Method for Evaluating the Reliability of Compressor Impeller of Turbocharger for Vehicle Application in Plateau Area

As turbocharging diesel engines for vehicle application are applied in plateau area, the environmental adaptability of engines has drawn more attention. For the environmental adaptability problem of turbocharging diesel engines for vehicle application, the present studies almost focus on the optimization of performance match between turbocharger and engine, and the reliability problem of turbocharger is almost ignored. The reliability problem of compressor impeller of turhocharger for vehicle application when diesel engines operate in plateau area is studied. Firstly, the rule that the rotational speed of turbocharger changes with the altitude height is presented, and the potential failure modes of compressor impeller are analyzed. Then, the failure behavior models of compressor impeller are built, and the reliability models of compressor impeller operating in plateau area are developed. Finally, the rule that the reliability of compressor impeller changes with the altitude height is studied, the measurements for improving the reliability of the compressor impellers of turbocharger operating in plateau area are given. The results indicate that when the operating speed of diesel engine is certain, the rotational speed of turbocharger increases with the increase of altitude height, and the failure risk of compressor impeller with the failure modes of hub fatigue and blade resonance increases. The reliability of compressor impeller decreases with the increase of altitude height, and it also decreases as the increase of number of the mission profile cycle of engine. The method proposed can not only be used to evaluating the reliability of compressor impeller when diesel engines operate in plateau area but also be applied to direct the structural optimization of compressor impeller.

Unsteady flow structures in the tip region for a centrifugal compressor impeller before rotating stall

To get an insight into the occurrence and the mechanism of flow unsteadiness in the tip region of centrifugal compressor impellers, the flow in Krain’s impeller is investigated by using both steady and unsteady RANS solver techniques. It is found that the flow unsteadiness on the pressure side is much stronger than that on the suction side. The periodical frequency of the unsteady flow is around half of the blade passing frequency. The originating mechanism of the flow unsteadiness is illustrated with the time-dependent tip leakage flow and blade loading at the tip region. Due to the blockage caused by the joint effects of broken-downed tip leakage vortex, separated fluids and tip leakage flow at downstream, a low pressure region is formed on the pressure side, consequently the blade loadings is altered. In turn, the changed blade loadings will alter the intensity of tip leakage flow. Such alternative behavior finally results in the periodic process. By comparing the calculated flow field in the cases of single-passage and four-passage models, it is confirmed that the investigated flow unsteadiness is confined in each single passage, as no phase differences are found in the model of four passages. This is different from the situation in axial compressor when the rotating instability is encountered. The flow unsteadiness only occurs at the working conditions with small mass flow rates, and the oscillation intensity will be enhanced with the decrease of mass flow rate. When the mass flow rate is too small, the flow unsteadiness in a single passage may trigger rotating stall, as the disturbance propagates in the circumferential direction.

Damage mechanism and evaluation model of compressor impeller remanufacturing blanks:A review

The theoretical and technological achievements in the damage mechanism and evaluation model obtained through the national basic research program“Key Fundamental Scientific Problems on Mechanical Equipment Remanufacturing”are reviewed in this work.Large centrifugal compressor impeller blanks were used as the study object.The materials of the blanks were FV520B and KMN.The mechanism and evaluation model of ultra-high cycle fatigue,erosion wear,and corrosion damage were studied via theoretical calculation,finite element simulation,and experimentation.For ultra-high cycle fatigue damage,the characteristics of ultra-high cycle fatigue of the impeller material were clarified,and prediction models of ultra-high cycle fatigue strength were established.A residual life evaluation technique based on the“b-HV-N”(where b was the nonlinear parameter,HV was the Vickers hardness,and N was the fatigue life)double criterion method was proposed.For erosion wear,the flow field of gas-solid two-phase flow inside the impeller was simulated,and the erosion wear law was clarified.Two models for erosion rate and erosion depth calculation were established.For corrosion damage,the electrochemical and stress corrosion behaviors of the impeller material and welded joints in H2S/CO2 environment were investigated.KISCC(critical stress intensity factor)and da/dt(crack growth rate,where a is the total crack length and t is time)varied with H2S concentration and temperature,and their variation laws were revealed.Through this research,the key scientific problems of the damage behavior and mechanism of remanufacturing objects in the multi-strength field and cross-scale were solved.The findings provide theoretical and evaluation model support for the analysis and evaluation of large centrifugal compressor impellers before remanufacturing.

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.