Review on Stress Corrosion and Corrosion Fatigue Failure of Centrifugal Compressor Impeller

Corrosion failure,especially stress corrosion cracking and corrosion fatigue,is the main cause of centrifugal compressor impeller failure.And it is concealed and destructive.This paper summarizes the main theories of stress corrosion cracking and corrosion fatigue and its latest developments,and it also points out that existing stress corrosion cracking theories can be reduced to the anodic dissolution（AD）,the hydrogen-induced cracking（HIC）,and the combined AD and HIC mechanisms.The corrosion behavior and the mechanism of corrosion fatigue in the crack propagation stage are similar to stress corrosion cracking.The effects of stress ratio,loading frequency,and corrosive medium on the corrosion fatigue crack propagation rate are analyzed and summarized.The corrosion behavior and the mechanism of stress corrosion cracking and corrosion fatigue in corrosive environments,which contain sulfide,chlorides,and carbonate,are analyzed.The working environments of the centrifugal compressor impeller show the behavior and the mechanism of stress corrosion cracking and corrosion fatigue in different corrosive environments.The current research methods for centrifugal compressor impeller corrosion failure are analyzed.Physical analysis,numerical simulation,and the fluid-structure interaction method play an increasingly important role in the research on impeller deformation and stress distribution caused by the joint action of aerodynamic load and centrifugal load.

Fluid-structure Interaction Analysis and Lifetime Estimation of a Natural Gas Pipeline Centrifugal Compressor under Near-choke and Near-surge Conditions

Up to present, there have been no studies concerning the application of fluid-structure interaction（FSI） analysis to the lifetime estimation of multi-stage centrifugal compressors under dangerous unsteady aerodynamic excitations. In this paper, computational fluid dynamics（CFD） simulations of a three-stage natural gas pipeline centrifugal compressor are performed under near-choke and near-surge conditions, and the unsteady aerodynamic pressure acting on impeller blades are obtained. Then computational structural dynamics（CSD） analysis is conducted through a one-way coupling FSI model to predict alternating stresses in impeller blades. Finally, the compressor lifetime is estimated using the nominal stress approach. The FSI results show that the impellers of latter stages suffer larger fluctuation stresses but smaller mean stresses than those at preceding stages under near-choke and near-surge conditions. The most dangerous position in the compressor is found to be located near the leading edge of the last-stage impeller blade. Compressor lifetime estimation shows that the investigated compressor can run up to 102.7 h under the near-choke condition and 200.2 h under the near-surge condition. This study is expected to provide a scientific guidance for the operation safety of natural gas pipeline centrifugal compressors.

Simulation of volute tongue of small-size centrifugal compressor

A high speed and small mass-flow-rate centrifugal compressor with original and modified volute tongue shape was simulated by 3D viscous Navier-Stokes equations.A sharp and a round tongue of volute were modeled to compare their pressure ratios and efficiency characteristics.The flow fields around volute tongues were investigated;the velocity and pressure distributions of volute inlet were studied by unsteady simulation.Static pressure fluctuation near volute tongue was monitored and transformed into amplitude spectrum to identify blade passing frequency influence.The results show that the tongue simplification can cause certain difference on pressure ratio and efficiency.The pressure and velocity distribution of volute inlet indicate obvious circumferential distortion due to volute tongue especially at low mass flow rate.In addition,the static pressure pulsation of volute inlet and the noise level in diffuser and volute increase significantly under low mass flow operating condition.

Fuzzy comprehensive assessment of running condition for a large-scale centrifugal compressor set

A fuzzy comprehensive assessment method of running condition was constructed and applied to a large-scale centrifugal compressor set in a petrochemical corporation aiming at the monitoring and early warning of abnormal conditions in industry.The maximal information coefficient(MIC)correlation analysis of indexes was introduced to determine the independent indexes to be assessed,and the dynamic deterioration degree was calculated using the predicted independent indexes by the second-order Markov chain model.The fuzzy membership degree weighting method was employed to assess the running condition of all units in the set.Simple and direct radar chart was used to visualize condition assessment grades.Results showed that the proposed fuzzy comprehensive assessment method successfully assessed the running condition of the set.The constructed method achieved 10 min earlier alarm than the traditional threshold alarm occurred at the specific moment of00:44 on April 7 of 2018.The method would provide a valuable tool and have a wide engineering application in ensuring the safety and reliability of industrial production.

Investigation into the Interaction of Centrifugal Compressor Impeller and Vaneless Diffuser

Centrifugal compressors with parallel-wall and contracting wall vaneless diffuser are designed by using centrifugal compressor computer-aided integrated design system. The internal flow fields of the compressor are calculated by solving three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equation. Four aspects are investigated and calculation results show that the total efficiencies and total pressure ratios of the compressor with contracting wall vandess diffuser is higher than that of the compressor with parallel-wall. The jet and wake don＇t mix rapidly inside vandess diffuser. The outlet blade lean angle doesn＇t affect the compressor performance. The greater the mass flow rate through impeller, the more uneven the velocity distribution at impeller outlet is.

COMPARISON OF TWO METHODS TO INCREASE TIP CLEARANCE AND ITS EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE OF TURBOCHARGER CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR STAGE

Tip clearance between the blade tip and casing of a centrifugal compressor can be varied through two methods： by changing the blade height （MI） or by changing the casing diameter （M2）. Numerical simulations are carried out to compare these two methods and their effect on the stage and impeller performance. The impeller and diffuser are connected through rotor stator boundary using frozen rotor approach. Overall stage performance and the flow configuration have been investigated for nine tip clearance levels from no gap to 1 mm. Impeller and diffuser performances are also presented separately. It has been found that the overall and impeller performance are comparatively better for MI below tip clearance of 0.5 mm whereas M2 is found advantageous above 0.5 mm of tip clearance. Both MI and M2 show performance degradation with the increase in tip clearance. Two models have been proposed for the stage total pressure ratio and efficiency, which are found to be in agreement with experimental results. The impeller efficiency and the pressure ratio are found to be maximum at tip clearance of 0.1 mm for both the cases however minimum diffuser effectiveness is also observed at the same clearance level. Diffuser effectiveness is found to be maximum at zero gap for both cases. As it is practically impossible to have zero gap for unshrouded impellers so it is concluded that the optimum thickness is 0.5 mm onwards for MI and 0.5 mm for M2 in terms of diffuser effectiveness. Mass averaged flow parameters, entropy, blade loading diagram and relative pressure fields are presented, showing the loss production within the impeller passage with tip clearance.

Design and Key Technology of Oil-Free Centrifugal Air Compressor for Hydrogen Fuel Cell

For a 120 kW hydrogen fuel cell system,a centrifugal air compressor with fixed power of 22 kW fuel cell is designed.Firstly,the theoretical calculation is carried out for the aerodynamic characteristics of a ultra-high-speed permanent magnet synchronous motor,an air compressor,and an aerodynamic foil bearing.Then,a prototype is trial-produced and a related test bench is built for test verification.Finally,both the simulation and test results indicate that the designed centrifugal air compressor meets the overall requirements of the hydrogen fuel cell system,and the relevant conclusions provide both theoretical and experimental references for the subsequent series development and design of the centrifugal air compressor.

Diagnosis of the Thermal Bow of a Shaft in a Three Stage Centrifugal Compressor

In practice many turbo-machines driven by motors are started up tooperational speed within a very short time, i. e. in less than 20 seconds. For this type of machinesthe compatibility of thermal deformation of the rotor structure must be taken into account in themachine design, or the thermal deformation will be constrained and a huge resultant force can causethe shaft bending and consequently resulting in violent vibrations. In this paper, detection ofthermal bow of a shaft in a three stage centrifugal compressor in a petrochemical plant ispresented. The diagnostic results show that the thermal bow was induced by the incompatibility ofaxial thermal deformation of the rotor structure. A remedial action allowing free axial thermalexpansion of the outer parts of the rotor is suggested.

Modelling Design and Test of Steam Centrifugal Compressor

This paper discusses the modeling design and accuracy analysis of a single stage steam centrifugal compressor for China′S first seawater desalinization plant, and gives a brief presentation on the closed loop vapour test platform designed and constructed for qualification of the compress or for performance and operational reliability, and results of tests run with the compressor. Both tests and actual operation show the modeling design is successful, and the compressor achieved and exceeded what was expected in performance. The seawater desalinization plant has run with excellent performance and reliability for several years for the national seawater desalinization demonstration program. This proves it is practical and practicable to develop and design China′s steam centrifugal compressors in series from air centrifugal compressors by maintaining equal specific volume ratio at both inlet and outlet of the compressor.

Experimental and Computational Analysis of the Unstable Flow Structure in a Centrifugal Compressor with a Vaneless Diffuse

The unstable flow phenomena in compressors, such as stall and surge, are closely related to the e ciency and the operating region. It is indispensable to capture the unstable flow structure in compressors and understand the mechanism of flow instability at low flow rates. Cooperated with the manufacturer, an industrial centrifugal compressor with a vaneless di user is tested by its performance test rig and our multi-phase dynamic measurement system. Many dynamic pressure transducers are circumferentially mounted on the casing surface at seven radial locations, spanning the impeller region and the di user inlet region. The pressure fields from the design condition to surge are measured in details. Based on the multi-phase dynamic signals, the original location of stall occurring can be determined. Meanwhile, the information of the unstable flow structure is obtained, such as the circumferential mode and the propagating speed of stall cells. To get more details of the vortex structure, an unsteady simulation of this tested compressor is carried out. The computational result is well matched with the experimental result and further illustrates how the unstable flow structure in the impeller region gradually a ects the stability of the total machine at low flow rates. The dynamic mode decomposition(DMD) method is applied to get the specific flow pattern corresponding to the stall frequency. Both experimental and computational analysis show that the flow structure at a particular radial location in the impeller region has a great impact on the stall and surge. Some di erences between the computational and experimental result are also discussed. Through these two main analytical methods, an insight into the unstable flow structure in an industrial compressor is gained. The result also plays a crucial role in the guidance of the compressor stabilization techniques.

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF ROTATING STALL FOR A LOW-SPEED CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR

Unsteady flows and rotating stall of a low-speed centrifugal compressor are investigated by measuring vaneless diffuser wall static pressure fluctuation and internal flow fields at different small flow fluxes. During the experiment, firstly the real time static pressure fluctuations on the vaneless diffuser shroud at different circumferential and radial position were acquired by high-frequency dynamic pressure transducers. Discrete Fourier transformation analysis and cross-correlation analysis were applied to the experimental results to ascertain the rotating stall beginning operation conditions and stall cells numbers and rotating speed. Secondly, the vaneless diffuser inlet flow angle distribution along diffuser width direction was acquired by single hotwire, which was compared with SENOO＇s analysis results. At last, the internal flow fields of the centrifugal compressor were investigated with a particle image velocimetry （PIV） system at different small flow fluxes. The flow field development of vaneless diffuser and blade flow passage are given at rotating stall conditions. The experiments enrich the understanding of rotating stall flow phenomenon of the low-speed centrifugal compressor and provide full experiment data for designing high performance centrifugal compressor.

Investigation on Surge in Centrifugal Compressors

A test bench for conducting compressor surge experiments is set up, and different system configurations formed by changing the length of compressor outlet pipeline are tested for surge. Dynamic pressure signals relating to surges are acquired at different locations of the configurations using unsteady measurement ＆ data acquisition system. The sliding window method is adopted to set up quantitative criterion on the surge. Parameters included in the criterion, such as location of data collection, size and step of sliding window, a mathematical quantity surge-judging and its threshold, etc., are given. Flow chart of surge evaluation is shown, and surge frequency was evaluated based on system configurations. With all these, the problem of judging the existence of surge by human experiences in compressor performance experiments can be solved. Hence this new approach may help to achieve intelligent operations on automatic compressor performance testrig.

Dynamic Analysis of a Centrifugal Compressor by Finite Element Method

This paper mainly deals with dynamic analysis of rotor-bearing system in a centrifugal compressor. A finite element model of the rotor-bearing system has been developed. The considered factors of the model include the rotary inertia of solid elements, stiffness and damping of hydrodynamic bearing. In the calculating, ANSYS software was used. Both calculated and measured results are in good agreement.

Study of Secondary Flow Modifications at Impeller Exit of a Centrifugal Compressor

A computational study has been conducted to analyze the performance of a centrifugal compressor under various levels of impeller-diffuser interactions. The study has been conducted using a low solidity vaned diffuser (LSVD), a conventional vaned diffuser (VD) and a vaneless diffuser (VLD). The study is carried out using Reynolds-Averaged Navier- Stokes simulations. A commercial software ANSYS CFX is used for this purpose. The extent of diffuser influence on impeller flow is studied by keeping the diffuser vane leading edge at three different radial locations. Detailed flow analysis inside the impeller passage shows that the strength and location of the wake region at the exit of impeller blade is heavily depended upon the tip leakage flow and the pressure equalization flow. Above design flow rate, the diffuser vane affects only the last twenty percent of the impeller flow. However, below design flow rate, keeping vane closer to the impeller can cause an early stall within the impeller. Small negative incidence angle at the diffuser vane is helpful in order to reduce the losses at the impeller exit.

Design of a Centrifugal Compressor for Micro Gas Turbine: Investigation of Scaling and Tip Clearance Effects

The aim of this paper is to investigate the design in similarity of a centrifugal compressor for micro gas turbine and the related scaling effects on performance using CFD investigations. This work is part of a research project carried out by the Department DIME of the University of Genova, with the purpose of investigating the performance of a micro gas turbine in the change from 100 kW electrical output to 250 kW, while maintaining the compressor pressure ratio and geometry in similarity. The first part of the work focuses on the comparison between the original and the scaled machine, while the second part of the study deeply investigates the tip gap effect in the new configuration. The aim is to provide information about the performance of the compressor designed in geometrical similarity and to evaluate the tip gap height impact. From the efficiency point of view, the scaled-up machine has higher efficiency (up to 1.4% increment in design conditions) keeping the same technological limit for impeller manufacturing. However, the variation of tip gap height in the range 0 ÷ 1 mm strongly affects this parameter, leading to 10% alteration in design conditions between the ideal and worst case. The results, both in terms of overall performance and flow fields, are widely discussed in order to obtain simple yet reliable correlation for preliminary design.

Effect of Double Air Injection on Instability Phenomena in Centrifugal Compressor

In the operation of a centrifugal compressor of turbocharger, instability phenomena such as rotating stall and surge are induced at a lower flow rate close to the maximum pressure ratio. In this study, the compressed air at the exit of centrifugal compressor was re-circulated and injected to the impeller inlet by using two injection nozzles in order to suppress the surge phenomenon. The most effective circumferential position was examined to reduce the flow rate at the surge inception. Moreover, the influences of the injection on the fluctuating property of the flow field before and after the surge inception were investigated by examining the frequency of static pressure fluctuation on the wall surface and visualizing the compressor wall surface by oil-film visualization technique.

Study on seal improvement and rotor thrust control of centrifugal compressor

Fluid pressure variations due to process fluctuations or balance drum seal degradation can result in rotor thrust increasing that may jeopardize thrust bearing and compressor’s reliability. Also, the leakage flow through balance drum seal can seriously affect the efficiency of compressor. A method that can improve both the efficiency and reliability of centrifugal compressor is presented. The method focused on rotor thrust control and balance drum seal upgrading. The low leakage feature of Dry-Gas-Seal（DGS）, high reliability of labyrinth, and the feasibility of upgrading existing structure are taken into account at the same time to design a combined labyrinth-dry gas seal system on the balancing drum. Based on the combined seal system, a Fault Self-Recovering（FSR） system for the fault of rotor shaft displacement is introduced to assure the safety and reliability of centrifugal compressor. The modern Computational Fluid Dynamics（CFD） is used to validate this envision. The numerical result and relevant information indicate that the combined sealing system could improve the efficiency of the centrifugal compressor by about 4%.

Shape Optimization of a Modified Centrifugal Compressor Using the Adjoint Method

Centrifugal compressors can realize a high pressure ratio within a relatively small spatial space,therefore largely used in aviation impeller machinery.Pursuing less size and weight while no penalty of efficiency and aerodynamic loading is the development trend,while both the complex geometry and tough flow conditions bring challenges on the flow calculation and aerodynamic shape optimization.Considering the Adjoint method is an efficient local optimization algorithm,this paper uses the continuous Adjoint method to optimize the geometry of a modified Krain impeller.The results show that the isentropic efficient is improved 0.53%point at near peak-efficiency operating condition,while the mass flow rate and total pressure ratio keep relatively constant.Besides,the whole characteristic line shows a positive improvement,indicating the significance of theAdjoint optimization method.

Influence of Different Equations of State on Simulation Results of Supercritical CO_(2) Centrifugal Compressor

Supercritical CO_(2)(SCO_(2))Brayton cycle has received more and more attention in the field of power generation due to its high cycle efficiency and compact structure.SCO_(2) compressor is the core component of the cycle,and the improvement of its performance is the key to improving the efficiency of the entire cycle.However,the operation of the SCO_(2) compressor near the critical point has brought many design and operation problems.Based on the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes(RANS)model,the performance and flow field of SCO_(2) centrifugal compressors based on different CO_(2) working fluid models are numerically investigated in this paper.The stability and convergence of the compressor steady-state simulation are also discussed.The results show that the fluid based on the Span-Wanger(SW)equation can obtain a more ideal compressor performance curve and capture a more accurate flow field structure,while the CO_(2) ideal gas is not suitable for the calculation of SCO_(2) centrifugal compressors.But its flow field can be used as the initial flow field for numerical calculation of centrifugal compressor based on CO_(2) real gas.

Intelligent Identification of Rotating Stall for Centrifugal Compressor Based on Pressure Pulsation Signals and SDKAE Network

Most accidents of centrifugal compressors are caused by fluid pulsation or unsteady fluid excitation.Rotating stall,as an unstable flow phenomenon in the compressor,is a difficult point in the field of fluid machinery research.In this paper,a stack denoising kernel autoencoder neural network method is proposed to study the early warning of rotating stall in a centrifugal compressor.By collecting the pressure pulsation signals of the centrifugal compressor under different flow rates in engineering practice,a double hidden layer sparse denoising autoencoder neural network is constructed.According to the output labels of the network,it can be judged whether the rotation stall occurs.At the same time,the Gaussian kernel is used to optimize the loss function of the whole neural network to improve the signal feature learning ability of the network.From the experimental results,it can be seen that the flow state of the centrifugal compressor is accurately judged,and the rotation stall early warning of the centrifugal compressor at different speeds is realized,which lays a foundation for the research of intelligent operation and maintenance of the centrifugal compressor.