A new structure of rotating stall with unusual large-number stall cells (up to 7) has been detected experimentally in a high performance single stage centrifugal compressor system with backswept impeller and vaned diffusers. The number of stall cells is firstly identified by a phase analysis of pressure signals obtained from fast response dynamic transducers located at different circumferential positions on the shroud wall, and then verified by comparing the resulting frequencies of blade vibration with that measured from blade mounted strain gages. Up to 6 transducers in one radial position have been used for more certainty of the phase analysis. For the case of intermittent stall patterns, the frequency analysis of pressure and blade vibration signals is performed separately for sections with different characters of oscillation to avoid the smearing effect if signals of the whole pattern are averaged. As a result, the large-number stall cells, numbered 4–7, were determined in the speed range of 12000–14000 rpm, and in the higher speeds of 15000–16000 rpm right after the occurrence of normal stall cells of 2, when the flow rate is slightly reduced along the constant speed line. For the large-number stall cell case, the measured blade vibration strain has reached such a high level that is already beyond the tolerance of blade material. Moreover, frequencies of blade excitation are always in the vincinity of resonance. These two features, which are not observed for the normal stall cell case and for the excitation of broadband character, show a particular danger of this phenomenon to the compressor operation.
In studying the stall inception process, while most results were reported for axial compressors, the present paper investigates the stall inception behavior typified in a centrifugal compressor. The test was conducted with a radially-bladed impeller and in a speed range of 8000–14000 rpm. Extensive pressure transducers were used to study the frequency characteristics of emerging stall waves. As a result, stall precursors were detected, all with clear mode seen from frequency analysis, but very much different by the behavior of their onset, existence and development. The first type, called the stable-amplitude precursor, exists in a time range of about 20–90 impeller revolutions, with unpredictable and different frequencies from the fully developed stall. Such perturbation, once appeared, may grow to the full stall straightly, or may appear for several times intermittently before finally reaching the full stall, thus acting as a pre-precursor in the whole stall inception process. The second type is the progressive-amplitude precursor when the perturbation emerges as long as 270 impeller revolutions prior to and progressively develops into the full amplitude stall with no change of frequency during this process. The third type, which has been detected for the rotating stall with evident reverse flow symptom, is the precursive pressure increase accompanied with the stable- or progressive-amplitude perturbation, before the full stall establishes. The inception process is also examined for surge during the test of the same compressor, in which the existence of rotating stall in front of every surge cycle and the low frequency precursive wave before surge cycles is demonstrated. Finally, the blade passage frequencies for precursor pressure signals are further analysed to address the monitoring strategy during stall inception process.
Dynamic pressure measurement on the shroud wall for a high performance single stage centrifugal compressor has been implemented to record the unsteady pressure data during rotating stall. Apart from the frequency analysis of the stall characteristics, a computer-aided method has been developed to enable the unsteady internal pressure patterns inside the blade channel near shroud surface to be described and shown in an animated visualisation. Typical results of internal pressure patterns for a backswept impeller with two cell rotating stall occurrence at the impeller speed of 16000 rpm are presented in detail. The internal flow structure can be interpreted by pressure patterns of three types emerged consecutively within one time period of stall pressure oscillation: the normal pattern, the mixed pattern and the stalled pattern. The mixed pattern is characterized by a coexistence of the reverse movement of high pressure region towards inlet and the inlet separation. The stalled pattern is characterized by a collapse of pressure loadings in the blade channel. Such observation is thought to be useful for exploring the flow mechanism of rotating stall.
Following a case of blade failure in running the test into unsteady rotating stall regime at 16000 rpm for a centrifugal compressor with backswept impeller, systematic unsteady flow investigation has been conducted, in order to clarify the cause of the failure, for the same compressor with a dublicated impeller. The doubled frequency of 2 cell rotating stall excitation, which is happened in the present case in the range of resonant frequencies, has been found to potentially impose the blade failure. Another source of dangerous excitation was found to be the excitation of large-number cell rotating stall. Some study has also been conducted to analyse the influencing parameters of the large-number stall cell phenomenon, which shows a trend of alleviating the dangerous excitation with increasing the diffuser inlet radius ratio or decreasing the diffuser vane inlet angle.
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