Numerical investigation and validation of the optimization of a centrifugal compressor using a response surface method

In this article, an effective optimization performed by the authors, at the design mass flowrate, of a vaned centrifugal compressor using the response surface method is presented. The optimization process was carried out consecutively for the impeller and the diffuser. As a result of the optimization process, the efficiency and pressure ratio of the optimized model were found to be better than those of the original model because of some improvements in flow characteristics. Compared with the original model, dramatic changes in the pressure and entropy contours could be obtained in the optimized model. In order to determine the performance in the off-design operating conditions, an off-design analysis was carried out. Also, the numerical calculations in this optimization process are validated by the experimental results and show good agreement with the experimental results except under choking conditions.