Numerical optimization for fluid flow in turboexpander wheel of helium liquefaction plant

Abstract

A radial turbine is one of the vital components of a helium liquefaction plant. The design of a turbine becomes critical due to its compact size and high‐speed configuration. In this study, numerical optimization has been performed for the three‐dimensional steady flow of helium gas in the radial inflow turbine of a helium liquefaction plant at a nominal condition. The mean line design is an appropriate method to obtain the approximate results. The computational fluid dynamics simulation algorithm is adopted in this study to reach the final results and Ansys CFX is used for the simulation. From the analysis, it has been reported that the number of rotor blades was overestimated in the mean line design. Performance parameters like total‐to‐static efficiency and velocity ratio were also found to be optimum numerically under a preliminary design condition. Finally, power of 1.7 kW was achieved at total‐to‐static efficiency of 71.4%. The deviation in analytical and numerical results is within ± 10 % for performance as well as geometric parameters.