Abstract
This paper describes the stall mechanism in an ultrahigh-pressure-ratio centrifugal compressor, composed of a double-splitter impeller, radial diffuser, and axial diffuser. A model comprising all impeller and diffuser blade passages is used to conduct unsteady simulations that trace the onset of instability in the compressor. Backward-traveling rotating stall waves appear at the inlet of the radial diffuser when the compressor is throttled. Six stall cells propagate circumferentially at approximately 0.7% of the impeller rotation speed. The detached shock of the radial diffuser leading edge and the number of stall cells determine the direction of stall propagation, which is opposite to the impeller rotation direction. Dynamic mode decomposition is applied to instantaneous flow fields to extract the flow structure related to the stall mode. This shows that intensive pressure fluctuations concentrate in the diffuser throat as a result of changes in the detached shock intensity. The diffuser passage stall and stall recovery are accompanied by changes in incidence angle and shock wave intensity. When the diffuser passage stalls, the shock-induced boundary–layer separation region near the diffuser vane suction surface gradually expands, increasing the incidence angle and decreasing the shock intensity. The shock is pushed from the diffuser's throat toward the diffuser leading edge. When the diffuser passage recovers from the stall, the shock wave gradually returns to the diffuser throat, with the incidence angle decreasing and the shock intensity increasing. Once the shock intensity reaches its maximum, the diffuser passage suffers severe shock-induced boundary–layer separation and stalls again.
