Conjugate Heat Transfer Modelling in a Centrifugal Compressor for Automotive Applications

Carlo Cravero, Pierre-Alain Hoffer, Davide Marsano (), Daniele Mattiello and Luigi Mosciaro
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Carlo Cravero: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica, Energetica, Gestionale e dei Trasporti (DIME), Università degli Studi di Genova, Via Montallegro 1, 16145 Genoa, Italy
Pierre-Alain Hoffer: Ferrari SpA, Via Abetone Inferiore 4, 41053 Maranello, MO, Italy
Davide Marsano: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica, Energetica, Gestionale e dei Trasporti (DIME), Università degli Studi di Genova, Via Montallegro 1, 16145 Genoa, Italy
Daniele Mattiello: Ferrari SpA, Via Abetone Inferiore 4, 41053 Maranello, MO, Italy
Luigi Mosciaro: Ferrari SpA, Via Abetone Inferiore 4, 41053 Maranello, MO, Italy

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-22

Abstract: In the automotive industry, the increasing stringent standards to reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions has driven significant advancements in turbocharging systems. The centrifugal compressor, as the most widely used power-absorbing machinery, plays a crucial role but remains one of the most complex components to study and design. While most numerical studies rely on adiabatic models, this work analyses several Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models with conjugate heat transfer (CHT) of varying complexity, incorporating real solid components. This approach allowed a sensitivity analysis of the performance obtained from the different models compared to the adiabatic case, highlighting the effects of internal heat exchange losses. Moreover, an analysis of the temperature distribution of the wheel was conducted, along with a thermal assessment of the various heat flux contributions across the different components, to gain a deeper understanding of the performance differences. The impact of including the seal plate has been evaluated and different boundary conditions on the seal plate have been tested to assess the uncertainty in the results. Finally, the influence of heat exchange between the shroud and the external environment is also examined to further refine the model’s accuracy. One of the objectives of this work is to obtain a correct temperature profile of the rotor for a subsequent thermo-mechanical analysis.

Keywords: CFD; centrifugal compressor; CHT (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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