Abstract
The present paper deals with the effect of the surface roughness on the performance of centrifugal compressors and the applicability of the Computational Fluid Dynamics ( CFD) for the purpose of the quantitatively accurate prediction of the performance deterioration due to the surface roughness. A series of performance testing was conducted on the centrifugal compressor stages, whose wetted surfaces are intentionally roughened by shot-peening surface treatment. Corresponding CFD analyses were conducted. In these analyses the intensity and extent of the surface roughness were appropriately modeled based on the observations and measurements of the surface characteristics. Based on the above analyses and comparisons with experimental data, following conclusions were obtained. Reasonable quantitative agreements between experimental data and CFD analyses were obtained on centrifugal compressor stages. CFD analyses with wall roughness can be used to estimate the detrimental effect of the surface roughness.
