Using Optimization in Industrial Multi-Point Radial Compressor Design: Map Correction

Author(s):  
Edward P. Childs ◽  
Dimitri Deserranno ◽  
Akshay Bagi

Abstract The application of Surrogate-Based Optimization (SBO) to the industrial design process for a radial compressor with two operating points is described. The design specification includes two operating points at mass flow rates differing by a factor of three, and efficiency and pressure ratio targets for each point. The base case, while roughly sized from 1D analysis, fails to achieve the pressure ratio targets. In this paper, the optimization focusses on correcting the two speed-line map of total to static pressure ratio vs. mass flow rate. “Smart parameterization”, combining independent and dependent geometric parameters, and yielding reasonable geometries for most input combinations, coupled with efficient SBO, with separate models for response surface modeling and failure prediction, yields a design achieving the targets in just 57 CFD runs. FINE/Turbo [1] is used as the CFD analysis code and FINE/Design3D [2] and MINAMO [3] as the multi-objective optimizer.

Author(s):  
Michael Bartelt ◽  
Thomas Kwitschinski ◽  
Thomas Ceyrowsky ◽  
Daniel Grates ◽  
Joerg R. Seume

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.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 923937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuekun Sun ◽  
Zhigang Zuo ◽  
Shuhong Liu ◽  
Jintao Liu ◽  
Yulin Wu

Pressure fluctuations are very important characteristics in pump turbine's operation. Many researches have focused on the characteristics (amplitude and frequencies) of pressure fluctuations at specific locations, but little researches mentioned the distribution of pressure fluctuations in a pump turbine. In this paper, 3D numerical simulations using SSTk − ω turbulence model were carried out to predict the pressure fluctuations distribution in a prototype pump turbine at pump mode. Three operating points with different mass flow rates and different guide vanes’ openings were simulated. The numerical results show how pressure fluctuations at blade passing frequency (BPF) and its harmonics vary along the whole flow path direction, as well as along the circumferential direction. BPF is the first dominant frequency in vaneless space. Pressure fluctuation component at this frequency rapidly decays towards upstream (to draft tube) and downstream (to spiral casing). In contrast, pressure fluctuations component at 3BPF spreads to upstream and downstream with almost constant amplitude. Amplitude and frequencies of pressure fluctuations also vary along different circumferential locations in vaneless space. When the mass flow and guide vanes’ opening are different, the distribution of pressure fluctuations along the two directions is different basically.


2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Fischer ◽  
Walter Riess ◽  
Joerg R. Seume

The FVV sponsored project “Bow Blading” (cf. acknowledgments) at the Turbomachinery Laboratory of the University of Hannover addresses the effect of strongly bowed stator vanes on the flow field in a four-stage high-speed axial compressor with controlled diffusion airfoil (CDA) blading. The compressor is equipped with more strongly bowed vanes than have previously been reported in the literature. The performance map of the present compressor is being investigated experimentally and numerically. The results show that the pressure ratio and the efficiency at the design point and at the choke limit are reduced by the increase in friction losses on the surface of the bowed vanes, whose surface area is greater than that of the reference (CDA) vanes. The mass flow at the choke limit decreases for the same reason. Because of the change in the radial distribution of axial velocity, pressure rise shifts from stage 3 to stage 4 between the choke limit and maximum pressure ratio. Beyond the point of maximum pressure ratio, this effect is not distinguishable from the reduction of separation by the bow of the vanes. Experimental results show that in cases of high aerodynamic loading, i.e., between maximum pressure ratio and the stall limit, separation is reduced in the bowed stator vanes so that the stagnation pressure ratio and efficiency are increased by the change to bowed stators. It is shown that the reduction of separation with bowed vanes leads to a increase of static pressure rise towards lower mass flow so that the present bow bladed compressor achieves higher static pressure ratios at the stall limit.


Author(s):  
Tao Chen ◽  
Yangjun Zhang ◽  
Xinqian Zheng ◽  
Weilin Zhuge

Turbocharger compressor design is a major challenge for performance improvement of turbocharged internal combustion engines. This paper presents a multi-point design methodology for turbocharger centrifugal compressors. In this approach, several design operating condition points of turbocharger compressor are considered according to total engine system requirements, instead of one single operating point for traditional design method. Different compressor geometric parameters are selected and investigated at multi-point operating conditions for the flow-solutions of different design objectives. The method has been applied with success to a small centrifugal compressor design of a turbocharged gasoline engine. The results show that the consideration of several operating points is essential to improve the aerodynamic behavior for the whole working range. The isentropic efficiency has been increased by more than 5% at part-load conditions while maintaining the pressure ratio and flow range at full-load conditions of the gasoline engine.


Author(s):  
Ali Mohammadi ◽  
Masoud Boroomand

This paper presents the design procedure of a ducted contra-rotating axial flow fan and investigates the flow behavior inside it using ANSYS CFX-15 flow solver. This study investigates parameters such as pressure ratio, inlet mass flow rate and efficiency in different operating points. This system consists of two rotors with an outer diameter of 434 mm and an inner diameter of 260 mm which rotate contrary to each other with independent nominal rotational speeds of 1300 rpm. Blades’ maximum thickness and rotational speeds of each rotor will be altered as well as the axial distance between the two rotors to investigate their effect on the overall performance of the system. Designed to deliver a total pressure ratio of 1.005 and a mass flow rate of 1.8 kg/s at nominal rotational speeds, this system proves to be much more efficient compared to the conventional rotor-stator fans. NACA-65 airfoils are used in this analysis with the necessary adjustments at each section. Inverse design method is used for the first rotor and geometrical constraints are employed for the second one to have an axial inlet and outlet flow without using any inlet or outlet guide vanes. Using free vortex swirl distribution method, characteristic parameters and the necessary data for 3D generation of this model are obtained. The appropriate grid is generated using ATM method in ANSYS TurboGrid and the model is simulated in CFX-15 flow solver by employing k-ε turbulence model in the steady state condition. Both design algorithm and simulation analysis confirm the high anticipated efficiency for this system. The accuracy of the design algorithm will be explored and the most optimum operating points in different rotational speed ratios and axial distances will be identified. By altering the outlet static pressure of the system, the characteristic map is obtained.


Author(s):  
P. Giangiacomo ◽  
V. Michelassi ◽  
F. Martelli

A three-dimensional transonic turbine stage is computed by means of a numerical simulation tool. The simulation accounts for the coolant ejection from the stator blade and for the tip leakage of the rotor blade. The stator and rotor rows interact via a mixing plane, which allows the stage to be computed in a steady manner. The analysis is focused on the matching of the stator and rotor mass flow rates. The computations proved that the mixing plane approach allows the stator and rotor mass flow rates to be balanced with a careful choice of the stator-rotor static pressure interface. At the same time, the pitch averaged distribution of the transported quantities at the interface for the stator and rotor may differ slightly, together with the value of the static pressure at the hub.


Author(s):  
Khaled Yousef ◽  
Ahmed Hegazy ◽  
Abraham Engeda

Abstract Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for air/water-vapor and water-liquid two-phase flow mixing with condensation in a vertical inverted U-tube is presented in this paper. This study is to investigate the flow behaviors and underlying some physical mechanisms encountered in air/water-vapor and water-liquid mixing flow when condensation is considered. Water-liquid flows upward-downward through the inverted U-tube while the air/water-vapor mixture is extracted from a side-tube just after the flow oriented downward. The CFD simulation is carried out for a side air/water-vapor mixture volume fraction (αm) of 0.2–0.7, water-vapor mass fraction (Xv) of 0.1–0.5 in the side air/water-vapor mixture and water-liquid mass flowrate (mw) of 2,4,6, and 8 kg/s. The present results reveal that, at lower air mass flow rate, no significant effect of Xv on the generated static pressure at the inverted U-tube higher part. However, by increasing the air mass flow rates, ma ≥ 0.001 at mw = 2 kg/s, and ma ≥ 0.00125 at mw = 4 kg/s, we can infer that the lowest static pressure can be attained at Xv = 0.1. This may be attributed to the increased vapor and air mass flow rates from the side tube which results in shifting the condensation from the tube highest part due to air accumulation. This leads to increasing the flow pressure and decelerating the water-liquid flow. Raising mw from 2 to 4 kg/s at the same vapor mass ratio results in a lower static pressure due to more condensation of water vapor. The turbulent intensity and kinetic energy starts to drop approximately at ma = 0.002 kg/s, and αm = 0.55–0.76 at mw = 2 kg/s for all Xv values but no noticeable change at mw = 4 kg/s occurs. These findings estimate the operational values of air and water mass flow rates for stable air entrainment from the side-tube. Increasing the air and vapor mass ratio over these values may block the evacuation process and fails the system continuance. Likewise more air entrainment from the side-tube will decelerate the water flow through the inverted U-tube and hence the flow velocity will decrease thereafter. Moreover, this study reveals that the inverted U-tube is able to generate a vacuum pressure down to 55.104 kPa for the present model when vapor condensation is considered. This generated low-pressure helps to vent an engineering system from the non-condensable gases and water vapor that fail its function if these are accumulated with time. Moreover, the water-liquid mass flow rate in the inverted U-tube can be used to sustain the required operating pressure for this system and extract the non-condensable gases with a less energy consuming system. The present CFD model provides a good physical understanding of the flow behavior for air/water-vapor and water-liquid flow for possible future application in the steam power plant.


Author(s):  
C. Hariharan ◽  
M. Govardhan

AbstractThe present work reports the effect of inlet clearance on the performance of a centrifugal blower, with parallel wall volute, over its full operating range. For a particular impeller configuration, four volutes based on constant angular momentum principle, have been designed and analysed numerically for varying inlet clearances ranging from 0 mm (ideal clearance) to 5 mm. The computational methodology is validated using experimental data. The results indicate that as the clearance increases, the impeller performance in terms of both static and total pressure rise deteriorate. Further, the stage performances deteriorate in terms of efficiency and specific work for all mass flow rates. However, the performance of volute improves at lower mass flow rates compared to the Best Efficiency Point (BEP). A set of correlations have been developed to predict the change in stage performance as a function of clearance ratio. The non-dimensional values of change in specific work, isentropic efficiency and static pressure are found to be same irrespective of the shape of the volute.


1969 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 599-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Daniel Stewart

The local and average mass flow rates for nearly free molecular flow through a two-dimensional slit are determined for several tank pressure ratios. The equilibrium gas in the two tanks and the container walls are assumed to be at the same temperature and the Willis iterative method with the Bhatnager-Gross-Krook model is used for the analysis. The results for an infinite pressure ratio are also presented in order to illustrate the effects of a finite pressure ratio.


Author(s):  
Axel Fischer ◽  
Walter Riess ◽  
Joerg R. Seume

The FVV-sponsored-Project “Bow Blading” (c.f. acknowledgments) at the Turbomachinery Laboratory of the University of Hannover addresses the effect of strongly bowed stator vanes on the flow field in an 4-stage high speed axial compressor with controlled diffusion airfoil (CDA) blading. The compressor is equipped with more strongly bowed vanes than have previously been reported in the literature. The performance map of the present compressor is being investigated experimentally and numerically. The results show that the pressure ratio and the efficiency at the design point and at the choke limit are reduced by the increase in friction losses on the surface of the bowed vanes, whose surface area is greater than that of the reference (CDA) vanes. The mass flow at the choke limit decreases for the same reason. Because of the change in the radial distribution of axial velocity, pressure rise shifts from stage 3 to stage 4 between the choke limit and maximum pressure ratio. Beyond the point of maximum pressure ratio, this effect is not distinguishable from the reduction of separation by the bow of the vanes. Experimental results show that in cases of high aerodynamic loading, i.e. between maximum pressure ratio and the stall limit, separation is reduced in the bowed stator vanes so that the stagnation pressure ratio and efficiency are increased by the change to bowed stators. It is shown that the reduction of separation with bowed vanes leads to a increase of static pressure rise towards lower mass flow so that the present bow bladed compressor achieves higher static pressure ratios at the stall limit.


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