What's inside?
In this paper the application of 3D inverse design code TURBOdesign1 to the design of the vane geometry of a centrifugal compressor vaned diffuser is presented. For this study the new diffuser is designed to match the flow leaving the conventional impeller, which is highly non-uniform.
CFD predictions confirmed the considerable reduction in loss in the new inverse vaned diffuser both at design (30% lower) and lower than design (50% lower) flow conditions. Also the diffuser exit flow non-uniformity was found to be significantly lower in the inverse designed diffuser at all flow conditions considered.
In this publication, you will:
- Discover how it was possible to control the 3D pressure field in the diffuser by firstly allowing for the shear flow entering the diffuser and secondly by using an aft-loaded distribution at the hub and fore-loaded distribution at the tip.
- See the design techniques that helped to suppress the formation of corner separation.
- Understand the advantages of using a 3D Inverse Design method in this project.
