Abstract
In this study, the effects of the variation in the logarithmic spiral angle of the curved diffuser profile and the existence of a guide vane in the curved diffuser on the flow pattern are clarified by the flow visualization using the dye-streak method and the condensed-milk method colored by green dyes, and their results are compared with the numerical solutions obtained by the finite element method.
As the results of this study, it was found that the separation point in the flow pattern obtained from the flow visualization using condensed-milk method agreed comparatively with numerical results, and the performance of the curved diffuser was affected considerably by the logarithmic spiral angle and the existence of a guide vane, especially, the flow pattern indicated the most desirable result, when the spiral angle β was 22.5°.
