Comparison of a quasi-3D analysis and experimental performance for three compact radial turbines

An experimental aerodynamic evaluation of three compact radial turbine builds was performed. Two rotors which were 40 to 50 percent shorter in axial length than conventional state of the art radial rotors were tested. A single nozzle design was used. One rotor was tested with the nozzle at two stagger angle settings. A second rotor was tested with the nozzle in only the closed down setting. Experimental results were compared to predict results from a quasi-3D inviscid and boundary layer analysis, called Meridl/Tsonic/Blayer (MTSB). This analysis was used to predict turbine performance. It has previously been calibrated only for axial, not radial, turbomachinery. The predicted and measured efficiencies were compared at the design point for the three turbines. At the design points the analysis overpredicted the efficiency by less than 1.7 points. Comparisons were also made at off-design operating points. The results of these comparisons showed the importance of an accurate clearance model for efficiency predictions and also that there are deficiencies in the incidence loss model used