Optimization of the Efficiency of Stall Control Using Air Injection for Centrifugal Compressors

Numerical investigation of the optimization of the stall control efficiency for a high speed centrifugal compressor using air injection is presented. External air was injected close to the diffuser entrance at the shroud surface of the vaneless region. Injection was applied with mass flow rates of 0.7%, 1%, and 1.5% of the design inlet mass flow rate with six different angles of 0 deg, 10 deg, 20 deg, 30 deg, 40 deg, and 180 deg measured from the positive tangential direction at the vaneless region. Detailed comparisons were made between the case without using air injection and the different air injection cases by comparing velocity, pressure, and force fluctuations with time. Results showed that as the injection mass flow rate increases, the number of diffuser passages with reversed flow decreases for all cases of injection except for the case of reverse tangent injection. Results indicated that using angle of injection of 30 deg minimized the stall area and provided the least force fluctuations with no reversed flow compared to other injection angles. Finally, it was found that injecting air with mass flow rate of 1.5% of the inlet mass flow rate at an angle of 30 deg resulted in shifting of stall onset to a mass flow rate corresponding to 3.8 kg/s instead of 4 kg/s for a compressor without using air injection control.