Tip Clearance Effect of Low Mass Flow Rate High Specific Speed Centrifugal Impeller

저유량 고비속도 원심압축기 임펠러에서의 팁간극에 따른 효과

In this paper, the design of Centrifugal Compressor which is used in sizes 50 horse power has 8 pressure ratio and numerical analysis of the flow within compressor varying tip clearance length are performed. To get high pressure ratio with low power the exit height of impellers is low but compressor has very high speed of revolution. So compressor has high specific speed although mass flow rate is very small. The shape of impellers at the first stage is carried out. Flow and performance characteristics of impellers has been analyzed by using a commercial CFD program, $Fine^{TM}$/turbo. The result shows that loss coefficient is affected by tip clearance length and compressor has proper tip clearance length. It is possible to decrease loss by selecting apt tip clearance length.