Experimental and numerical analyses to enhance the performance of a microturbine diffuser

This paper describes design and off-design behavior of a centrifugal compressor of a 100 kW gas turbine used for small scale power generation and establishes the guidelines to improve diffuser performance. The first part of the paper deals with the experimental and numerical tests on the overall machine: An extensive series of tests at different operating points and rotational speeds is performed using steady probe measurements at impeller exit and diffuser exit; the numerical model features a mixing plane at impeller–diffuser interface and therefore neglects the effect of unsteadiness due to rotor–stator interaction. In the second part of the paper, the true time-dependent rotor–stator interaction is investigated by means of a numerical model where a sliding mesh technique is adopted instead. The unsteady results are then processed and compared with the computed steady flow in the diffuser. Finally, the geometry of the compressor diffuser is optimized using an evolutionary algorithm coupled with a CFD code.