Choking dynamic of highly swirled flow in variable nozzle radial turbines

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a computational investigation of the aerodynamic choking mechanism in a variable geometry turbine, which is widely used in automotive turbocharging. RANS and URANS numerical simulations were carried out for two stator vane positions, 10% and 30% opening at different speeds and several other operating conditions to observe the establishment of choked flow and rotor-stator interactions. When the stator vanes are at a closed position and high-pressure ratio, a shock wave is developed on the suction side of the stator vane; moreover, the effective area extends toward the rotor inlet. The shock losses of a fluid particle upstream of the rotor are related to the number of shocks that the particle goes through. The pressure losses are high close to the stator vanes and start to decrease toward the center of the vaneless space until they start to increase close to the rotor. The interaction between the rotor and stator creates shocks waves with an intensity depending on the rotor's leading edge position and the rotational speed. The pressure profile of the rotor blade under this circumstance is also affected, especially at high rotational speeds, when important load fluctuations may affect the integrity of the blades.