The modeling design and analysis of centrifugal compressor

Abstract

Objectives As a hot topic in the field of turbomachinery, centrifugal compressor has a huge impact on gas turbine general performance. In order to achieve the new compressor design with excellent performance under relatively few test conditions, the high efficiency and low cost modeling design method can be adopted. Methods In this paper, a new centrifugal compressor based on similarity principles with pressure ratio of 4.42 and efficiency of 79.19% was designed by modeling a prototype of a high-performance centrifugal compressor. NUMECA software was used to mesh and simulate the three-dimensional flow field of the centrifugal compressor, and the new compressor's main performance parameters and those of the prototype were compared at 80%, 90%, 100% and 110% rotation speeds. Results The results showed that at rotation speed settings of under 100%, the new compressor's surge margin is 5.48% higher than the prototype, but reduced by 1% at other speed settings. The new compressor's pressure ratio and efficiency are slightly improved at low flow conditions when compared to the prototype. However, at high flow conditions, the pressure ratio and efficiency of both compressors are significantly reduced. Conclusions The numerical simulation results show that the general performance of the new compressor has reached the performance level of the prototype compressor. The research results can be used as a reference for the modeling design of a centrifugal compressor.