Centrifugal compressors for multi-stage industrial applications must have both high efficiency and stable operation over a wide flow range. CFD analyses were used to evaluate the stall margins of candidate impeller designs compared to a baseling semi-inducer design. With this guidance, a new full-inducer impeller was designed with predicted wider operating range and slightly higher peak efficiency. Prototype tests confirmed these predictions. This paper presents predictions from two CFD codes and test results, for both the original and the redesigned impeller, and discusses the application of CFD for predicting impeller stall.
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