International Journal of Research and Innovation (IJRI)

International Journal of Research and Innovation (IJRI)

1401-1402

COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF FLUID FLOW THROUGH

ROTATING VANELESS DIFFUSER

Mohammed Ubaid Ur Rahman1, Dilip Maha2, P.v.n Sai Chandu3,

1 Research Scholar, Department Of Mechanical Engineering, Aurora's Scientific Technological & Research Academy, Hyderabad, India
2 Professor , Department Of Mechanical Engineering, Aurora's Scientific Technological & Research Academy, Hyderabad, India
3 Associate professor,Department Of Mechanical Engineering, Aurora's Scientific Technological & Research Academy, Hyderabad, India

Abstract
The most common practical engineering application for fluid mechanics is the design of fluid machinery.
The most numerous types are, machines which add energy to the fluid (pump), but also important are those
which extract energy (turbines). Both types are usually connected to a rotating shaft, hence the name turbo
machinery. Machines which deliver liquids are simply called pumps, but if gases are involved, three different
terms are in use, depending upon the pressure rise achieved. If the pressure rise is very small (a few inches
of water), a gas pump is called a fan; up to 1 atm, it is usually called a blower; and above 1 atm it is commonly termed a compressor. Turbo machines employing centrifugal effects for increasing fluid pressure is
known as centrifugal compressor. Centrifugal compressor essentially consists of a rotating impeller followed
by a diffuser. Fluid is drawn in through the inlet casing into the eye of impeller. The function of impeller is
to increase the energy level of fluid by whirling it outwards, thereby increasing the momentum of fluid. Both
static pressure and velocity are increased in the impeller. The purpose of diffuser is to convert the kinetic
energy of fluid leaving the impeller into pressure energy.
The main objective of the work is to analyze the behavior of the fluid flow through a rotating vaneless diffuser, flow near wall conditions, performance characteristics and means to reduce the flow losses in a centrifugal compressor. The project presents a numerical procedure to investigate the pressure distortion at
exit flow of impeller and flow fields around impeller blade and to validate computational results against experimental data with various models. In rotating vane less diffuser, there are various concepts. The concept
of blade cut back is to be employed in back ward curved impeller to obtain the rotating vaneless diffuser,
which rotates with the speed of the centrifugal impeller and the performance parameters is to be compared
with the static vane less diffuser.
*Corresponding Author:
Mohammed Ubaid Ur Rahman ,
Research Scholar, Department Of Mechanical Engineering,
Aurora's Scientific Technological & Research Academy,
Hyderabad, India
Published: July 25, 2014
Review Type: peer reviewed
Volume: I, Issue : II

Losses can be minimized by having rotating vane

less diffuser instead of static vane less diffuser. It
is also observed that losses are not only produced
at diffuser alone but they are generated at impeller
itself and thus carried to diffuser resulting in reduction of performance.
Problem definition

Citation: Mohammed Ubaid Ur Rahman, Research

Scholar (2014) COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF FLUID

JETS: A jet is a region of region of high speed flow

at the suction of vane, with high energy side. Thus it
can be referred as high energy side (positive energy).

INTRODUCTION

WAKES: A wake is region of low speed flow at pressure side of the vane, with low energy. They are referred as low energy side (negative).

FLOW THROUGH ROTATING VANELESS DIFFUSER

Flow at the exit of a turbo machine impeller is distorted due to the presence of jets and wakes. As flow
happens through the impeller, the energy is transferred from the blade to the fluid. This creates the
jets and wakes at suction side and pressure side of
the impeller. This fluid with different energy levels
mixes at the exit. This mixing causes considerable
losses, including secondary flows. As the flow enters
the static vane less diffuser, the losses is further
compounded due to the formation of boundary layers over the walls in the static vane less diffuser.

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International Journal of Research and Innovation (IJRI)

Diffuser:

Centrifugal impeller

A diffuser is a component of a fluid flow system designed to reduce the flow velocity and thereby increase the fluid pressure. The name vane less diffuser indicates that there is no provision for any
guidance of the flow to the exit of the impeller, so
the flow experience little turbulence (whirl) thus resulting in flow losses.
Rotating Vaneless Diffuser:
In static vane less diffuser, since the diffuser is stationary, fluid flowing along diffuser wall will experience shear force at fluid layer adjacent to the wall
resulting in growth of boundary layer. The boundary
layer growth within the rotating diffuser is smaller
than in the corresponding stationary diffuser, and
the compressor performance improves from both
frictional and flow profile considerations

Single blade model with meshing

Prism layers obtained at specified regions

Boundary conditions:
All the required specifications such as Region information, periodicity, Type of fluid, machine type,
turbulence model (k-omega model), mass flow rate
etc. should be specified.
Inlet boundary condition: Mass flow rate
Three different flow rates are given according to experimental setup. They are
1.0.033 kg/sec
2.0.041 kg/sec
3.0.0552 kg/sec.
Outlet boundary condition: Atmospheric pressure
(=1.013 atm).
Geometric Model
Geometrical Specifications:
Diameter at inlet of impeller
Diameter at outlet of impeller
The ratio of inlet diameter to the
Exit diameter
width of blade at exit
width of blade at inlet
Inlet blade angle
Speed of rotation
Volume flow rate
Pressure rise

Model with given boundary conditions:

d1=280mm
d2=550mm
d1/d2=0.51
b2=50mm
b1=50mm
P1=35
n=1800rpm
v =.85m3/sec
200mm of water

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International Journal of Research and Innovation (IJRI)

RESULTS
At mass flow rate of 0.033 kg/s and Span value of
0.16

Total pressure distribution

Absolute Pressure distribution

Pressure distribution

Total pressure in stn.frame

At mass flow rate of 0.05520 kg/s and Span value

of 0.88

Total pressure distribution

Absolute pressure distribution

Pressure distribution

Total pressure in stn.frame

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International Journal of Research and Innovation (IJRI)

CONCLUSION
Analysis of rotating vaneless diffuser is done by using computational fluid dynamics methods in which
we adopted a turbulence model (K-omega model). To
study the behaviour of diffuser at various flow coefficients we applied different parameters like (Pressure, Total pressure, velocity, Total pressure at stn
frame, Absolute pressure) at the inlet and outlet of
the vaneless diffuser.
The energy coefficient for the vaneless diffuser at the
design point is 1.56 with the deviation of 63% when
K-Omega model is used, the theoretical value is
1.0..For the conventional backward curve impeller,
the pressure distribution at the exit is non-uniform
at the low flow coefficient 0.15 and when it comes
to 0.19 and 0.25 it gradually decreases and is uniform at the diffuser exits and at the suction point it
increases. The velocity at mid section of the blade
surface increases at high flow coefficients. At the
suction point total pressure increases and at exit it
decreases when the flow coefficients high. The total
pressure at stn frame is gradually increases at the
blade surface for flow coefficients 0.15, 0.25 and for
the flow coefficient 0.19 the total pressure stn frame
is less at the blade surface as compare to other to
flow coefficients. In this analysis it conclude that
the turbulence model K-omega which gives the better results than the SST.
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International Journal of Research and Innovation (IJRI)

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Mohammed Ubaid Ur Rahman1,

Research Scholar, Department Of Mechanical
Engineering, Aurora's Scientific Technological &
Research Academy, Hyderabad, India

12.Chen-Kang Huang, PhD , Mu-En Hsieh ,(2009)

Performance Analysis and Optimized Design of
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Dilip Maha2,
Professor , Department Of Mechanical Engineering,
Aurora's Scientific Technological & Research
Academy, Hyderabad, India

P.v.n Sai Chandu3,

Associate professor,Department Of Mechanical
Engineering, Aurora's Scientific Technological &
Research Academy, Hyderabad, India

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