Flow Loss Mechanism in a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Centrifugal Compressor at Low Flow Rate Conditions

YANG Zimu, JIANG Hongsheng, ZHUGE Weilin, CAI Ruikai, YANG Mingyang, CHEN Haoxiang, QIAN Yuping, ZHANG Yangjun

Journal of Thermal Science ›› 2024, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (1) : 114-125.

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Journal of Thermal Science ›› 2024, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (1) : 114-125. DOI: 10.1007/s11630-023-1857-0  CSTR: 32141.14.s11630-023-1857-0

Flow Loss Mechanism in a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Centrifugal Compressor at Low Flow Rate Conditions

  • YANG Zimu1, JIANG Hongsheng1, ZHUGE Weilin1*, CAI Ruikai2, YANG Mingyang2*, CHEN Haoxiang1, QIAN Yuping1, ZHANG Yangjun1
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Abstract

With the advantages of high efficiency and compact structure, supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) Brayton cycles have bright prospects for development in energy conversion field. As one of the core components of the power cycle, the centrifugal compressor tends to operate near the critical point (304.13 K, 7.3773 MPa). Normally, the compressor efficiency increases as the inlet temperature decreases. When the inlet temperature is close to the critical point, the density increases sharply as the temperature decreases, which results in quickly decreasing of volume flow rate and efficiency reducing. The flow loss mechanism of the sCO2 compressor operating at low flow rate is studied in this paper. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations for sCO2 compressor were carried out at various inlet temperatures and various mass flow rates. When the sCO2 compressor operates at low volume flow rate, the flow loss is generated mainly on the suction side near the trailing edge of the blade. The flow loss is related to the counterclockwise vortexes generated on the suction side of the main blade. The vortexes are caused by the flow separation in the downstream region of the impeller passage, which is different from air compressors operating at low flow rates. The reason for this flow separation is that the effect of Coriolis force is especially severe for the sCO2 fluid, compared to the viscous force and inertial force. At lower flow rates, with the stronger effect of Coriolis force, the direction of relative flow velocity deviates from the direction of radius, resulting in its lower radial component. The lower radial relative flow velocity leads to severe flow separation on the suction side near the trailing edge of the main blade.

Key words

supercritical CO2 / centrifugal compressor / flow loss mechanism / Coriolis force

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YANG Zimu, JIANG Hongsheng, ZHUGE Weilin, CAI Ruikai, YANG Mingyang, CHEN Haoxiang, QIAN Yuping, ZHANG Yangjun. Flow Loss Mechanism in a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Centrifugal Compressor at Low Flow Rate Conditions[J]. Journal of Thermal Science, 2024, 33(1): 114-125 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11630-023-1857-0

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Funding

This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2018YFB1501004).

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Science Press, Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, CAS and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023
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