Optimization of a Centrifugal Compressor Using the Design of Experiment Technique

Abstract

Centrifugal compressor performance is affected by many parameters, optimization of which can lead to superior designs. Recognizing the most important parameters affecting performance helps to reduce the optimization process cost. Of the compressor components, the impeller plays the most important role in compressor performance, hence the design parameters affecting this component were considered. A turbocharger centrifugal compressor with vaneless diffuser was studied and the parameters investigated included meridional geometry, rotor blade angle distribution and start location of the main blades and splitters. The diffuser shape was captured as part of the meridional geometry. Applying a novel approach to the problem, full factorial analysis was used to investigate the most effective parameters. The Response Surface Method was then implemented to construct the surrogate models and to recognize the best points over a design space created as based on the Box-Behnken methodology. The results highlighted the factors that affected impeller performance the most. Using the Design of Experiment technique, the model which optimized both efficiency and pressure ratio simultaneously delivered a design with 3% and 11% improvement in each respectively in comparison to the initial impeller at the design point. Importantly, this was not at the expense of sacrificing range, of critical concern in compressor design.

Optimization of the Splitter Blade Configuration and Geometry of a Centrifugal Pump Impeller using Design of Experiment

“…By increasing the levels of parameters this technique is not efficient and generates numerous design space points. However in the other techniques, there is no need to search all possible points and it helps to decrease the computational cost by having acceptable accuracy (Mojaddam and Pullen, 2019). Box-Behnken technique makes an efficient design space in which only a portion of full factorial points are necessary to construct for investigating the second-order effect of parameters.…”

“…al. 2008, Mojaddam andPullen, 2019), turbines (Hatami et al, 2015) and fans have been optimized using DoE techniques. Bonaiuti et al (2002) optimized the performance of a transonic centrifugal compressor impeller by adopting geometrical parameters consisting of the number of blades, inlet hub and shroud diameters, outlet blade height, impeller axial length, and blade inlet leading angle, using DoE.…”

Electric Boosting and Energy Recovery Systems for Engine Downsizing

“…A turbocharger is a device with a compressor and turbine on a single shaft, and the turbine is powered by energy in the engine's exhaust gases to drive the compressor and increase the intake pressure. The design of such turbomachines is widely available in literature such as [43][44][45][46].…”

Aerodynamic and Structural Characteristics of a Centrifugal Compressor Impeller

“…Impellers are required to be designed to withstand the centrifugal force due to the rotation of rotor assemblies and the pressure forces due to the three-dimensional viscous fluid flow inside blade channels [1,2]. Both the inertial forces due to rotation and hydrodynamic forces due to the flow result in stress acting on the impeller blade surfaces.…”