Session: 40-04 Centrifugal Compressors 2
Paper Number: 81968
81968 - Computational Flow Field Assessment of the Inlet Region of Centrifugal Compressor Under Unsteady Flow Conditions Near Surge
The centrifugal compressor of a turbocharger is affected by the opening and closing of the intake manifold of the engine and consequently it experiences a pulsating backpressure. The imposed pulsating conditions generate internal losses and reduce the compressor performance and efficiency. However, previous studies have shown that these dynamic conditions can also lead to a surge margin improvement, reducing the lower limit of stability. The stability of the compressor arises from the flow behaviour in the inlet region and the interaction between the rotating and stationary components at the inlet. In this paper, the computational flow field of the inlet region of a centrifugal compressor under steady and pulsating flow near surge has been studied. Full stage 3D RANs and URANs models have been solved using ANSYS-CFX for the near surge operating point. Nine transient locations during a pulse have been sampled. To assess the flow field, Mach number, static entropy, and local flow direction in the inlet region have been studied and flow separation regions have been identified under steady and pulsating conditions. The authors propose that the dynamic response at the inlet as seen by the flow field could explain the improvement in surge margin under pulsating flow conditions.
Presenting Author: Aakeen Parikh Imperial College London
Presenting Author Biography: Aakeen is a PhD student at Imperial College London with the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Her research focusses on centrifugal compressor performance and efficiency under steady and pulsating conditions.
Authors:
Aakeen Parikh Imperial College LondonPablo Ale-Martos Imperial College London
Maria Esperanza Barrera-Medrano Imperial College London
Yoshihiro Hayashi Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
Ricardo Martinez-Botas Imperial College London
Computational Flow Field Assessment of the Inlet Region of Centrifugal Compressor Under Unsteady Flow Conditions Near Surge
Paper Type
Technical Paper Publication