Effect of impeller geometry on performance characteristics of centrifugal compressor

Abstract

Centrifugal Compressors play an essential role in oil, gas and petrochemical industries. Their extensive usage is due to their smooth operation and high reliability compared to other other compressor types. One of the main characteristics of these turbomachines is their performance curve, which is an important criterion for selecting the appropriate compressor for a desired working condition. In the presented article, the effect of impeller's geometry on performance curve and other compressors characteristics is numerically investigated. The 3D CFD code is used to achieve the performance curves that are dedicated to each geometrical configuration. The results indicate that some of the selected geometrical parameters have a significant effect on performance curve margins. Increasing the shroud angle moves the surge point to the higher flow coefficients, while the pressure ratio remains constant and increasing the blade's trailing edge angle, leads to increase in pressure ratio.