Influence of Tip Clearance on Centrifugal Compressor IGV Regulation and Improvement

In order to avoid collision with the end wall of the casing when the guide vane rotates around its own rotating axis in a centrifugal compressor, a circular gap will be left at the top of guide vane. Part of the gas flow through the clearance cannot be effectively regulated, and the tip clearance leakage vortex is formed, which has an impact on the mainstream and makes the compressor performance decline. In order to solve this problem, in this paper, three improved schemes of guide vane channel structure, including rectangular channel, cambered channel, and globular channel, were put forward, which can effectively improve the regulation ability of guide vane. Comparing these three improved channels with the original one, the stable operating range of the compressor was enlarged; the power consumption of the compressor was reduced and the efficiency of the compressor was improved. By comprehensive comparison, the cambered channel has better performance and is easier to process, which has potential to be widely used in practice.