Flow Control Structures For Turbomachines and Methods of Designing The Same

摘要

Flow control devices and structures designed and configured to improve the performance of a turbomachine. Exemplary flow control devices may include various flow guiding channels, ribs, diffuser passage-width reductions, and other treatments and may be located on one or both of a shroud and hub side of a machine to redirect, guide, or otherwise influence portions of a turbomachine flow field to thereby improve the performance of the machine.

主权项

1. A turbomachine, comprising:
a downstream element having an inlet, a shroud side and a hub side; an impeller comprising a hub and a plurality of blades and having an inlet, an exit, and an axis of rotation, each of said plurality of blades having a leading edge and a trailing edge and extending in a spanwise direction from said hub to a shroud side of said blade; a shroud having a face confronting said shroud sides of said plurality of blades, said shroud and said hub defining an impeller passageway; said impeller designed and configured to:
discharge a working fluid into said downstream element; andgenerate a flow field in said working fluid, the flow field at said exit including a weak side proximate one of said hub and said shroud and a strong side proximate the other one of said hub and said shroud, wherein a meridional component of an absolute velocity of the flow field is greater on the strong side than the weak side; and at least one channel extending in a flow-wise direction along a portion of at least one of said shroud side and said hub side of said downstream element, said at least one channel having a centerline that has a tangent line extending at an angle, α, as measured in an absolute frame of reference from a meridional reference plane extending through said axis of rotation, said at least one channel selectively located adjacent the weak side of the flow field and being designed and configured to guide a portion of said weak side of said flow field in a direction that is substantially the same as α.