Visualization of Flow inside a Regenerative Turbomachinery

In this study, we visualized the internal flow of a regenerative turbomachinery using the direct injection tracer method. For visualization, the working fluid was water and the tracer was oil colors (marbling colors). Droplets were injected at the inlet of the machinery and the streak were recorded using a high-speed camera with high-power light sources. While circulating inside the groove, the droplets were translated by the rotational motion of the impeller. When the droplets flow out of the impeller groove, relative to the impeller, they moved more slowly. And the droplets repeatedly reentered into the groove and circulated again. Then the droplets either flowed to the outlet or to the stripper. As a result, this experiment has confirmed the internal circulating flow of a regenerative turbomachinery.