Analysis of the Transonic Flow at the Inlet of a High Pressure Ratio Centrifugal Impeller

Abstract

In an industrial research project of German and Swiss Turbo Compressor manufacturers a high pressure ratio centrifugal impeller was designed and investigated. Performance measurements and extensive laser measurements (L2F) of the flow field upstream, inside and downstream of the rotor have been carried out. In addition to that, 3D calculations have been performed, mainly for the design point. Some earlier results have been presented by Krain et al., 1995. With four different viscous 3D-solvers, used in companies of the group, calculations for the design speed were carried out to investigate the suitability of these programs in the various design procedures. Special attention was given to the area from rotor inlet up to the splitter blades. The results for the flow field obtained with the four viscous 3D-Solvers are compared with one another and with the L2F-measurements.