Effect of inlet swirl on the performance of annular diffusers having the same equivalent cone angle

Abstract

Annular diffusers are an integral component of the gas turbine engines of high-speed aircraft. These facilitate effective operation of the combustor by reducing the total pressure loss. The performance characteristics of these diffusers depend on their geometry and the inlet conditions. The present investigation attempts to select the range of the inlet swirl intensity for the best performance of annular diffusers with different geometries but having the same equivalent cone angle. This is analysed on the basis of the static pressure recovery and total pressure loss coefficients. The results show that the parallel diverging hub and casing annular diffuser produces the best performance at high-swirl intensities.