An accurate characterization of rotating stall in terms of inception modality, flow structures, and stabilizing force is one of the key goals for high-pressure centrifugal compressors. The unbalanced pressure field that is generated within the diffuser can be in fact connected to a non-negligible aerodynamic force and then to the onset of detrimental subsynchronous vibrations, which can prevent the machine from operating beyond this limit. An inner comprehension on how the induced flow pattern in these conditions affects the performance of the impeller and its mechanical stability can therefore lead to the development of a more effective regulation system able to mitigate the effects of the phenomenon and extend the left-side margin of the operating curve. In the present study, a 3D-unsteady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach was applied to the simulation of a radial stage model including the impeller, the vaneless diffuser, and the return channel. Simulations were carried out with the TRAF code of the University of Florence. The tested rotor was an industrial impeller operating at high peripheral Mach number, for which unique experimental pressure measurements, including the spatial reconstruction of the pressure field at the diffuser inlet, were available. The comparison between experiments and simulations showed a good matching and corroborated the CFD capabilities in correctly describing also some of the complex unsteady phenomena taking place in proximity of the left margin of the operating curve.
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February 2017
Research-Article
A Three-Dimensional Time-Accurate Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of the Flow Field Inside a Vaneless Diffuser During Rotating Stall Conditions
Michele Marconcini,
Michele Marconcini
Department of Industrial Engineering,
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
e-mail: michele.marconcini@unifi.it
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
e-mail: michele.marconcini@unifi.it
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Alessandro Bianchini,
Alessandro Bianchini
Department of Industrial Engineering,
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
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Matteo Checcucci,
Matteo Checcucci
Department of Industrial Engineering,
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
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Giovanni Ferrara,
Giovanni Ferrara
Department of Industrial Engineering,
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
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Andrea Arnone,
Andrea Arnone
Department of Industrial Engineering,
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
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Lorenzo Ferrari,
Lorenzo Ferrari
National Research Council (CNR-ICCOM),
Department of Industrial Engineering,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
e-mail: lorenzo.ferrari@iccom.cnr.it
Department of Industrial Engineering,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
e-mail: lorenzo.ferrari@iccom.cnr.it
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Dante Tommaso Rubino
Dante Tommaso Rubino
GE Oil & Gas,
Via Felice Matteucci 10,
Firenze 50127, Italy
Via Felice Matteucci 10,
Firenze 50127, Italy
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Michele Marconcini
Department of Industrial Engineering,
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
e-mail: michele.marconcini@unifi.it
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
e-mail: michele.marconcini@unifi.it
Alessandro Bianchini
Department of Industrial Engineering,
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
Matteo Checcucci
Department of Industrial Engineering,
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
Giovanni Ferrara
Department of Industrial Engineering,
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
Andrea Arnone
Department of Industrial Engineering,
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
University of Florence,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
Lorenzo Ferrari
National Research Council (CNR-ICCOM),
Department of Industrial Engineering,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
e-mail: lorenzo.ferrari@iccom.cnr.it
Department of Industrial Engineering,
Via di Santa Marta, 3,
Firenze 50139, Italy
e-mail: lorenzo.ferrari@iccom.cnr.it
Davide Biliotti
Dante Tommaso Rubino
GE Oil & Gas,
Via Felice Matteucci 10,
Firenze 50127, Italy
Via Felice Matteucci 10,
Firenze 50127, Italy
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI) of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF TURBOMACHINERY. Manuscript received July 18, 2016; final manuscript received August 31, 2016; published online September 27, 2016. Editor: Kenneth Hall.
J. Turbomach. Feb 2017, 139(2): 021001 (9 pages)
Published Online: September 27, 2016
Article history
Received:
July 18, 2016
Revised:
August 31, 2016
Citation
Marconcini, M., Bianchini, A., Checcucci, M., Ferrara, G., Arnone, A., Ferrari, L., Biliotti, D., and Rubino, D. T. (September 27, 2016). "A Three-Dimensional Time-Accurate Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of the Flow Field Inside a Vaneless Diffuser During Rotating Stall Conditions." ASME. J. Turbomach. February 2017; 139(2): 021001. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4034633
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