Simulation of Particle Trajectories and Erosion in a Centrifugal Compressor

Turbocompressors manipulating particle-laden airflows suffer from severe erosion damages which affect their operating performance and lifetime. This paper presents the results of a numerical investigation of the dynamics of sand particles and the subsequent erosion in a centrifugal compressor. The particle trajectories simulations used a developed code based on a stochastic Lagrangian model, which solves the equations of motion separately from the airflow, whereas the tracking of particles in different computational cells used the finite element method. The number of particles, sizes, and initial positions were specified, conformed to a sand particle size distribution AC_coarse (0–200 μm), and a given concentration profile. The obtained results show that the speed of rotation and particle size strongly affect the trajectories of particles and their locations of impact. Erosion is spreading over the pressure side of the main blade. Regions of high erosion rates are seen over the leading edge, at the inducer top corner and along the blade tip. Over the splitter pressure side erosion wear is much less than the main blade. The suction sides are almost without erosion except near the leading edge, and the casing is mainly affected over the inducer and tips of the blades.