Loss Mechanisms and Flow Control for Improved Efficiency of a Centrifugal Compressor at High Inlet Prewhirl

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Xinqian ◽  
Huang Qiangqiang ◽  
Liu Anxiong
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Flow Region ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Stable Conditions ◽  
Loss Mechanisms

Variable inlet prewhirl is an effective way to suppress compressor instability. Compressors usually employ a high degree of positive inlet prewhirl to shift the surge line in the performance map to a lower mass flow region. However, the efficiency of a compressor at high inlet prewhirl is far lower than that at zero or low prewhirl. This paper investigates the performances of a centrifugal compressor with different prewhirl, discusses the mechanisms thought to be responsible for the production of extra loss induced by high inlet prewhirl and develops flow control methods to improve efficiency at high inlet prewhirl. The approach combines steady three-dimensional Reynolds average Navier-Stockes (RANS) simulations with theoretical analysis and modeling. In order to make the study universal to various applications with inlet prewhirl, the inlet prewhirl was modeled by modifying the velocity condition at the inlet boundary. Simulation results show that the peak efficiency at high inlet prewhirl is reduced compared to that at zero prewhirl by over 7.6 percentage points. The extra loss is produced upstream and downstream of the impeller. Severe flow separation was found near the inlet hub which reduces efficiency by 2.3 percentage points. High inlet prewhirl works like a centrifuge gathering low-kinetic-energy fluid to hub, inducing the separation. A dimensionless parameter C is defined to measure the centrifugal component of flow. As for the extra loss produced downstream of the impeller, the flow mismatch of impeller and diffuser at high prewhirl causes a violent backflow near the diffuser vanes’ leading edges. An analytical model is built to predict diffuser choking mass flow which proves that the diffuser flow operates outside of stable conditions. Based on the two loss mechanisms, hub curve and diffuser stager angle were modified and adjusted for seeking higher efficiency at high prewhirl. The efficiency improvement of a modification of the hub is 1.1 percentage points and that of the combined optimization is 2.4 percentage points. During optimizing, constant distribution of inlet prewhirl was found to induce reverse flow at the leading edge of the blade root, which turned out being uncorrelated with blade angle. By revealing loss mechanisms and proposing flow control ideas, this paper lays a theoretical basis for overcoming the efficiency drop induced by high inlet prewhirl and for developing compressors with high inlet prewhirl.

Loss Mechanisms and Flow Control for Improved Efficiency of a Centrifugal Compressor at High Inlet Prewhirl

2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinqian Zheng ◽  
Qiangqiang Huang ◽  
Anxiong Liu
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Flow Separation ◽  
Flow Instability ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Flow Region ◽  
Impeller Blade ◽  
Loss Mechanisms

Variable inlet prewhirl is an effective way to suppress compressor flow instability. Compressors usually employ a high degree of positive inlet prewhirl to shift the surge line in the performance map to a lower mass flow region. However, the efficiency of a compressor at high inlet prewhirl is far lower than that at zero or low prewhirl. This paper investigates the performances of a centrifugal compressor with different prewhirls, discusses the mechanisms which are responsible for the production of extra loss induced by high inlet prewhirl and develops flow control methods to improve efficiency at high inlet prewhirl. The approach combines steady three-dimensional Reynolds average Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations with theoretical analysis and modeling. In order to make the study universal to various applications with inlet prewhirl, the inlet prewhirl was imposed by modifying the velocity direction of inlet boundary condition. Simulation results show that the peak efficiency at high inlet prewhirl is reduced by over 7.6% points compared with that at zero prewhirl. The extra loss occurs upstream and downstream of the impeller. Severe flow separation, which reduces efficiency by 2.3% points, was found near the inlet hub. High inlet prewhirl works like a centrifuge gathering low-kinetic-energy fluid to hub, which induces the separation. A dimensionless parameter C was defined to measure the centrifugal trend of gas and indicate the flow separation near the inlet hub. As for the extra loss which is produced downstream of the impeller, the flow mismatch of impeller and diffuser at high prewhirl causes a violent backflow near the diffuser vanes' leading edges. An analytical model was built to predict diffuser choking mass flow. It proves that the diffuser has already operated unstably at high prewhirl. Based on these two loss mechanisms, the hub curve and the diffuser stager angle were modified and adjusted, respectively, for higher efficiency at high prewhirl. The efficiency improvement benefited from the modification of the hub is 1.1% points, and that benefited from the combined optimization is 2.4% points. During optimizing, constant distribution of inlet prewhirl was found to be another factor for inducing reverse flow at the leading edge of the impeller blade root, which turned out being blamed on the misalignment of the swirl angle and the blade angle.

Generation Mechanism of Broadband Whoosh Noise in an Automotive Turbocharger Centrifugal Compressor

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-35
Author(s):  
Rick Dehner ◽  
Pranav Sriganesh ◽  
Ahmet Selamet ◽  
Keith Miazgowicz
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Broadband Noise ◽  
Rotor Blades ◽  
Generation Mechanism ◽  
Primary Concern ◽  
Frequency Range ◽  
Modal Decomposition

Abstract The present study focuses on the acoustics of a turbocharger centrifugal compressor from a spark-ignition internal combustion engine. Whoosh noise is typically the primary concern for this type of compressor, which is loosely characterized by broadband sound elevation in the 4 to 13 kHz range. To identify the generation mechanism of broadband whoosh noise, the present study combines three approaches: three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions, experiments, and modal decomposition of 3D CFD results. After establishing the accuracy of predictions, flow structures and time-resolved pressures are closely examined in the vicinity of the main blade leading edge. This reveals the presence of rotating instabilities that may interact with the rotor blades to generate noise. An azimuthal modal decomposition is performed on the predicted pressure field to determine the number of cells and the frequency content of these rotating instabilities. The strength of the rotating instabilities and the frequency range in which noise is generated as a consequence of the rotor-rotating instability interaction, is found to correspond well with the qualitative trend of the whoosh noise that is measured several duct diameters upstream of the rotor blades. The variation of whoosh frequency range between low and high rotational speeds is interpreted through this analysis. It is also found that the whoosh noise primarily propagates along the duct as acoustic azimuthal modes. Hence, the inlet duct diameter, which governs the cut-off frequency for multi-dimensional acoustic modes, determines the lower frequency bound of the broadband noise.

Vortex formation on surging aerofoils with application to reverse flow modelling

2018 ◽  
Vol 859 ◽  
pp. 59-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip B. Kirk ◽  
Anya R. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Surface Pressure ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Vortex Formation ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Tangential Velocity ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Reduced Frequency ◽  
Advance Ratio ◽  
Convection Speed

The leading-edge vortex (LEV) is a powerful unsteady flow structure that can result in significant unsteady loads on lifting blades and wings. Using force, surface pressure and flow field measurements, this work represents an experimental campaign to characterize LEV behaviour in sinusoidally surging flows with widely varying amplitudes and frequencies. Additional tests were conducted in reverse flow surge, with kinematics similar to the tangential velocity profile seen by a blade element in recent high-advance-ratio rotor experiments. General results demonstrate the variability of LEV convection properties with reduced frequency, which greatly affected the average lift-to-drag ratio in a cycle. Analysis of surface pressure measurements suggests that LEV convection speed is a function only of the local instantaneous flow velocity. In the rotor-comparison tests, LEVs formed in reverse flow surge were found to convect more quickly than the corresponding reverse flow LEVs that form on a high-advance-ratio rotor, demonstrating that rotary motion has a stabilizing effect on LEVs. The reverse flow surging LEVs were also found to be of comparable strength to those observed on the high-advance-ratio rotor, leading to the conclusion that a surging-wing simplification might provide a suitable basis for low-order models of much more complex three-dimensional flows.

Three-Dimensional Forced Convection in Plane Symmetric Sudden Expansion

2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (5) ◽  
pp. 836-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Nie and ◽  
B. F. Armaly
Keyword(s):  
Nusselt Number ◽  
Forced Convection ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Flow Region ◽  
Outer Edge ◽  
Sudden Expansion ◽  
Recirculation Flow ◽  
Plane Symmetric ◽  
Laminar Forced Convection

Simulations of three-dimensional laminar forced convection in a plane symmetric sudden expansion are presented for Reynolds numbers where the flow is steady and symmetric. A swirling “jetlike” flow develops near the sidewalls in the separating shear layer, and its impingement on the stepped wall is responsible for the maximum that develops in the Nusselt number adjacent to the sidewalls and for the reverse flow that develops in that region. The maximum Nusselt number on the stepped wall is located inside the primary recirculation flow region and its location does not coincide with the jetlike flow impingement region. The results reveal that the location where the streamwise component of wall shear stress is zero on the stepped walls does not coincide with the outer edge of the primary recirculation flow region near the sidewalls.

scholarly journals Control of flow separation over a circular cylinder using synthetic jet

2021 ◽  
Vol 2119 (1) ◽  
pp. 012025
Author(s):  
A. S. Lebedev ◽  
M. I. Sorokin ◽  
D. M. Markovich
Keyword(s):  
Circular Cylinder ◽  
Flow Control ◽  
Flow Separation ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Acoustic Noise ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Flow Region ◽  
Synthetic Jet ◽  
Separation Flow ◽  
Longitudinal Length

Abstract The development of methods of active separation flow control is of great applied importance for many technical and engineering applications. Understanding the conditions for the flow separation from the surface of a bluff body is essential for the design of aircrafts, cars, hydro and gas turbines, bridges and buildings. Drag, acoustic noise, vibrations and active flow mixing depend drastically on the parameters of the vortex separation process. We investigated the possibility of reducing the longitudinal length of a reverse-flow region using the method of «synthetic jet» active separation flow control. The experiment was carried out on a compact straight-through wind channel with a 1-m long test section of a cross-section of 125x125 mm. The jet was placed at the rear stagnation point of a circular cylinder. The Reynolds number, based on the cylinder diameter and the free-stream velocity, was 5000 and the von Kármán street shedding frequency without the synthetic jet was equal to 64.8 Hz. For the first time, for such a set of parameters, we applied high speed PIV to demonstrate that the injection of the synthetic jet into the cylinder wake region leads to a significant reduction in the longitudinal length of the reverse-flow region.

The role of rotary motion on vortices in reverse flow

2019 ◽  
Vol 880 ◽  
pp. 723-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke R. Smith ◽  
Yong Su Jung ◽  
James D. Baeder ◽  
Anya R. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Vortex Dynamics ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Flow Region ◽  
Vortex Method ◽  
Forward Flight ◽  
Vorticity Transport ◽  
Rotating Wing ◽  
Rotary Wing

The physics of a rotary wing in forward flight are highly complex, particularly when flow separation is involved. The purpose of this work is to assess the role of three-dimensional (3-D) vortex dynamics, with a focus on Coriolis forces, in the evolution of vortices in the reverse flow region of a rotating wing. High-fidelity numerical simulations were performed to recreate the flow about a representative rotating wing in forward flight. A vorticity transport analysis was performed to quantify and compare the magnitudes of 2-D flow physics, vortex tilting and Coriolis effects in the resulting flow fields. Three-dimensional vortex dynamics was found to have a very small impact on the growth and behaviour of vortices in the reverse flow region; in fact, the rate of vortex growth was successfully modelled using a simple 2-D vortex method. The small role of 3-D physics was attributed to the Coriolis and vortex tilting terms being approximately equal and opposite to one another. This ultimately lead to vortex behaviour that more closely resembled a surging wing as opposed to a conventional rotating wing, a feature unique to the reverse flow region.

Unsteady Responses of the Impeller of a Centrifugal Compressor Exposed to Pulsating Backpressure

2018 ◽  
Vol 141 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengying Shu ◽  
Mingyang Yang ◽  
Ricardo F. Martinez-Botas ◽  
Kangyao Deng ◽  
Lei Shi
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Intake Manifold ◽  
Unsteady Simulation

The flow in intake manifold of a heavily downsized internal combustion engine has increased levels of unsteadiness due to the reduction of cylinder number and manifold arrangement. The turbocharger compressor is thus exposed to significant pulsating backpressure. This paper studies the response of a centrifugal compressor to this unsteadiness using an experimentally validated numerical method. A computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model with the volute and impeller is established and validated by experimental measurements. Following this, an unsteady three-dimensional (3D) simulation is conducted on a single passage imposed by the pulsating backpressure conditions, which are obtained by one-dimensional (1D) unsteady simulation. The performance of the rotor passage deviates from the steady performance and a hysteresis loop, which encapsulates the steady condition, is formed. Moreover, the unsteadiness of the impeller performance is enhanced as the mass flow rate reduces. The pulsating performance and flow structures near stall are more favorable than those seen at constant backpressure. The flow behavior at points with the same instantaneous mass flow rate is substantially different at different time locations on the pulse. The flow in the impeller is determined by not only the instantaneous boundary condition but also by the evolution history of flow field. This study provides insights in the influence of pulsating backpressure on compressor performance in actual engine situations, from which better turbo-engine matching might be benefited.

Aerodynamic Behavior of Asymmetric Jets in 3-D Furnaces

1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. M. El-Mahallawy ◽  
M. A. Hassan ◽  
M. A. Ismail ◽  
H. Zafan
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Flow Pattern ◽  
Numerical Experiments ◽  
Recirculation Zone ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Flow Region ◽  
Stabilization Method ◽  
Flow Features

The purpose of this paper is to present and evaluate numerical experiments illustrating the flow features in a 3-D furnace utilizing unconventional asymmetrical jet that creates natural recirculation zone. The numerical simulation of this aerodynamic stabilization method have unveiled the three-dimensional nature of the flow pattern which possesses a quite large reverse flow region. The size and strength of the built recirculation zone would be capable of stabilizing the burning of low-quality fuels.

scholarly journals Numerical Investigation of Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability in a Centrifugal Compressor Operating Near Stall

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Bousquet ◽  
X. Carbonneau ◽  
I. Trebinjac ◽  
N. Binder ◽  
G. Dufour
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Vortex Shedding ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Flow Region ◽  
Main Flow ◽  
Helmholtz Instability ◽  
Vaned Diffuser ◽  
Leakage Flows ◽  
Rotor Stator Interaction ◽  
Three Dimensional Simulations

The present works details the occurrence of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in a centrifugal compressor operating near stall. The analysis are based on unsteady three dimensional simulations performed on a calculation domain covering the full annulus for the impeller and the vaned diffuser. A detailed investigation of the flow structure is presented, together with its evolution consequent to the mass flow reduction. It is demonstrated that this reduction leads to an enlargement of the low momentum flow region initially induced by the combination of the secondary and leakage flows. When the compressor operates near stall, the shear layer at the interface between the main flow and this low momentum flow becomes unstable and induces a periodic vortex shedding. The frequency of such an unsteady phenomenon is not correlated with the blade passing frequency. Its signature is thus easily isolated from the deterministic rotor/stator interaction. Its detection requires full-annulus simulations with an accurate resolution in time and space, which explains why it has never been previously observed in centrifugal compressors.

Laminar Mixed Convection Adjacent to Three-Dimensional Backward-Facing Step

2001 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Li and ◽  
B. F. Armaly
Keyword(s):  
Nusselt Number ◽  
Mixed Convection ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Flow Region ◽  
The Other ◽  
Backward Facing Step ◽  
Number Range ◽  
Grashof Number ◽  
Recirculation Flow

Simulations of three-dimensional laminar buoyancy-assisting mixed convection adjacent to a backward-facing step in a vertical rectangular duct are presented to demonstrate the influence of Grashof number on the distributions of the Nusselt number, and the reverse flow regions that develop adjacent to the duct’s walls. The Reynolds number, and duct’s geometry are kept constant: heat flux at the wall downstream from the step is kept uniform but its magnitude varied to cover a Grashof number range of 0–4000; all the other walls in the duct are kept at adiabatic condition; and the flow, upstream of the step, is treated as fully developed and isothermal. Increasing the Grashof number results in increasing the Nusselt number; the size of the secondary recirculation flow region adjacent to the stepped wall; the size of the reverse flow region adjacent to the sidewall and the flat wall; and the spanwise flow from the sidewall toward the center of the duct. On the other hand, the size of the primary recirculation flow region adjacent to the stepped wall decreases and detaches partially from the heated stepped wall as the Grashof number increases. Details are presented and discussed.

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