Three different inlet configurations,including a original straight pipe and two bend pipes with different axial length,for a high speed low mass flow centrifugal compressor were modeled with whole blade passages and simulated unsteadily by 3D viscous Navier-Stokes equations.The performance disparities of compressor stage were tested and verified by experiments in which dynamic pressure data acquisition of internal flow field was performed.As the result shows,the choke point decreases to lower mass flow rate due to the distortion caused by bend-pipe inlet and is aggravated as the rotation speed increases.The distortion effect spreads circumferentially in impeller and makes the flow structure varied.The longer axial distance bent inlet leads to larger radial distortion and heavy blockage at mid-span under large mass flow mainly causes compressor choke margin nar-rowed.Bend pipe distortion brings an impact up to diffuser on unsteady pressure pulsation caused by blades sweep and the impact appears more powerful when it is closer to volute tongue.
Assembling an axial rotor and a stator at centrifugal compressor upstream to build an axial-radial combined compressor could achieve high pressure ratio and efficiency by appropriate size augment.Then upstream potential flow and wake effect appear at centrifugal impeller inlet.In this paper,the axial-radial compressor is unsteadily simulated by three-dimensional Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations with uniform and circumferential distorted total pressure inlet condition to investigate upstream effect on radial rotor.The results show that spanwise nonuniform total pressure distribution is generated and radial and circumferential combined distortion is formed at centrifugal rotor inlet.The upstream stator wake deflects to rotor rotation direction and decreases with blade span increases.Circumferential distortion causes different separated flow formations at different pitch positions.The tip leakage vortex is suppressed in centrifugal blade passages.Under distorted inlet condition,flow direction of centrifugal impeller leading edge upstream varies evidently near hub and shroud but varies slightly at mid-span.In addition,compressor stage inlet distortion produces remarkable effect on blade loading of centrifugal blade both along chordwise and pitchwise.
