Flow Analysis and Assessment of Loss Models in the Symmetric Volute of a Turbo-Blower

Abstract

The objectives of the present study were to investigate the flow structure and assess the accuracy of loss correlations in the symmetric volute of a turbo-blower using 3D steady flow analysis methods. To accurately model the flow field in the volute, an impeller with a single blade, a diffuser with 13 vanes, and a volute were used as the calculation domains for the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Numerical results were validated by comparison with experimental results for the performance of a turbo-blower operated under three operating conditions: high (0.38 kg/s), normal (0.3 kg/s), and low (0.23 kg/s) mass flow rates. The accuracy of the loss correlation sets reported in four previous studies was compared with the CFD simulation predictions. These comparisons showed that the correlation sets did not accurately represent the total pressure loss in the symmetric volute of a turbo-blower, and a modified correlation set that included adjustments for the loss coefficients was proposed. Detailed investigations of the simulated flow fields were compared to understand the flow characteristics in the volute under the designed operating conditions.