Experimental investigation and characterization of the rotating stall in a high pressure centrifugal compressor. Part IV: Impeller influence on diffuser stability

Vaneless diffuser rotating stall is a major problem for centrifugal compressors since it is a limit to their working range. In particular the last stage seems to be the most critical. In the literature some good correlations for predicting stall inception can be found but they do not adequately cover the case of the last stage configuration, especially for very low blade-outlet-width-to-impeller-radius-ratio impellers typically used in high-pressure applications. Extensive research has been performed to define diffuser stall limits for this family of stages: three impellers characterized by different blade-outlet-width-to-impeller-radius-ratios are tested with different diffuser configurations (different pinch shapes, diffuser widths and diffusion ratios). Part I and II report the results of these geometry modifications on diffuser stability for the first impeller. Part III, those for the second impeller. In this part the comparison of these results in terms of impeller influence on diffuser stability is reported.