Abstract
The objective of this study is to reveal the effects of the passage vortex on the loss generation within a centrifugal impeller by numerically analyzing the flow within the rotating curved duct which is considered to be a simplified model for centrifugal impeller channels. In a centrifugal impeller, the behavior of passage vortex is strongly influenced by the centrifugal force caused by the curvature of the impeller passage and the Coriolis force induced by the rotation. Therefore, the Rossby number, which is defined as the ratio of the former force to the latter, is chosen as the major parameter in the present study. The computations were carried out for the constant Rossby number and for the constant peripheral speed at the exit of bend by adjusting the radius of curvature of the bend and the rotational speed.
