Experimental and numerical analysis of the unsteady influence of an inlet guide vane

The unsteady inlet guide vane (IGV)-impeller-diffuser interaction in a centrifugal compressor is investigated numerically and experimentally under different IGV prewhirl angles. The influence of IGV prewhirl angle on the flowfield and the unsteadiness of the impeller and diffuser are studied, and the mechanism of the unsteady IGV-impeller-diffuser interaction is explored. Results show that quite fair quantitative agreements are achieved between the predicted and measured flowfield. The IGV wake can decrease the unsteadiness on the impeller and diffuser, and the reduction of the unsteadiness caused by the IGV is a function of the IGV prewhirl angle. The unsteadiness in the diffuser with negative IGV angles is larger than that for positive prewhirl angles. The low-frequency oscillations inside the flowfield are induced by the IGV. When IGV prewhirl occurs, the basic frequency of the unsteady flow in the vaneless diffuser is mainly half of the blade passing frequency of the impeller. In practice, the IGV prewhirl angle can be adjusted to avoid unsteady vibrations in some off-design conditions, with reliability and performance improved simultaneously.