Unsteady Flow Phenomena in Rotating Centrifugal Impeller Passages

The phenomena of unsteady relative flow observed in a centrifugal impeller passage running at part capacity and zero flow are discussed. The mechanisms of passage stall for a shrouded and unshrouded impeller are investigated and a qualitative correlation is developed for the influence of secondary flow and inducer flow on the passage stall. The hydrogen bubble flow visualization technique is extended to higher velocities and rotating systems and provides the method for obtaining the experimental results.