CFD analysis of off-design centrifugal compressor operation and performance.
Published: 2005
Language: eng
Number of pages: 114
Description: This thesis investigated the performance and operation of a centrifugal compressor at off-design operating conditions using advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. Comprehensive mesh density and turbulence model studies were conducted for the impeller section. These studies were also attempted for the full compressor stage study at the on-design operating condition. The off design cases considered included compressor operations at 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100% and 105% of the on-design rotational speed. Speed lines were generated for each case and compared to experimental measurements. The predicted results were found to match very closely with the experimental measurements with insignificant deviations at low rotational velocities (60%) rising to a few percent at 100% of the on-design rotational speed. The flow within the centrifugal compressor stage was also examined by considering various performance parameters and making use of three-dimensional flow visualizations. This allowed for a better understanding of the fluid behaviour within the centrifugal compressor. Lastly, the benefits of unsteady (time accurate) simulation on centrifugal compressor performance predictions were investigated. The results obtained showed that unsteady simulations can significantly improve the accuracy of the compressor performance predictions.
Notes: Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 44-02, page: 0953.

Thesis (M.A.Sc.)--University of Toronto, 2005.

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