Experimental Fluid Dynamics Applications in Radial Turbomachines: Inlet Recirculation in Centrifugal Compressor, Rotating Stall and Flow in Vaneless Diffuser, and Improvement in Accuracy of CFD for Predicting Flow Fields in a Radial Turbine Rotor

Abstract

Performance of a turbomachine strongly depends on its internal flow. CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) is now an essential tool obtaining information on such internal flow as well as its performance. However, when CFD is taken into a design process, the accuracy and feature of a CFD code must be understood. CFD requires EFD (Experimental Fluid Dynamics) for validating and ensuring its accuracy. Besides, EFD provides some empirical rules and models to complex phenomena that CFD needs high computational costs and long turnaround time and that are difficult to be integrated in a design work. Since CFD and EFD are complementary to each other, EFD with CFD or CFD with EFD serves as a powerful tool to understand flow phenomena in turbomachines. So, EFD is still important and frequently applied in industries to design and develop radial turbomachines. Examples of EFD conducted during the design of centrifugal compressors and radial turbines in the author’s affiliation are introduced here.