Secondary flows through an impeller of centrifugal compressor at design and off-design conditions

Abstract

The flow through a centrifugal compressor impeller was calculated using the 3-dimensional Navier-Stokes solution method. A control volume method based on a rotating curvilinear coordinate system was used to solve the time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, and a standard k-.epsilon. model was used to obtain eddy viscosity. Numerical results and experimental data were compared for the overall performance of the impeller, the pressure distributions along the shroud wall and the detailed flowfields at the design and off-design conditions, which showed good coincidence. The flow through the impeller is complex with the curvature of the streamlines and rotation. The development of secondary flows and the jet-wake flow characteristics, which is the main source of flow loss, was discussed. Calculation results show quite different patterns as the flow rate changes.