IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v347y2026ics0360544226005633.html

Influence of inlet distortion on stall inception in supercritical CO2 compressor

Author

Listed:
  • Yuan, Wei
  • Lu, Xiangwu
  • Feng, Xueheng
  • Zhang, Qian
  • Zhang, Lei

Abstract

This study utilizes full-annulus unsteady numerical simulations to investigate the impact of inlet total temperature distortion and total pressure distortion on the performance and internal flow characteristics of a 315 kW supercritical carbon dioxide centrifugal compressor. The results demonstrate a significant performance degradation under distorted inlet conditions. At the design mass flow rate, total temperature distortion and total pressure distortion reduce the total pressure ratio by 1.9% and 0.8%, and decrease the isentropic efficiency by 2.2% and 1.4%, respectively. A severe efficiency drop of 11.1% was observed for the total temperature distortion case at a high mass flow rate. The pressure wave propagates faster than the temperature wave, revealing a significant coupling effect between temperature and pressure. The loss distribution is asymmetric: under total pressure distortion, losses are primarily concentrated in the tip leakage region, whereas total temperature distortion induces significant losses due to hub-side friction and flow separation. Furthermore,1 compared to total pressure distortion, total temperature distortion increases the mixing loss in the vaneless diffuser by 25% and triggers an earlier onset of impeller stall, thereby altering the stall evolution path. This research elucidates the underlying flow loss mechanisms and stall behavior in a supercritical carbon dioxide compressor under inlet distortion, providing a theoretical basis for enhancing its operational stability and optimizing performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuan, Wei & Lu, Xiangwu & Feng, Xueheng & Zhang, Qian & Zhang, Lei, 2026. "Influence of inlet distortion on stall inception in supercritical CO2 compressor," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 347(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:347:y:2026:i:c:s0360544226005633
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2026.140460
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544226005633
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2026.140460?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vu, Hoang Nghia & Truong Le Tri, Dat & Nguyen, Huu Linh & Kim, Younghyeon & Yu, Sangseok, 2023. "Multifunctional bypass valve for water management and surge protection in a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell supply-air system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    2. Olympios, Andreas V. & Song, Jian & Ziolkowski, Aleksander & Shanmugam, Vethalingam S. & Markides, Christos N., 2024. "Data-driven compressor performance maps and cost correlations for small-scale heat-pumping applications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 291(C).
    3. Li, Zhaohua & Ji, Zhongfu & Yan, Zhe & Hu, Binbin & Liu, Tao & Chen, Xinwen & Liang, Kun, 2025. "Efficiency analysis of a R290 heat pump system using linear compressor with different piston offset control methods," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 330(C).
    4. Qiang, Xiaoqing & Lu, Yao & Li, Jian, 2024. "Bleed air CFD modelling in aerodynamic simulation of A heavy duty gas turbine compressor," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 299(C).
    5. De Bellis, Vincenzo & Bontempo, Rodolfo, 2018. "Development and validation of a 1D model for turbocharger compressors under deep-surge operation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 507-517.
    6. Safiyullah, F. & Sulaiman, S.A. & Naz, M.Y. & Jasmani, M.S. & Ghazali, S.M.A., 2018. "Prediction on performance degradation and maintenance of centrifugal gas compressors using genetic programming," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 485-494.
    7. Zhiping Li & Xingyu Zhu & Zhaoqi Yan & Tianyu Pan, 2022. "Numerical Investigation on the Performance of a Transonic Axial Compressor with Inlet Distortion and Low Reynolds Number," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-21, May.
    8. Liu, Yunxia & Zhao, Yuanyang & Yang, Qichao & Liu, Guangbin & Li, Liansheng, 2024. "Research on compression process and compressors in supercritical carbon dioxide power cycle systems: A review," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).
    9. Li, Chengzhan & Sun, Jian & Zou, Huiming & Cai, Jinghui & Zhu, Tingting, 2023. "Characteristic analysis and energy efficiency of an oil-free dual-piston linear compressor for household refrigeration with various conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kapela, Natalia & Jójka, Joanna, 2025. "Numerical study of the efficiency of an axial compressor rotor operating at low Reynolds numbers," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 335(C).
    2. Khan, Muhammad Salman & Bin, Guo & Rong, Junhao & Imran, Muhammad & Xiaosong, Fan & Hussian, Muhammad Talib & Yuntao, Song, 2026. "A comprehensive review of primary heat transfer and energy conversion systems in fusion power plants," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 344(C).
    3. Chen, Yu-Zhi & Tsoutsanis, Elias & Xiang, Heng-Chao & Li, Yi-Guang & Zhao, Jun-Jie, 2022. "A dynamic performance diagnostic method applied to hydrogen powered aero engines operating under transient conditions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 317(C).
    4. Shi, Ting & Wang, Huaiyu & Yang, Wenming & Peng, Xueyuan, 2024. "Mathematical modeling and optimization of gas foil bearings-rotor system in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 290(C).
    5. Aunedi, Marko & Olympios, Andreas V. & Pantaleo, Antonio M. & Mersch, Matthias & Markides, Christos N., 2025. "System-level techno-economic comparison of residential low-carbon heating and cooling solutions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 317(C).
    6. Cholewa, Tomasz & Bejan, Andrei-Stelian & Miara, Marek & Schauer, Christian & Kosonen, Risto & Borodiņecs, Anatolijs & Bogdanovičs, Raimonds & Amanowicz, Łukasz & Vering, Christian & Siuta-Olcha, Alic, 2025. "Critical discussion on the challenges of integrating heat pumps in hydronic systems in existing buildings," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 326(C).
    7. Vu, Hoang Nghia & Truong Le Tri, Dat & Nguyen, Huu Linh & Kim, Younghyeon & Yu, Sangseok, 2023. "Multifunctional bypass valve for water management and surge protection in a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell supply-air system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    8. Hoang Nghia Vu & Dinh Hoang Trinh & Dat Truong Le Tri & Sangseok Yu, 2023. "Bypass Configurations of Membrane Humidifiers for Water Management in PEM Fuel Cells," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-17, October.
    9. Park, Yeseul & Choi, Minsung & Choi, Gyungmin, 2022. "Fault detection of industrial large-scale gas turbine for fuel distribution characteristics in start-up procedure using artificial neural network method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 251(C).
    10. Le, Sy Vong & Tran, Dang Quoc & Woo, Jongbin & Yu, Sangseok, 2026. "A high-fidelity simulation platform for performance analysis of light-duty fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 256(PG).
    11. Mersch, Matthias & Sapin, Paul & Corbett, Hannah C. & Utting, Macey & Mac Dowell, Niall & Markides, Christos N., 2025. "Household and whole-system assessments of distributed heat pump deployment for domestic heat decarbonisation in the UK," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 330(C).
    12. Qiu, Xiang & Hua, Jingyang & Qian, Chenyi & Wang, Jiaxuan & Xuan, Weicheng & Li, Siying & Shi, Junye & Chen, Jiangping & Yu, Binbin, 2025. "Experimental study of a small-scale refrigeration system with high efficiency by ultra-fast centrifugal compressor," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 336(C).
    13. Liu, Hui & Liu, Wenbiao & Wu, Yanfeng & Du, Zhe & Xue, Tingting & Manesh, Afshin Mohammadi & Xu, Jun & Jiang, Tao, 2025. "ANN-assisted optimization of a solar-to-X system for green hydrogen production, CO2 capture, and methanol-based energy storage," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    14. Dong, Zhe & Liu, Miao & Guo, Zhiwu & Huang, Xiaojin & Zhang, Yajun & Zhang, Zuoyi, 2019. "Adaptive state-observer for monitoring flexible nuclear reactors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 893-909.
    15. Li, Yanpeng & Liu, Yishuang & Li, Zengqun & Wang, Chuang & Xing, Ziwen & Ren, Dawei & Zhu, Yili, 2024. "Semi-empirical model of the twin-screw refrigeration compressor with capacity control devices," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    16. Li, Haozhe & Song, Meiqi & Liu, Xiaojing, 2024. "Interpretable machine learning-based prediction and analysis of supercritical fluid heat transfer characteristics at different boundary conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 308(C).
    17. Zhou, Xia & Zhang, Hanwei & Fang, Song & Rong, Yangyiming & Xu, Zhuoren & Jiang, Hanying & Wang, Kai & Zhi, Xiaoqin & Qiu, Limin, 2022. "Off-design performance analysis with various operation methods for ORC-based compression heat recovery system in cryogenic air separation units," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(PB).
    18. Carlo Cravero & Davide Marsano, 2024. "Instability Phenomena in Centrifugal Compressors and Strategies to Extend the Operating Range: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-27, February.
    19. Li, Zhaohua & Ji, Zhongfu & Yan, Zhe & Hu, Binbin & Liu, Tao & Chen, Xinwen & Liang, Kun, 2025. "Efficiency analysis of a R290 heat pump system using linear compressor with different piston offset control methods," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 330(C).
    20. Yang, Chendi & Mu, Lin & Pu, Hang & Cui, Zhexin & Shang, Yan & Bao, Junjiang & Dong, Ming, 2026. "Optimal design of heat exchange configuration for the supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle applied to gas turbine waste heat recovery," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 347(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:347:y:2026:i:c:s0360544226005633. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.