• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2000.04b
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• pp.777-782
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• 2000

The flow fields in the volute casing of a small-size turbo-compressor at different flowrate (design point ${\pm}20%$) are studied by numerical analysis. The governing equations for three-dimensional steady viscous flow are solved using SIMPLE algorithm with commercial code of STAR-CD. Numerical results show that the three-dimensional flow pattern inside the volute casing of a small-size turbo-compressor is strongly influenced by secondary flows that are typically created by the curvature or the casing passages. The flow pattern in the casing also affects the performance of the turbo-compressor. In order to elucidate the loss mechanism through the volute, we prepared the secondary flow, velocity magnitude, and static pressure distribution at the four cross-sectional planes of the casing.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06e
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• pp.807-812
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• 2001

The effects of casing shapes on the interaction of the impeller and volute in a small-size turbo-compressor are investigated. Numerical analysis is conducted for the compressor with circular and single volute casings from inlet to discharge nozzle. In order to predict the flow pattern inside the entire impeller, vaneless diffuser, and casing, calculations with a multiple frame of reference method between the rotating and stationery parts of the domain are carried out. For incompressible turbulent flow fields, the continuity and three-dimensional time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are employed. To predict the performance of two types of casings, the static pressure and loss coefficients are obtained with various flow rates. Also, static pressure distributions around casings are studied for different casing shapes, which are very important to predict the distribution of radial load.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.218-226
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• 2017

Severe radial thrust under off-design operating conditions can be a harmful factor for centrifugal pumps. In the present work, effects of geometry of a double volute casing on the hydrodynamic performance of a centrifugal pump have been investigated focusing on off-design conditions. Three-dimensional steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes analysis was carried out by using shear stress transport turbulence model. Numerical results for the hydrodynamic performance of the centrifugal pump were validated compared with experimental data. The hydraulic efficiency and radial thrust coefficient were used as performance parameters to evaluate the hydrodynamic characteristics of the centrifugal pump. The cross-sectional area ratio of the volute casing, the expansion coefficient of the rib structure, the distance between the rib starting point and volute entrance, and radius and width of the volute entrance, and length of the rib structure, were selected as geometric parameters. Results of the parametric study show that the performance parameters are significantly affected by the geometric variables and operating conditions. Optimal configurations of the double volute casing based on the design of experiments technique show outstanding performance in terms of the efficiency and radial thrust coefficient.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.3722-3730
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• 2015

The performance improvement of a small centrifugal compressor for waste water treatment has been conducted by the design change of vaneless diffuser and volute casing. Existing two compressors use a common impeller, but the width and length of the vaneless diffuser and the cross-sectional shape of the volute casing are different, respectively. Based on the experiment of the existing two compressors and their CFD results, the design of the vaneless diffuser and the volute casing has been changed. It was found that the strength of the interaction among the volute tongues, the vaneless diffusers and the impellers of two existing/one improved compressors, was affected by the cross-sectional area and inlet radial length of the volute casing including system losses' change. The efficiency of the impeller with one existing design was increased as the decrease of the width of the vaneless diffuser, but losses at the diffuser were accumulated. In conclusion, approximately 2.88%p efficiency increase at the design point of the new compressor with the improved design has been confirmed by CFD analysis results.

• Proceedings of the SAREK Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.381-385
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• 2009

This paper describes performance characteristics of a centrifugal fan having a different volute casing. The centrifugal fan has a backward blade type, and is used in a refuse collecting system. The flow characteristics inside the components are analyzed by three-dimensional Navier-Stokes analysis, and also compared to the results by experiments. Distributions of pressure and efficiency obtained by numerical simulation has a good agreement with the experimental results. Throughout the numerical simulation of the centrifugal fan, a fan efficiency is increased by decreasing local losses in the blade passage. It is found that the fan efficiency is enhanced by decreasing the distance between the shroud of a impeller and casing. Detailed flow analysis is also analyzed and discussed using the results obtained by numerical simulation.

• International Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.132-139
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• 2003

The effects of casing shapes on the performance and the interaction between an impeller and a casing in a small-sized centrifugal compressor are investigated. Especially, numerical analyses are conducted for the centrifugal compressor with both a circular casing and a volute one. The optimum design for each element (i.e., impeller, diffuser and casing) is important to develop an efficient and compact compressor using alternative refrigerant as working fluids. Typical rotating speed of the compressor is in the range of 40,000∼45,000 rpm. The impeller has backswept blades due to tip clearance and a vane diffuser has wedge type. In order to predict the flow pattern inside an entire impeller, vaneless diffuser and casing, calculations with multiple frames of reference method between the rotating and stationery parts of the domain are carried out. For computations of compressible turbulent flow fields, the continuity and time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are employed. To evaluate the performance of two types of casings, the static pressure recovery and loss coefficients are obtained for various flow rates. Also, static pressure distributions around casings are studied for different casing shapes, which are very important to predict the distribution of radial load. The static pressure around the casing and pressure difference between the inlet and outlet of the compressor are measured for the circular casing.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.1031-1038
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• 2002

The effects of casing shape on the performance and interaction between the impeller and casing in a small-size turbo-compressor are investigated. Numerical analysis is conducted for the compressor with circular and single volute casings from inlet to discharge nozzle. In order to predict the flow pattern inside the entire impeller, vaneless diffuer and casing, calculations with multiple frames of reference method between the rotating and stationery parts of the domain are carried out. For compressible turbulent flow fields, the continuity and three-dimensional time-averaged Wavier-Stokes equations are employed. To evaluate the performance of two types of casings, the static pressure and loss coefficients are obtained with various flow rates. Also, static pressure distributions around casings are studied for different casing shapes, which are very important to predict the distribution of radial load. To prove the accuracy of numerical results, measurements of static pressure around casing and pressure difference between the inlet and outlet of the compressor are peformed for the circular casing. Comparisons of these results between the experimental and numerical analyses are conducted, and reasonable agreement is obtained.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.349-359
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• 2011

An unsteady numerical analysis has been carried out to study the strong impeller volute interaction of a centrifugal pump with six backward swept blades shrouded impeller. The numerical analysis is done by solving the three-dimensional Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes codes with standard k-${\varepsilon}$ two-equations turbulence model and wall regions are modeled with a scalable log-law wall function. The flow within the impeller passage is very smooth and following the curvature of the blade in stream-wise direction. However, the analysis shows that there is a recirculation zone near the leading edge even at design point. When the flow is discharged into volute casing circumferentially from the impeller outlet, the high velocity flow is severely distorted and formed a spiraling vortex flow within the volute casing. A spatial and temporal wake flow core development is captured dynamically and shows how the wake core diffuses. Near volute tongue region, the impeller/volute tongue strong interaction is observed based on the periodically fluctuating pressure at outlet. The results of existing analysis also proved that the pressure fluctuation periodically is due to the position of impeller blade relative to tongue.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2002.08a
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• pp.585-588
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• 2002

Pump casing has blockage effects on Impeller flow in a centrifugal pump such that the flow field around volute tongue has quite large change when the impeller rotates. A double suction pump is widely used in industrial world because it has lower NPSH required than a single suction pump. Thus, in this study, the interaction between impeller and volute casing has been investigated by using CFD for a double-suction centrifugal pump. Quasi-steady method and full pump model has been employed for the numerical calculation.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.12a
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• pp.219-225
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• 2000

Primary function of a centrifugal compressor volute is to serve the flow from the impeller and diffuser to pipe system. But losses in volutes at off-design lead to poor stage efficiency and reduction of operating range. This is largely caused by the interaction between the impeller and volute flow fields. The magnitude of distortion is increased as the operating point is away from the design point and, as a result, the interaction between the impeller and volute is stronger. The objective of present study is to find the characteristics of tile flow in the diffuser and volute of the centrifugal compressor with rectangular cross-sectional volute. The measurements are carried out in two cases with the existence and nonexistence of the volute casing. The detailed pressure is presented by comparing the experimental results obtained at two cases with each others.