Evaluation of a High Hub/Tip Ratio Centrifugal Compressor

1970 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. G. Groh ◽  
G. M. Wood ◽  
R. S. Kulp ◽  
D. P. Kenny
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Total Efficiency ◽  
Compressor Stage ◽  
Vaneless Diffuser ◽  
Centrifugal Stage ◽  
Design Speed ◽  
Multistage Axial Compressor

A centrifugal compressor stage with an unusually high inlet hub/tip ratio of 0.87 was designed for a pressure ratio of 2.0 at a corrected mass flow of 2.45 lb per sec. The geometry was selected so that the centrifugal stage could replace several of the last stages of a multistage axial compressor. The stage was tested with two diffuser schemes. One diffuser consisted of a series of drilled conical pipes, whereas the other employed multirow vaned cascades. Sea level aerodynamic tests of the compressor stage with each diffuser showed a peak total-to-total efficiency at design speed of 83.8 percent for the pipe diffuser and 82.9 percent for the vaned cascade diffuser. Additional tests were conducted with a vaneless diffuser to determine effects of impeller discharge tip clearance and inlet prewhirl on impeller performance.

Some Experiments With a Supersonic Axial Compressor Stage

1987 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
pp. 388-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Wennerstrom
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Design Flow ◽  
Vortex Generators ◽  
Boundary Layer Control ◽  
Compressor Stage ◽  
Design Speed ◽  
Isentropic Efficiency ◽  
Layer Control

Between 1970 and 1974, ten variants of a supersonic axial compressor stage were designed and tested. These included two rotor configurations, three rotor tip clearances, addition of boundary-layer control consisting of vortex generators on both the outer casing and the rotor, and the introduction of slots in the stator vanes. Design performance objectives were a stage total pressure ratio of 3.0 with an isentropic efficiency of 0.82 at a tip speed of 1600 ft/s (488 m/s). The first configuration passed only 70 percent of design flow at design speed, achieving a stage pressure ratio of 2.25 at a peak stage isentropic efficiency of 0.61. The rotor was grossly separated. The tenth variant passed 91.4 percent of design flow at design speed, producing a stage pressure ratio of 3.03 with an isentropic efficiency of 0.75. The rotor achieved a pressure ratio of 3.59 at an efficiency of 0.87 under the same conditions. Major conclusions were that design tools available today would undoubtedly permit the original goals to be met or exceeded. However, the application for such a design is currently questionable because efficiency goals considered acceptable for most current programs have risen considerably from the level considered acceptable at the inception of this effort. Splitter vanes placed in the rotor permitted very high diffusion levels to be achieved without stalling. However, viscous effects causing three-dimensional flows violating the assumption of flow confined to concentric stream tubes were so strong that a geometry optimization does not appear practical without a three-dimensional, viscous analysis. Passive boundary-layer control in the form of vortex generators and slots does appear to offer some benefit under certain circumstances.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Tip Clearance and Bleed Effects in a Centrifugal Compressor Stage With Pipe Diffuser

2012 ◽  
Vol 135 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Kunte ◽  
Philipp Schwarz ◽  
Benjamin Wilkosz ◽  
Peter Jeschke ◽  
Caitlin Smythe
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Investigation ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Compressor Stage ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor Stage ◽  
Centrifugal Stage ◽  
Flow Phenomena ◽  
Fundamental Insight ◽  
The Impact

The subject of this paper is the experimental and numerical investigation of a state-of-the-art high pressure centrifugal compressor stage with pipe diffuser for a jet engine application. This study shows the impact of impeller tip clearance- and bleed-variation on the centrifugal stage. The purpose of this paper is threefold. In the first place, it investigates the effects on the stage performance. Secondly, it seeks to explain local flow-phenomena, especially in the diffuser. Finally, it shows that steady CFD simulations are capable of predicting these phenomena. Experimental data were gathered using conventional pitot and three-hole-probes as well as particle-image-velocimetry. Numerical simulations with the CFD solver TRACE were conducted to get fundamental insight into the flow. Thus, this study contributes greatly towards understanding the principle of the flow phenomena in the pipe diffuser of a centrifugal compressor.

Multi-Blade Row Interactions in a Low Pressure Ratio Centrifugal Compressor Stage With a Vaned Diffuser

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kishore Ramakrishnan ◽  
Simon K. Richards ◽  
Franc¸ois Moyroud ◽  
Vittorio Michelassi
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Compressor Stage ◽  
Vaneless Diffuser ◽  
Vaned Diffuser ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor Stage ◽  
Acoustic Interaction ◽  
Field Excitation

Previous experimental and CFD investigation of a GE Oil and Gas centrifugal compressor stage with a vaneless diffuser revealed a complex excitation mechanism caused by an aero-acoustic interaction between three blade rows. In stages with vaned diffusers, additional sources of aeromechanical excitation on the impeller can be expected. This unsteady CFD investigation is a follow-up from the previous vaneless diffuser study to identify any additional sources of excitation that arise in the presence of a vaned diffuser in preparation for aeromechanic tests to be conducted later. The study confirms that excitation from impeller-diffuser interaction generated acoustic modes can dominate the potential field excitation from the diffuser vanes. In addition, a significant aero-acoustic excitation to the impeller at a vane pass frequency corresponding to the sum of the vane counts in the two downstream vane rows is observed, and its origination is discussed. The latter excitation is different from that observed in the vaneless diffuser stage where the vane pass frequency observed by the impeller corresponds to the sum of the vane counts in the upstream and downstream vane rows.

Experimental Study of Pinch in Vaneless Diffuser of Centrifugal Compressor

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teemu Turunen-Saaresti ◽  
Aki-Pekka Gro¨nman ◽  
Ahti Jaatinen
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Static Pressure ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Compressor Stage ◽  
Vaneless Diffuser ◽  
Moderate Amount ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Isentropic Efficiency

A centrifugal compressor is often equipped with a vaneless diffuser because the operation range of a vaneless diffuser is wider than the operation range of vaned diffuser, and the geometry of the vaneless diffuser is simple and inexpensive. The flow field after the centrifugal compressor rotor is highly complicated and the velocity is high. A moderate amount of this velocity should be recovered to the static pressure. It is important to study the flow field in the vaneless diffuser in order to achieve guidelines for design and an optimal performance. In this article, the experimental study of the pinch in the vaneless diffuser is conducted. Five different diffuser heights were used, b/b2 = 1, b/b2 = 0.903, b/b2 = 0.854, b/b2 = 0.806 and b/b2 = 0.903 (shroud). In three of the cases, the pinch was made to both walls of the diffuser, hub and shroud, and in one case, the pinch was made to the shroud wall. The total and the static pressure, the total temperature and the flow angle were measured at the diffuser inlet and outlet by using a cobra-probe, kiel-probes and flush-mounted pressure taps. In addition, the static pressure in the diffuser was measured at three different radius ratios. The overall performance, the mass flow, the pressure ratio and the isentropic efficiency of the compressor stage were also monitored. Detailed flow field measurements were carried out at the design rotational speed and at the three different mass flows (close to the surge, design and close to the choke). The isentropic efficiency and the pressure ratio of the compressor stage was increased with the pinched diffuser. The efficiency of the rotor and the diffuser was increased, whereas the efficiency of the volute/exit cone was decreased. The pinch made to the shroud wall was the most effective. The pinch made the flow angle more radial and increased the velocity at the shroud where the secondary flow (passage wake) from the rotor is present.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Vaned Hub and Shroud Wall Contoured Diffusers Designed to Improve Flexibility and Efficiency of an Open Impeller Centrifugal Compressor Stage

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Hermann ◽  
Manfred Wirsum ◽  
Douglas Robinson ◽  
Philipp Jenny
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Total Efficiency ◽  
Compressor Stage ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Efficient Operation ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor Stage ◽  
Operating Range

Abstract State-of-the-art centrifugal compressor stages are required to provide both a flexible and a highly efficient operation. To extend the stable operating range and to improve the design-point polytropic total-to-total efficiency of an open impeller centrifugal compressor stage, three vaned contoured diffusers characterized by geometric modifications of the hub and shroud wall in the vaneless space upstream the diffuser vanes and within the diffuser passages were designed. In this paper, a shroud wall, a hub wall and a hub and shroud wall contoured diffuser and a state-of-the-art baseline diffuser are experimentally examined. For the hub-contoured diffuser an operating range extension of 5.3% was measured at design stage Mach number. For the shroud-contoured diffuser an improvement of polytropic total-to-total efficiency by up to 0.3% is observed. The experimental data including normalized total-to-static pressure ratio and 5-hole-probe data is utilized to validate the numerical setup. By means of the CFD simulations the hub- and the shroud-contoured diffuser designs are analyzed and the hub-contoured diffuser’s effect on the local flow at diffuser vane leading edge is investigated. The results illustrate the local effect of the hub-contoured diffuser design on the flow field in the examined centrifugal compressor stage.

Investigation of endwall treatment and shock control in a five-stage axial compressor

2017 ◽  
Vol 234 (5) ◽  
pp. 1035-1049
Author(s):  
Heli Yang ◽  
Xinqian Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Peak Pressure ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Blade Loading ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Shock Control ◽  
Design Speed ◽  
Aero Engines ◽  
Multistage Axial Compressor

Multistage axial compressor is one of the key components in aero engines and gas turbines. In this paper, a five-stage axial compressor was studied to improve the efficiency. First, the loss analyses of the datum compressor were performed. The results showed that front rotors and rear stators have higher loss. Based on the loss analyses, the corresponding flow controls were introduced. The endwall treatment was performed with the rear stators, S3, S4, and S5, by end-bow, which changed the blade loading and reduced the loss due to endwall boundary layer. The efficiency of the datum compressor was increased by 0.5%. Based on the improved redesign of rear stators, shock control was introduced to front rotors, R1 and R2, characterized by sweep, which changed the shock structure and decreased the shock-induced loss and shock-tip leakage interaction. Coupled between endwall treatment and shock control, compared to the datum compressor, the efficiency, peak pressure ratio, and choked mass flow were increased by 1.1%, 1.1%, and 1.2%, respectively. At off-design speeds, the performances were also improved, which implies the flow controls for design speed remain effective in a range of off-design speeds. The reliability of the redesigned compressor was validated by stress and mode analyses.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Tip Clearance and Bleed Effects in a Centrifugal Compressor Stage With Pipe Diffuser

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Kunte ◽  
Philipp Schwarz ◽  
Benjamin Wilkosz ◽  
Peter Jeschke ◽  
Caitlin Smythe
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Investigation ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Compressor Stage ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor Stage ◽  
Centrifugal Stage ◽  
Flow Phenomena ◽  
Fundamental Insight ◽  
The Impact

The subject of this paper is the experimental and numerical investigation of a state-of-the-art high pressure centrifugal compressor stage with pipe diffuser for a jet engine application. This study shows the impact of impeller tip clearance- and bleed-variation on the centrifugal stage. The purpose of this paper is threefold. In the first place, it investigates the effects on the stage performance. Secondly, it seeks to explain local flow-phenomena, especially in the diffuser. Finally, it shows that steady CFD simulations are capable of predicting these phenomena. Experimental data were gathered using conventional pitot and three-hole-probes as well as Particle-Image-Velocimetry. Numerical simulations with the CFD solver TRACE were conducted to get fundamental insight into the flow. Thus, this study contributes greatly towards understanding the principle of the flow phenomena in the pipe diffuser of a centrifugal compressor.

Time Resolved Simulation and Experimental Validation of the Flow in Axial Slot Casing Treatments for Transonic Axial Compressors

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni A. Brignole ◽  
Florian C. T. Danner ◽  
Hans-Peter Kau
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Compressor Stage ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Transonic Compressor ◽  
Design Speed ◽  
Casing Treatments ◽  
Total Pressure Ratio

Building on the experience of previous investigations, a casing treatment was developed and applied to an axial transonic compressor stage, in literature referred to as Darmstadt Rotor 1. The aerodynamics of the experimental compressor stage was improved by applying axially orientated semicircular slots to the original plain casing, which both enhanced the operating range and design point efficiency. A gain in total pressure ratio along the entire design speed line was also observed. Within the scope of this study four different axial casing treatments were designed. Their effect on the flow in a transonic axial compressor stage was investigated parametrically using time-resolved 3D-FANS simulations with a mesh of approximately 4.8 · 106 grid points. This research aims to identify correlations between the geometrical cavity design and the changed channel flow. The findings help to formulate parameters for evaluating the performance of casing treatments. These criteria can further be used as target functions in the design optimisation process. The predicted behaviour of the transonic compressor was validated against experiments as well as an alternative numerical model, the non-linear harmonic method. Both confirmed the effect of the slots in raising efficiency as well as moving the design speed line towards higher pressure ratios. In the experiments, the addition of the slots increased the total pressure ratio at stall conditions by more than 5% and reduced mass flow from 87.5% of the design mass flow to less than 77.5% compared to the original geometry.

Experimental and Numerical Investigations on a High Pressure Ratio Centrifugal Compressor

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae Ho Choi ◽  
Ok Suck Sung ◽  
Seung-Bae Chen ◽  
Jin Shik Lim
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Aerodynamic Characteristics ◽  
Design Flow ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Centrifugal Impeller ◽  
Compressor Stage

An aerodynamic design, flow analysis and performance test of a pressure ratio 4:1 centrifugal compressor are presented in this paper. The compressor is made up of a centrifugal impeller, a two-stage diffuser consisted of radial and axial types. The impeller has a 45 degree backswept angle and the design running tip clearance is 5% of impeller exit height. Two types of diffusers are designed for this compressor. Three-dimensional numerical analysis is performed to analyze the flows in the impeller, diffuser and deswirler considering the impeller tip clearance. A test module and rig facilities for the compressor stage performance test are designed and fabricated. The overall compressor stage performances as well as the static pressure fields on the impeller and diffuser are measured. Two diffusers of wedge and airfoil types are tested with an impeller. The calculation and test results show the airfoil diffuser has the better aerodynamic characteristics than those of wedge diffuser in the studied models.

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