         The alteration of altitude will affect the stability of centrifugal compressors. In this paper, the internal flow pressure field on the casing wall of a high-speed centrifugal compressor at different two altitudes( h=0m and h=4500m) was investigated using 15 high-response pressure sensors. The operating condition of the centrifugal compressor ranged from blockage condition to developed stall condition. The results show that the interaction of shock wave and splitter-blade tip leakage flow occurs at 70% chord region near the blockage condition, and the loss is more severe at high altitudes. At near-stall condition, the unstable disturbance at low altitude is caused by the collapse of the horseshoe vortex, and the unstable disturbance at high altitude is dominated by the advanced breakdown of main-blade tip leakage vortex. At the developed-stall conditions, there are different stall mechanisms at the two altitudes, but they are both closely related to the main-blade tip leakage flow. With the decrease of flow rate, the unsteady disturbance caused by the volute tongue moves upstream from the diffuser to the impeller inlet. At the same time, the disturbance propagation along with a circumferential direction opposite to the rotation at low altitude, while no obvious circumferential propagation is observed at high altitude.


Experimental Study on Internal Flow Field of a High-Speed Centrifugal Compressor at Different Altitudes

Division / Sponsor:
International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI)

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/GT/GT2020/volume/84058

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