Lean and Straight Nozzle Vanes in a Variable Geometry Turbine: A Steady and Pulsating Flow Investigation

Variable Geometry Turbines (VGT) are widely used to improve engine-turbocharger matching and currently common in diesel engines. VGT has proven to provide air boost for wide engine speed range as well as reduce turbo-lag. This paper presents the design and experimental evaluation of a variable geometry mixed flow turbocharger turbine. The tests have been carried out with a permanent magnet eddy current dynamometer within a velocity ratio range of 0.47 to 1.09. The peak efficiency of the variable geometry turbine corresponds to vane angle settings between 60° and 65°, for both the lean and straight vanes in the region of 80%. The variable geometry turbine was tested under pulsating flow with straight and lean nozzle vanes for different vane angle settings, 40Hz and 60Hz flow. In general, the range of mass flow parameter is higher in the straight nozzle vanes with an average of 66.4% and 69.7% for 40Hz and 60Hz flow respectively. The straight nozzle vanes also shows increasing pressure ratio range compared to the lean nozzle vanes, which is more apparent in the maximum pressure ratio experienced by the turbine in an unsteady cycle. In overall, the cycle averaged efficiency in the straight vane configuration is marginally higher than the lean vane. Furthermore, the difference to the equivalent quasi-steady is better in the straight vane configuration compared to the lean vane.