Flow Measurements in a Centrifugal Diffusor Test Device.

This work sought to verify concepts used in the design of a large scale, low speed, radial cascade wind tunnel which was to be used to investigate flow phenomena in and the performance of vaned radial diffusors. A major contributor to centrifugal compressor efficiency is the performance of the vaned diffusor which closely follows the impeller of the compressor. The purpose of this diffusor is to efficiently convert most of the kinetic energy of the transonic flow entering the vane into pressure. The need for an experimental facility which could simulate adequately, at low cost and in a controlled way, the environment of the centrifugal compressor motivated the development of the Centrifugal Diffusor Test Device (CDTD). It was expected that the generation of a three dimensional flow would provide improved empirical data on annular cascade performance. This measurement program surveyed the axial and circumferential uniformity of the flow at the inlet of a transonic wedge-type blading mounted in the device. Evaluation of the results showed the flow uniformity to be unsatisfactory. Leakage and other small perturbations in the flow field in the swirl generator are believed to be amplified by the basic flow configuration of the device. Keywords: CDTD(Centrifugal Diffuser Test Device), Swirl vanes, Centrifugal diffuser, Flow measurements, Flow models.