This short course is the regular course on radial compressors thought at the von Karman Institute to the turbomachinery students specializing in compressors in the context of the “Research Master in Fluid Dynamics”. It provides an overview of the present knowledge and flow models and intends to provide a good background for the people interested in the aerodynamic design of radial compressors.

This 5 day course is now made available to a limited number of people from outside VKI. Lectures and exercises are given by Prof. R.A. Van den Braembussche and Prof. T. Verstraete.

Programme

• Applications and achievable efficiency
• Transformation of energy in radial impellers and performance maps
• Three dimensional flow in impellers
  
  • Blade loading
  • Two zone modeling
  • Slip factor
  • Disk friction
  • Secondary flows (mechanisms and control)
• Vaneless and vaned diffusers
• Inlet geometries and Inlet Guide Vanes
• Stability and range:
• Rotating stall (types and control)
• Surge (physics and control)
• Flow and loss mechanisms in volutes
• Return channel flow
• Impeller response to circumferential distortion (radial forces and pressure fluctuations)
• Real flow effects:
  • Reynolds number
  • different gasses, scaling
• Design of radial impellers (inverse design and optimization, optimum velocity distribution)
• Design exercise using VKI software