IMPROVING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE IMPELLER OF A HIGH-PRESSURE CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR BY DESIGNING WITH THE HELP OF CAD

Abstract

High-pressure compressors are among the most common pneumatic machines in industry and transport. Classical methods of designing such machines are based on flow modeling methods in two-dimensional and one-dimensional settings. The specified design methods lead to the creation of sufficiently perfect constructions, but their characteristics can still be improved. To simulate the flow in a high-pressure compressor, it becomes relevant to study the possibilities of optimizing the design using the Ansys Vista CAD system, which can significantly increase the efficiency of the compressor. The goal of the work is to improve the characteristics of the high-pressure centrifugal compressor impeller by designing with the help of CAD. The study was carried out on the basis of the design of the flow part of the impeller of a high-pressure centrifugal compressor using the Ansys VistaCCD automated design system based on the operation parameters of a mass-produced compressor. It was found that the efficiency maxima location of the designed and serial compressor impellers are approximately the same, while the polytropic efficiency of the designed impeller is 6 % more. At the same time, the ratio of total pressures decreases by 18 %. On the other hand, the high-efficiency zone of the impeller is significantly expanded for the designed impeller. This range has increased more than three times. At the same time, in the zone of optimal efficiency, the power consumed for the designed impeller decreases by 20 % to 240 kW. The designed impeller has a more perfect distribution of pressures for the splitter with approximately the same characteristics for the main blades of the impellers. Analyzing the velocity vectors and distributions, it can be derived that the serial compressor has two separation zones: in the blade bending region and at the outlet, unlike the designed one.