ACADEMIA Letters

Simulation-based Design Optimization of Centrifugal

Compressor, Using Computational Fluid Dynamics
Methods
Mohammad Omidi
Soheil Mohtaram
Ali Omidi

It has always been important to study the development and improvement of turbomachines’
design, owing to their numerous uses and high energy consumption. Accordingly, optimizing
turbomachine performance is crucial for sustainable development. The design of impellers
significantly affects the performance of centrifugal compressors [1,2].
The impeller is the most important part of a turbomachine, as it plays a critical role in
fluid processing, and it has therefore constantly been redesigned, optimized, and restudied
over time. However, centrifugal impellers have many limitations that still need to be improved
upon with redesign. Blades on the compressor impeller have always had the most significant
impact on the efficiency and performance of these machine parts.
Splitter blades [3,4] are usually designed just like the main blades. Adding the splitter
to the compressor impeller induces less dispersion in the flow, thereby reducing rotation and
turbulence losses 3. Nevertheless, the blade design anyhow can enhance the compressor’s
stability so that it does not enter the surge area at various discharges. S.A Mousavi and M.
Mojaddam [5–10] utilized several different computational fluid dynamic methods and algo-
rithms to optimize various models of impeller designs applied on the GT4082. The results
show a notable increase in the pressure ratio, efficiency, and extension of the surge point. This
study examines the location of the leading edge of a centrifugal compressor and modifies it
in the hub and shroud, and then examines the outcome of this limitation on the compressor
performance and flow field. The blade design in the impeller has several methods, moreover

Academia Letters, April 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Mohammad Omidi, insp.omidi@yahoo.com

Citation: Omidi, M., Mohtaram, S., Omidi, A. (2021). Simulation-based Design Optimization of Centrifugal
Compressor, Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Methods. Academia Letters, Article 767.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL767.
1
2D or 3D.
We considered using optimization tools to achieve the design objective. Specifically, two
general categories of optimization were considered: iterative methods and non-iterative meth-
ods, which in the latter case faced a large set of data, arranged by objective and weighting
functions. However, iterative methods provided more filtering, which is suitable for when a
large number of variables are available. The genetic algorithm method is one such method.
Using this method, it is possible to identify local and global optimum points by consider-
ing multiple goals with the appropriate resolution. Figure 1 shows velocity contour for volute.
Optimization begins with current blades of a compressor and repeatedly alters the impeller
and checks the performance to achieve a better design. A code was therefore developed and
an automatic process was designed.

Figure 1. Velocity Contour around compressor volute.

Variations in blade profiles should be expressed as multiple interpolations, which can be

modified by changing control points used by this optimization method. To create these inter-
polations, a 3D model of the impeller was developed in which the impeller was divided into
separate parts, and each part was broken into points and estimated with an appropriate inter-
polation. The difficulty of grid generation is that it must suit different designs of compressors
and impellers with different geometries, which need special treatment.

Academia Letters, April 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Mohammad Omidi, insp.omidi@yahoo.com

Citation: Omidi, M., Mohtaram, S., Omidi, A. (2021). Simulation-based Design Optimization of Centrifugal
Compressor, Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Methods. Academia Letters, Article 767.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL767.
2
 The BEP of the base compressor makes up the operating conditions for this simulation,
and the comparisons are therefore valid for this point.
The design loop for the impeller forming the optimization method based on GA analyzes
the parameters of flow field, including pressure ratio, efficiency and Y+, as the inputs into the
optimization code, to create new designs.
GA seeks to minimize or maximize the objective function as a combination of perfor-
mance parameters of the compressor, including pressure ratio and efficiency. The weight of
each parameter in this function depends on the design objectives. Given that pressure ratio
can be increased using simpler methods such as increasing the compressor diameter compared
to efficiency improvement methods, maximizing efficiency is more emphasized in literature
when optimizing centrifugal compressors. Only one or a number of operating points can be
considered in optimizations. Although the second method cited is not very popular, it im-
proves the performance of a compressor compared to the base design in the whole range of
operation conditions rather than in a single operating point. Equation (1) shows the mass flow
averaged efficiency:

While the pressure ratio, of the optimal design dropped by about 0.02%, which is negli-
gible compared to the enhancement of efficiency. The pressure ratio of the compressor can
therefore be assumed to remain constant while efficiency was improved to a relatively favor-
able value.
The flow field in the hub and shroud was investigated to find the reason for the increase
in efficiency. The Y+ on the walls was not allowed to exceed 30 to maintain the numerical
accuracy of the boundary layer flow in the simulation of this part.
According to Figure 3, a minor shift is observed in the hub in the beginning of the blades,
followed by changes in the flow field compared to the base design. Although the flow path
is smooth enough in the compressor inlet, it does not follow the blades but separates from
them in the middle due to the hub profile and the Coriolis forces. At this point, splitter blades
face a flow with a negative and large incident angle followed by a decrease in efficiency of the

Academia Letters, April 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Mohammad Omidi, insp.omidi@yahoo.com

Citation: Omidi, M., Mohtaram, S., Omidi, A. (2021). Simulation-based Design Optimization of Centrifugal
Compressor, Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Methods. Academia Letters, Article 767.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL767.
3
compressor, suggesting the major effect of this part on efficiency. This issue was resolved in
the second impeller by shortening the blade in the optimal design and lowering the efficiency
drop by preventing the flow from sharply encountering the blade.
Figure 2. 2D Streamlines around impeller at shroud.
Figure 3 shows the optimization method flowchart involves an iterative process, and the
optimization algorithm includes several steps as follows:

Figure 3. Optimization flowchart

In general, the decrease in the total length of the blades causes an efficiency improvement
by reducing energy waste, while reducing the area associated with the blades and therefore
reducing both the energy transfer from the blade to the flow and the pressure ratio. Simulation
results suggest the simultaneous presence of both these effects, i.e., increasing efficiency is
accompanied by a minor drop in the pressure ratio.

Academia Letters, April 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Mohammad Omidi, insp.omidi@yahoo.com

Citation: Omidi, M., Mohtaram, S., Omidi, A. (2021). Simulation-based Design Optimization of Centrifugal
Compressor, Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Methods. Academia Letters, Article 767.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL767.
4
 Figure 4 shows that the maximum Mach numbers emerge near the shroud section where
choke initiates. In this section, a shock wave starting between two blades restricts the mass
flow.

Figure 4. Mach number near the blades of the optimal impeller. (left: Shroud, center:
Midspan and right: Hub).

Figure 5 shows high turbulence and disturbed flow fields in the shrouds of optimal design
and inconsistent flow paths from the inlet to the outlet. Given the low mass flow and momen-
tum, the fixed walls of the volute significantly affect the flow. The flow field shows that the
mass flow cannot exit properly, which causes blockage and instability.

Figure 5. Streamlines around blades for optimal. (left: Shroud, center: Midspan and right:
Hub).

The present article proposed a novel approach for optimizing the impellers of centrifugal

Academia Letters, April 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Mohammad Omidi, insp.omidi@yahoo.com

Citation: Omidi, M., Mohtaram, S., Omidi, A. (2021). Simulation-based Design Optimization of Centrifugal
Compressor, Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Methods. Academia Letters, Article 767.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL767.
5
compressors by creating and simulating different variations of the base compressor using a hy-
brid method comprising GA and a simulation package and defining an objective function and
the variables. GA was used to develop a new compressor design by optimizing the objective
function. GA, as the core of this method, was used to optimize the impeller’s geometry. GA
produces different generations of impellers and suggests different designs by simulating the
flow using a commercial code and evaluating the performance parameters and creating gener-
ations with better performance. The optimization process began by selecting a turbocharger
compressor and ended with developing a new optimal impeller design in which the pressure
ratio remained constant as that of the base design and the efficiency was improved by 2%,
while the stability of the compressor improved against surge by approximately 7%.

Academia Letters, April 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Mohammad Omidi, insp.omidi@yahoo.com

Citation: Omidi, M., Mohtaram, S., Omidi, A. (2021). Simulation-based Design Optimization of Centrifugal
Compressor, Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Methods. Academia Letters, Article 767.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL767.
6
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Academia Letters, April 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Mohammad Omidi, insp.omidi@yahoo.com

Citation: Omidi, M., Mohtaram, S., Omidi, A. (2021). Simulation-based Design Optimization of Centrifugal
Compressor, Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Methods. Academia Letters, Article 767.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL767.
7