Investigating the mechanism of flow of transonic compact crossover tandem diffuser

Abstract

Dealing with high transonic airflow at the outlet of a mixed-flow impeller is a challenging issue in research on the design of efficient and compact diffusers. A low aspect ratio and an adverse pressure gradient in the passage of the diffuser can lead to flow separation on the hub side of the bend and the suction side of the aft blade. Tandem blading can be used to attain flow control through an appropriate relative circumferential tandem position (λ). However, a comprehensive understanding of flow in a compact crossover tandem diffuser (CTD) requires further investigation. This study provides a detailed analysis of the mechanism of flow in a compact crossover baseline tandem diffuser (CBTD) as well as the influence of different values of λ on the structure of flow of the CTD. The findings show that the CBTD can suppress secondary flow separation on the hub side of the bend by reasonably distributing the radial load. We also found that a value of λ of 75% can delay the point of separation on the suction side of the aft blade over a wide range of spans, where this inhibits the corner separation vortex and improves the structure of flow and performance of the diffuser. We also preliminarily explore the impacts of excitation of full-span jet intensities with different values of λ on the corner separation vortex on the suction side of the aft blade and offer guidance for the design of a compact and efficient CTD.