The present paper reports experimental investigations on the effect of diffuser vane height and position on the performance of a low-speed centrifugal compressor. The diffuser vane height is systematically varied from 0.2 to 0.9 times the diffuser width. In addition, the effect of vane position is examined by fixing the partial vanes to the hub, shroud, or hub and shroud. The compressor performance is determined with these vanes in the vane and low solidity vane diffuser configurations. It is found that there is an optimum height for the diffuser vane height. In the present investigation, it is found to be 0.3 times the diffuser width. The effect of position of the partial vanes on the hub or shroud on the compressor performance is found to be negligible. However, when partial vanes are fixed on the hub and shroud staggered at half spacing, the compressor performance is improved substantially.
The results of experimental studies on performance and wall static pressure distribution in the diffuser passage of a low specific speed centrifugal compressor are given. The performance tests were carried out with vaneless, vane and low-solidity vane diffusers at speeds of 2500, 3000 and 3500r/min. Diffuser wall static pressures measured at 3000r/min for four flow coefficients on the shroud and hub walls are reported. The peak energy coefficient is maximum for the vane diffuser. The operating range of the low-solidity vane diffuser is wider than that of the vane diffuser. At high flow coefficients, the static pressure rise is substantially lower for the vane diffuser, as the incidence on the vane leading edge is very high. The low-solidity vane diffuser did not suffer a large drop in static pressure near the leading edge. The most probable reason may be the large area available in the low-solidity vane diffuser for flow adjustment and weaker flow separation zones on account of the lower number of vanes.
The present investigation reports results of experimental studies on a centrifugal compressor equipped with hub vane diffusers. The diffuser vane height ( h/b) is varied as follows: 0 (vaneless), 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 1 (vane). The experiments were carried out on a low specific speed centrifugal compressor with a radial tipped impeller with an inducer at the inlet. The measurements consist of determining performance characteristics, measuring static pressures on the hub and shroud and flow traverses with a precalibrated cobra probe at the diffuser exit over one passage at five flow coefficients, viz. φ = 0.23 (near surge), 0.34 (near peak pressure rise), 0.45, 0.60 and 0.75 (near maximum flow). The peak energy coefficient is maximum for the hub vane diffuser with an h/b ratio of 0.2. The hub vane diffusers have a wider operating range than the vane diffuser. At high flow coefficients, the static pressure rise is substantially low at the throat region of the vane diffuser as the incidence on to the vane leading edge is very high. The mass averaged static pressure coefficient is high in the low-volume range for the hub vane diffuser of h/b = 0.3, but in the high-volume range it is high for the vaneless diffuser.
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