Experimental and computational results from a large low-speed centrifugal impeller

An experimental and computational investigation of the NASA Low-Speed Centrifugal Compressor (LSCC) flow field was conducted using laser anemometry and Dawes' 3D viscous code. The experimental configuration consists of a back-swept impeller followed by a vaneless diffuser. Measurements of the three-dimensional velocity field were acquired at several measurement planes through the compressor. The measurements describe both the throughflow and secondary velocity field along each measurement plane and, in several cases, provide details of the flow within the blade boundary layers. The experimental and computational results provide a clear understanding of the development of the throughflow momentum wake which is characteristic of centrifugal compressors.