Multiblock parallel computation of an incompressible 3D flow in turbomachines

A finite volume numerical method for the prediction of a fluid flow in complex geometries such as turbomachinery channels has been parallelized using a domain decomposition approach. A mathematical formulation of a 3-D incompressible steady flow has been presented on the basis of the N-S equations in a grid-oriented co-ordinate system with contravariant velocity components. A parallelized pressure-based implicit algorithm with discretization on a staggered grid has been developed. A message exchange system with a boundary exchange, developed by the authors, has been described. Exemplary calculations have been carried out for a laminar flow through a curved duct and for an inviscid flow through a stage of the centrifugal pump. A good agreement has been obtained in both the cases. Despite considerable simplification that has been introduced in the flow through the pump stage, the computations have shown nearly the same pressure rise in the stage as the measurements. Further directions of numerical investigations of a flow through turbomachines, including in particular those devoted to pressure losses related to the rotor-stator interaction, have been mentioned.