Technical Paper
Combination of CFD and Experimental Techniques to Investigate the Flow in Centrifugal Compressors Near the Surge Line
2008-04-14
2008-01-0300
Surge phenomenon is becoming a limitation of the low end torque for downsized turbocharged Diesel engines. The stable operation of centrifugal compressors is limited at low flow rates because of the occurrence of surge. In the present work a CFD analysis of the flow inside automotive centrifugal compressors near the surge line is carried out. For this purpose, the actual geometry of a compressor -including its inducer, rotor, diffuser and volute- has been modelled with a CFD code. Initially, steady calculations have been performed to have a first approximation of the flow characteristics inside the compressor. In these calculations, a source term is imposed in the momentum equations to simulate the movement of the rotor and its effects on the air when it passes through it.