Centrifugal Compressor Housing Grooves for Surge Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Centrifugal compressors face efficiency issues due to surging phenomena at low flow rates, which cause reverse flows that reduce compressor efficiency, and existing solutions do not adequately address pressure loss and flow instability.
Innovation Solution
A compressor housing design featuring a shroud surface with inclined and stepped grooves that guide reverse flows and increase the relative inflow velocity of main flows, reducing surge flow rates and improving efficiency by imparting pre-rotation to the fluid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a recess is formed in the wall surface of an inflow passage to suppress reverse flow, then reverse flow is suppressed, but pressure loss of the operating fluid increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by forming grooves only in specific regions of the inflow passage wall where reverse flow occurs, rather than modifying the entire passage. The grooves are positioned at locations where the flow direction changes, creating localized flow control that suppresses reverse flow while minimizing impact on the overall flow path and pressure loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The grooves are designed with curved surfaces that follow the flow direction, creating smooth transitions rather than sharp angles. This curvature allows the fluid to follow the groove contours naturally, reducing flow separation and turbulence, thereby suppressing reverse flow while maintaining low pressure loss.
2Ease of manufacture
If the compressor housing structure is simplified, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but flow control capability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The inflow passage wall is segmented into multiple regions, with grooves formed only in specific segments where reverse flow occurs. This segmentation allows the majority of the housing to remain simple and easy to manufacture, while only adding complexity to the specific areas needed for flow control.
Solution Approach 2:
The grooves are designed to utilize the natural flow direction and pressure distribution of the incoming fluid to generate the desired flow control effect. The groove geometry itself guides the fluid flow without requiring additional active control mechanisms, allowing the structure to control flow automatically based on operating conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design effectively suppresses reverse flows and enhances the efficiency of centrifugal compressors by reducing pressure loss and improving flow stability across a wide operating range.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of grooves 7B formed in a front-side inner peripheral surface 5 of the compressor housing 3. Each of the plurality of grooves 7B includes: an inclined portion 71 whose depth gradually increases in a rotation direction RD of the impeller 2; and a stepped portion 73 formed at a downstream end 72 of the inclined portion 71 in the rotation direction RD
Data Source
AI summary
A compressor housing includes: when an intake side in an axial direction of the centrifugal compressor is defined as a front side, and a side opposite to the intake side in the axial direction is defined as a rear side, a shroud surface including a surface facing a tip of an impeller blade of the impeller with a predetermined gap; a front-side inner peripheral surface formed on the front side of the shroud surface in the axial direction and positioned on an outer side in a radial direction than a front end of the shroud surface; and plurality of grooves formed in the front-side inner peripheral surface at intervals in a circumferential direction wherein each of the plurality of grooves includes: an inclined portion whose depth gradually increases toward a rotation direction of the impeller; and a stepped portion formed at a downstream end of the inclined portion in the rotation direction.