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In vaned diffusers of centrifugal compressors many different flow phenomena interfere with one another, and different geometric parameters influence the flow field. Variations of these parameters allow the designer to optimize the diffuser for a certain application or to use a variable geometry for controlling the stage over a wide range. Two vaned diffusers that differ only in their passage widths are investigated using different types of measuring technique, in order to analyze the flow structure and to use it as a verification of a calculation method that allows detailed predictions of flow field parameters inside the diffuser, by taking into account geometric variations. Using this method predictions of the flow field of a variable geometry diffuser are made and are compared with the measured performance curves of the stage.

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To investigate the influence of the vaneless space between impeller exit and the diffuser vanes, datailed flow measurements in two diffusers with the same vane geometry but different passage width are compared. The three-dimensional character of the flow changes between impeller exit and the entry to the two dimensional vanes depending on the shape of the shroud. After initial measurements with a constant area vaneless space, the width of the vaned diffuser was later on reduced by 10%. The compressor maps show an increase in overall pressure rise and efficiency with the width reduction. To get further details of the flow field, measurements of the static pressure distribution at hub and shroud have been performed at several operation points for both diffusers. At the same points the flow angle and total pressure distribution between hub and shroud upstream and downstream of the vanes have been measured with probes. The maximum efficiency of the narrow diffuser is nearly 2% higher than for the wide diffuser. The measurements give further details to explain this improvements.