Flow through diffusers in general is of great importance in many engineering applications. The
flow in an asymmetric diffuser has been studied experimentally and numerically. The diffuser has
an opening angle of 8 Deg., area ratio of 4.7, and an inlet aspect ratio of 4. Measurements are carried
out to determine the diffuser performance with fully developed turbulent flow and wake flow at
entry to the diffuser. The experimental results showed significant changes in the velocity profiles
and in particular with wake flow inlet condition. Such wake flow leads to deteriorate the diffuser
pressure recovery coefficient and an increase in the total pressure loss coefficient.
Computation of the turbulent flow through the diffuser has been carried out with ANSYS code using
k-ε turbulence model. It is found that the used model is not capable to accurately capture the flow
behavior very close to the walls. |
