Designing Experience of Automotive Turbocharger Impeller for Flank Milling

Abstract

The performance of small-size impellers with ruled surfaces was investigated for flank milling over a wide speed range, using computational fluid dynamics analyses and gas bench tests. An impeller with a ruled surface was designed, manufactured, and tested to evaluate the effects of blade loading, the backsweep angle, and the relative velocity distribution on the compressor performance. The simulations and tests were completed using the same compressor cover with identical inlet and outlet channels to accurately compare the performance of the abovementioned impeller with a commercial impeller containing sculptured blades. Both impellers have the same number of blades, number of splitters, and shroud meridional profiles. The backsweep angles of the blades on the ruled impeller were selected to work with the same pinched diffuser as for a sculptured impeller. The inlet-to-exit relative velocity diffusion ratio and the blade loading were provided to maximize the flow rate and to minimize the surge flow rate. The design flow rate, rpm, were selected same for both impellers. Test results showed that for the compressor stage with a ruled impeller, the efficiency was increased by 0.32% with an extended surge margin without a reduction in the pressure ratio as compared to the impeller with the sculptured design. It was concluded that an increased relative velocity diffusion coupled with a large backsweep angle was an effective way to improve the compressor stage efficiency. Additionally, an appropriate blade loading distribution was important for achieving a wide operating range and higher efficiency.