Investigation into the influence of diffuser stagger angles on the flow field and performance of a centrifugal compressor

Abstract

The performance graphs of a centrifugal compressor under different diffuser stagger angles were measured, and the influence of different stagger angles of vanes on the stage performance as well as flow field was investigated numerically. The results show that the performance graph shifts when the diffuser stagger angle is altered; the influence of different stagger angles of vanes on the flow field inside the centrifugal compressor is great. Large scale vortices appear on the diffuser vane under larger incidence. An optimal diffuser stagger angle should exist at a specified flow rate to make the characteristic of the flow optimized. The incidence corresponding to the highest efficiency is not 0º at the design condition.