Development Of A Centrifugal Compressor Facility For Performance And Aeromechanics Research

This paper details the development of a Single Stage Centrifugal Compressor (SSCC) research facility at Purdue University in collaboration with Honeywell. The research vehicle is a Honeywell experimental compressor that has been specifically outfitted with a variety of instrumentation for research purposes. Both steady-state and fast-response instrumentation will be used to provide benchmark experimental data for performance and aeromechanics tool development and validation. Some unique facility aspects include real-time clearance control, active bleed flow management, fast-response pressure sensors embedded in the impeller, and a full circumferential traverse at the compressor inlet to facilitate inlet distortion quantification. The details of the facility and baseline results are presented.