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Adjustable Diffuser Wall Geometry for Turbomachinery Testing

Company: FOX Rotating Equipment Solutions

Major(s):
Primary: ME
Secondary: ESC

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Among the many components in a centrifugal compressor, the diffuser is often regarded as the second most important, only behind the impeller that drives the flow through the machine. The diffuser is immediately downstream of the impeller (see figure), which accepts the incoming high kinetic energy gas and begins a conversion to static pressure for a desired application. Depending on compressor operating conditions and case sizing, the dimensions of the diffuser can vary in many ways. Different diffuser types can be seen in the figure, such as (a) parallel wall, (b) tapered, and (c) a combination of the two. All of which could have desirable aerodynamic improvements for different machine configurations. While one wall of the diffuser does not change much from test to test, the shroud side (left side wall in the figure) does often change. Couple the frequent costs to replace the shroud side diffuser with it being a long-lead item for manufacturing, and expenses quickly rise over the course of a year of testing. A morphing geometry to accommodate changes to the shroud side diffuser could eliminate long part lead time, increase testing frequency, and decrease costs. The engineering team at FOX would be excited to sponsor a team to conduct continued development of a movable diffuser wall insert for the test rig. We are looking for a well-documented and simulation validated design that could be machined by FOX for direct implementation into the test rig. Development of a preliminary prototype and associated documentation can be made available to assist this semester’s project group. Deliverables may include (1) CAD models, (2) Finite Element Analyses, (3) engineering drawings, (4) a prototype to validate mechanics. Knowledge of turbo-compressors is not required. This is a great opportunity to work on a mechanical design project and gain some insight into the turbomachinery industry, as well as the R&D work we do here at FOX.