Preliminary design of centrifugal compressor using multidisciplinary optimization method

Abstract

Centrifugal compressor is widely used in turbochargers in which the aerodynamic performance and strength are invariable among the important design objectives. As high pressure ratio centrifugal compressor develops, the interaction between multiple disciplines should be involved in the preliminary design process. A strength prediction method was presented and the prediction error was less than 3% compared with the 3D finite element calculation. The preliminary design method was established with consideration of multidisciplinary couplings. Then, a centrifugal compressor with the lowest pressure ratio of 4.4 was designed based on the method. The optimal results showed that the aerodynamic efficiency increases by 2.245% compared with the initial design results. Finally, the 3D validation was carried out including aerodynamic analysis and strength calculation, which showed good agreement with the optimal results of the preliminary design.