Aerodynamic Design of Turbomachinery Blading in Three-Dimensional Flow: An Application to Radial Inflow Turbines

Abstract

A computational method based on a theory for turbomachinery blading design in three-dimensional inviscid flow is applied to a parametric design study of a radial inflow turbine wheel. As the method requires the specification of swirl distribution, a technique for its smooth generation within the blade region is proposed. Excellent agreements have been obtained between the computed results from this design method and those from direct Euler computations, demonstrating the correspondence and consistency between the two. The computed results indicate the sensitivity of the pressure distribution to a lean in the stacking axis and a minor alteration in the hub/shroud profiles. Analysis based on a Navier–Stokes solver shows no breakdown of flow within the designed blade passage and agreement with that from a design calculation; thus the flow in the designed turbine rotor closely approximates that of an inviscid one. These calculations illustrate the use of a design method coupled to an analysis tool for establishing guidelines and criteria for designing turbomachinery blading.