Injection ◽  
Centrifugal Compressors ◽  
Power Requirement ◽  
Operating Range ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Direct Water Injection ◽  
Compressor Inlet ◽  
Wet Compression ◽  
Compressor Power

Industrial centrifugal compressors generally comprise a number of low pressure ratio intercooled stages. This is done primarily for the purpose of reducing the compressor power requirements and improving the operating range of the multi-stage compressor. In recent years, however, rapid increases in the per-kilowatt-hour prices both domestically and worldwide has led to renewed research efforts to further reduce the power requirements of this type of compression equipment. Several attempts have been made to use direct water injection as a means to overspray the compressor inlet to further reduce its power requirement. This paper presents an investigation into the use of this technology in industrial centrifugal compressors. A simple numerical method is presented for the computation of wet compression processes. The method is based on both droplet evaporation and compressor mean-line calculations. An assessment, based on the developed model, of the effectiveness of evaporative processes in reducing the compressor power consumption per stage is presented. The impacts on stage efficiency and operating range are also presented.

An Impact of Various Shroud Bleed Slot Configurations and Cavity Vanes on Compressor Map Width and the Inducer Flow Field

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subenuka Sivagnanasundaram ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Juliana Early ◽  
Bahram Nikpour
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Incidence Angle ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Choked Flow ◽  
Recirculating Flow ◽  
Heavy Duty Diesel ◽  
Compressor Map ◽  
The Impact

This paper describes an investigation of map width enhancement and a detailed analysis of the inducer flow field due to various bleed slot configurations and vanes in the annular cavity of a turbocharger centrifugal compressor. The compressor under investigation is used in a turbocharger application for a heavy duty diesel engine of approximately 400hp. This investigation has been undertaken using a CFD model of the full compressor stage which includes a manual multi-block structured grid generation method. The influence of the bleed slot flow on the inducer flow field at a range of operating conditions has been analysed, highlighting the improvement in surge and choked flow capability. The impact of the bleed slot geometry variations and the inclusion of cavity vanes on the inlet incidence angle have been studied in detail by considering the swirl component introduced at the leading edge by the recirculating flow through the slot. Further, the overall stage efficiency and the non-uniform flow field at the inducer inlet have been also analysed. The analysis revealed that increasing the slot width has increased the map width by about 17%. However, it has a small impact on the efficiency due to the frictional and mixing losses. Moreover, adding vanes in the cavity improved the pressure ratio and compressor performance noticeably. A detail analysis of the compressor with cavity vanes has also been presented.

An Investigation of Centrifugal Compressor Stability Enhancement Using a Novel Vaned Diffuser Recirculation Technique

2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Galloway ◽  
Daniel Rusch ◽  
Stephen Spence ◽  
Klemens Vogel ◽  
René Hunziker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Vaned Diffuser ◽  
Casing Treatment ◽  
Operating Range ◽  
Stable Operating ◽  
Mass Flow Rates ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Casing Treatments

The main centrifugal compressor performance criteria are pressure ratio, efficiency, and wide flow range. The relative importance of these criteria, and therefore the optimum design balance, varies between different applications. Vaned diffusers are generally used for high-performance applications as they can achieve higher efficiencies and pressure ratios, but have a reduced operating range, in comparison to vaneless diffusers. Many impeller-based casing treatments have been developed to enlarge the operating range of centrifugal compressors over the last decades but there is much less information available in open literature for diffuser focused methods, and they are not widely adopted in commercial compressor stages. The development of aerodynamic instabilities at low mass flow rate operating conditions can lead to the onset of rotating stall or surge, limiting the stable operating range of the centrifugal compressor stage. More understanding of these aerodynamic instabilities has been established in recent years. Based on this additional knowledge, new casing treatments can be developed to prevent or suppress the development of these instabilities, thus increasing the compressor stability at low mass flow rates. This paper presents a novel vaned diffuser casing treatment that successfully increased the stable operating range at low mass flow rates and high pressure ratios. Detailed experimental measurements from a high pressure ratio turbocharger compressor stage combined with complementary CFD simulations were used to examine the effect of the new diffuser casing treatment on the compressor flow field and led to the improvement in overall compressor stability. A detailed description of how the new casing treatment operates is presented within the paper.

Casing Treatment of Centrifugal Compressors

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jisha Noushad ◽  
Anand Babu Dhamarla ◽  
Pavan Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Centrifugal Compressors ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Casing Treatment ◽  
Operating Range ◽  
Mass Flow Rates ◽  
Ported Shroud

The operating range of any compressor is controlled by Surge and Choke. Surge occurs at lower mass flow rates with large pressure fluctuations and flow reversals, while choke occurs at higher mass flow rates when the flow rate reaches the limit which compressor can discharge. Ported shroud is a cost effective casing treatment that can greatly improve operating range of centrifugal compressors. By removing the stagnant and reverse flow from shroud wall boundary-layer region and recirculating it to impeller inlet, it has been demonstrated that larger range of operability can be achieved without much loss on compressor efficiency. This paper demonstrates the improvement of a centrifugal compressor operational range with ported shroud configuration. A series of CFD simulations were carried out with open source centrifugal compressor geometry (NASA HPCC 4:1) to create performance characteristics/speed-lines. The CFD methodology and practices were validated by comparing the results with the experimental data. Performance evaluation of ported shroud configuration is done with respect to solid shroud. Ported shroud compressor is proven to give higher choke mass flow and also a better surge margin compared to the Solid shroud model. The phenomena of in-flowing and out-flowing port have also been demonstrated. Emphasis was given to understand how ported shroud helps to achieve a better performance. A design optimization study has also been carried out in order to establish the optimum ported shroud configuration. Design parameter such as port location has been selected and the effect of this parameter on the performance of the compressor is studied using CFD. Optimum port geometry was proposed.

The Development of Centrifugal Compressor Impeller

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Xu ◽  
R. S. Amano
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Structure Design ◽  
Centrifugal Compressors ◽  
Rotating Speed ◽  
Operating Range ◽  
High Pressure Ratio ◽  
Current State ◽  
Compressor Impeller

Impeller is one of the key components of industrial centrifugal compressors and turbochargers. Aerodynamic and structure designs of the impeller are critical to the success of the whole compressor stages. The requirements for efficiency and operating range of industrial centrifugal compressors and turbochargers have been increased dramatically compared with the situation in the past. The efficiency of newly developed low-pressure ratio centrifugal compressor has reached the possible level of the machine. However, the efficiency level of intermediate and high-pressure ratio machine still have gap between the current state-of-the-art and possible level. The challenge for centrifugal compressor design is to keep the efficiency level at state-of-the-art and increase the compressor operating range. Increase of the compressor operating range without sacrificing compressor peak efficiency is difficult to achieve. The product globalization requires one product design, which can be used in all locations. In some counties, due to the technology differences, electricity frequencies variations could be 10%. Turbocharger compressors work at different rotational speeds for majority of the time. The compressor impeller rotating speeds change in certain range. The impeller rotating speed variation makes the impeller structure design more challenging. In this study, a full-3D impeller was designed to optimize impeller aerodynamic performance and structure characteristics.

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