Optimization of Loss Models for Centrifugal Compressor Performance Prediction Based on Numerical Analysis Results

An optimization of loss models for performance prediction of centrifugal compressors has been conducted in this paper. A centrifugal compressor with vaneless diffuser (VLD) and vaned diffuser (VD) is selected for the present study. The study begins with a numerical analysis, using commercial software ANSYS CFX. The numerical result is used to modify mean streamline analysis loss models. Matlab optimization toolbox is used for this purpose. Also, a matlab program is compiled to calculate the off-design performance of the centrifugal compressor. The results show that after optimizating the loss models, mean streamline analysis has a better accuracy than before.