CONSEIL INTERNATIONAL

DES MACHINES A COMBUSTION

INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL
ON COMBUSTION ENGINES
PAPER NO.: 59
Design Optimization of Turbocharger Compressor
for High Pressure Turbocharged Diesel Engine
Seiichi Ibaraki, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. , Japan
seiichi ibaraki@mhi.co.jp
Tetsuya Matsuo, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Japan
Keiichi Shiraishi, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Japan
Koichiro Imakiire, MHI Marine Engineering, Ltd., Japan
Abstract: In recent years, diesel engines having
clean emissions and low fuel consumption have been
newly developed worldwide for the purpose of envi-
ronmental protection and energy conservation. Tur-
bochargers are playing an important role in these
modern diesel engines in terms of improving perfor-
mance, and the specic output power of these engines
has increased with smaller engine size. High boost is
therefore an essential requirement on the part of en-
gine manufacturers, and turbochargers must now re-
alize higher pressure ratios than ever before.
This paper describes the optimization of the com-
pressor performance for high pressure turbocharged
diesel engines. The objective is to develop optimized
compressors that realize a wider operating range, high
efciency and relatively robust performance with re-
spect to changes in engine operating conditions in
the high pressure region. At the same time, opti-
mized compressors must maintain high performance
and sufcient surge margin at low engine loads.
In the study reported here, the authors developed a
new compressor impeller having relatively large back-
ward swept blades and examined its performance.
This newly developed compressor achieved a wider
operating range at high loads and good characteristics
at low loads. This compressor design has been ap-
plied in the Mitsubishi MET42SH turbocharger for the
Mitsubishi 18KU30B high power diesel engine, and is
operating successfully.
c CIMAC Congress 2004, Kyoto
CIMAC Congress 2004, Kyoto Paper No. 59 2

INTRODUCTION
Given global environmental and energy
conservation concerns, the latest diesel engines
feature cleaner emissions and reduced fuel
consumption, as well as engine downsizing in
conjunction with greater unit output. Accordingly,
higher turbocharger pressure ratios are being
demanded than ever before. Issues posed by such
high pressure turbochargers include high efficiency
and expansion of the operating range, together with
the achievement of reliability at higher RPM.
In order to realize a high pressure ratio for the
turbocharger, the peripheral speed of the impeller in
the compressor must be increased. With increased
peripheral speed, however, the inlet flow exceeds
the speed of sound on a localized basis, becoming
a transonic flow. The compressor is thus
categorized as being transonic. With transonic
centrifugal compressors, the relative mach number
at the inlet increases, and it has been reported that
efficiency dramatically declines.
[1]
The cause of this
phenomenon is considered to be that the shock
wave originating at the inducer interacts the leakage
vortex from the blade tip clearance and the
boundary layer on the blade surface, thus resulting
in increased loss.
In order to improve the aerodynamic performance
of high pressure ratio compressors, the authors of
the current study have sought to grasp the details of
the inner flow phenomena through LDV
measurement of transonic compressor impellers,
and have elucidated the structure and loss
generation mechanism corresponding to the
complex three-dimensional flows inside the
impeller.
[2],[3]

In addition to higher efficiency, another important
issue for high pressure ratio compressors is
expanded operating range. Because the relative
mach number at the inlet is high, the operating
range necessarily tends to become narrower. Also,
in the high pressure ratio region, because the flow
volume does not increase to the extent of the higher
peripheral speed of the impeller, the matching
between the engine and the turbocharger becomes
more difficult. The variation in compressor
efficiency becomes greater with changes in the
engine operating point, and satisfactory engine
performance cannot always be obtained at high
output. Further, performance in the low pressure
ratio region tends to decline as greater performance
is achieved in the high pressure region, thus
causing deterioration in terms of surging
characteristics.
In light of these factors, the authors of the current
study have conducted research on the optimization
of the aerodynamic performance of high pressure
ratio compressors, with the aim of obtaining
compressor characteristics that correspond to ease
of use in the high pressure region of highly
turbocharged diesel engines. In order to expand
the operating range in the high pressure region, the
authors have developed a new concept for the
impeller, involving a relatively large backward angle,
and this has been subjected to verification testing.
As a result, it has been found that the new impeller
offers a substantially expanded operating range in
the high pressure region, as well as achieving
greater efficiency. Also, compressor performance
at low engine speed has been improved, together
with surging characteristics, through modification of
the leading edge of the impeller. The new impeller
developed in the course of this research has been
adopted in the Mitsubishi MET42SH turbocharger
for the Mitsubishi 18KU30B high output diesel
engine, and is operating successfully.
COMPRESSOR AERODYNAMIC DESIGN
Figure 1 shows a conventional impeller and the
newly developed high pressure ratio impeller. The
backward swept angle in the new impeller has been
increased so as to expand the operating range and
to achieve greater efficiency in the high pressure
region. While the backward swept angle in the
conventional impeller is 25 degrees, that in the new
impeller is 40 degrees. Generally, an increased
backward swept angle necessitates increased
peripheral speed of the impeller. However, the new
impeller features 15 full blades and 15 splitter
blades, compared to 11 each for the conventional
impeller, thus holding the increase in peripheral
speed as low as possible.
It must also be considered that the relative mach
number of the inlet flow increases with a higher
pressure ratio, meaning that the inlet condition
becomes transonic. Given a transonic flow, a
shock wave is produced at the impeller inlet, and
this is known to result in higher loss.
[1]
In order to
reduce this loss, the turning angle of the inducer
has been made smaller in the new impeller, serving
to limit increased flow velocity in the inducer. The
mach number is accordingly reduced, leading to
greater efficiency. Compared to the conventional
impeller, the tip inlet angle and inlet diameter of the
leading edge tips are about the same for the new
impeller. The blade curves and meridional geometry
of the full blades and splitter blades have been
optimized based on flow analysis, as is discussed
below, from the standpoints of performance in the
CIMAC Congress 2004, Kyoto Paper No. 59 3

high pressure ratio region and the amount of
increase in RPM.
Due to the increased numbers of blades, the blade
loading of the impeller is reduced by approx. 40%,
thus contributing to higher efficiency. Also, the
camber shape of the splitter blades is different from
that of the full blades in the new impeller, while
these were the same in the conventional impeller.
This enables reduced the incidence loss at the
splitter blade inlet, and the uniform blade loading on
the splitter and full blades promotes greater
efficiency.
Figure 2 illustrates the relationship between the
backward swept angle, the number of blades and
impeller peripheral speed. Assuming compressor
efficiency to be constant, the impeller peripheral
speed required to achieve a pressure ratio of 4.5
was calculated, and the influence of the impeller
backward swept angle and the number of blades on
peripheral speed was considered. Generally,
because a greater backward swept angle results in
less work performed on the fluid by the impeller, it is
necessary to increase the impeller peripheral speed
in order to obtain the same pressure ratio. Figure 2
shows that, with a conventional impeller, when the
backward angle of 25 degrees is increased to 40
degrees, a rise in peripheral speed of approx. 6% is
required to achieve the same pressure ratio. Given
the greater number of blades in the new impeller
(15+15, as opposed to 11+11), flow slip at the
impeller outlet is reduced, such that the increase in
peripheral speed can be held to about 5%. In
addition to the increased numbers of blades,
improvements were also made in the meridional
geometry of the new impeller, the blade curve, and
the diffuser, thus helping to limit the increase in
RPM and to raise efficiency.
Figure 3 presents the new impeller, while Figure 4
shows the results of three-dimensional viscous
analysis of the conventional impeller. The three-
dimensional viscous analysis used the Dawes
code
[4]
as incorporated by the Baldwin-Lomax
turbulence model.
[5]
The calculation conditions
were the same for both the new and conventional
impellers, with impeller peripheral speed of 500m/s,
flow at peak efficiency, and a compressor pressure
ratio equivalent to approx. 4.3 at that point. The
conputational grid numbers used in the analysis
consisted of 42 nodes in the pitchwise direction,
135 nodes in the streamwise direction, 27 nodes in
the direction of blade height, and 5 nodes in the
blade tip clearance.
From the relative mach number in the vicinity of the
shroud, as indicated in Figure 3(a), the relative
mach number at the inlet of the new impeller is
approx. 1.2, and the flow is transonic. From Figure
3(b), it can be seen that the flow velocity is greater
in the vicinity of the suction surface in the inducer
immediately following the leading edge of the
impeller, such that over 70% of the blade height is
in the transonic region. Figure 3(c) shows the
entropy distribution. Entropy generation is
comparatively low due to improvements in blade
shape such as decrease of the turning angle in the
inducer, and satisfactory flow is realized. Although
a region of large localized loss is seen in the vicinity
of the tips at the center of the blade pitch, this is
considered to be caused by interference between
(a) New high pressure ratio impeller
(b) Conventional Impeller
Figure 1 Compressor Impeller
500
510
520
530
540
550
560
570
15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Backward swept angle (deg)
I
m
p
e
l
l
e
r

t
i
p

s
p
e
e
d

(
m
/
s
)
11 blades +11 blades
15 blades +15 blades
Figure 2 Relationship of impeller tip speed,
backward swept angle and blade number

CIMAC Congress 2004, Kyoto Paper No. 59 4

the shock wave and the leakage vortex from the
blade tip clearance.
From the results of flow analysis on the
conventional impeller as indicated in Figure 4, a
substantial low flow velocity region is formed for the
latter half of the blades, demonstrating increased
entropy. The reason for this is considered to be
that the numbers of blades are low and the blade
loading is high compared to the new impeller, such
that the low backward swept angle results in a large
secondary flow.
PERFORMANCE TEST RESULTS AND
DISCUSSION
The new impeller design was subjected to
performance testing, with an outer diameter of the
test impeller of 373mm. The compressor
performance characteristics demonstrated by the
performance test results were compared with the
conventional impeller, as shown in Figure 5.
Because the new impeller features a higher
pressure ratio, the speed was increased by approx.
6%, and an expanded operating range in the high
pressure region was achieved in comparison with
the conventional impeller.
Figure 6 shows a comparison with the conventional
impeller in terms of peak efficiency at various
speeds, and efficiency at the operating point
corresponding to a surging margin of 15%. The
peak efficiency indicated in Figure 6(a) is higher for
the new impeller at pressure ratios of 3.5 and above,
representing improvement of about 2% at a ratio of
4.0, and about 4% at a ratio of 4.5. Also, as
presented in Figure 6(b), because the operating
point corresponding to a 15% surging margin
approaches the choke limit of the conventional
impeller, efficiency declines rapidly at pressure
ratios of 3.8 and above. In contrast, the new

(a) Shroud Mach number distribution (b) Mach number distribution (c) Entropy distribution
M [-]
M [-]
S [J/(kg K)]
PS
SS
Rotation
Rotation Rotation
High velocity region
High velocity region
Low velocity region
Low velocity region
PS
SS
PS
SS
Large loss region
Figure 3 Flow analysis of the new impeller

(a) Shroud Mach number distribution (b) Mach number distribution (c) Entropy distribution
M [-]
M [-]
S [J/(kg K)]
PS
SS
Rotation
Rotation
Rotation
High velocity region
High velocity region
decreased
Low velocity region
Low velocity region
decreased
PS
SS
PS
SS
Loss decreased
Figure 4 Flow analysis of the conventional impeller
CIMAC Congress 2004, Kyoto Paper No. 59 5

impeller shows no reduction in efficiency even at a
pressure ratio of 4.5, delivering high efficiency in the
high pressure ration region. In fact, the new
impeller realizes the same efficiency at a pressure
ratio of 5.0 as the conventional impeller achieves at
4.0.
Figure 7 shows a comparison between the
conventional and new impellers in terms of
pressure ratio and impeller peripheral speed.
Despite the greater backward swept angle of the
new impeller, it operates at lower speeds than the
conventional impeller at pressure ratios of 3.9 and
higher. This is due to the higher efficiency of the
new impeller, as well as factors such as the
improved diffuser.
Figure 8 provides a comparison in terms of
operating range. The x-axis of the graph indicates
the pressure ratio at peak efficiency with respect to
RPM, while the y-axis indicates the non-dimenalized
operating range, the differential between the
maximum flow rate and surging flow rate divided by
the surging flow rate, also with respect to RPM.
The results show that the operating range of the
new impeller is greater for every pressure ratio
region in comparison with the conventional impeller.
The range is about 1.7 times greater at a pressure
ratio of 4.0, and about 3 times greater at a ratio of
4.5.
The remaining issue for high pressure ratio
impellers is the deterioration of efficiency and
surging characteristics in the low speed region, and
low speed performance improvement was
undertaken as discussed below.
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT IN THE
LOW SPEED REGION
Performance and surging characteristics tend to
deteriorate in the low speed region for high
pressure ratio compressors, and, in engine tests,
problems with noise and surging are known to occur.
Accordingly, casing treatment devices are
sometimes used. In the research reported here,
improvement in surging characteristics was
attempted by changing the shape of the leading
edge of the impeller. Because surging at low
speeds is caused by the stall of the impeller inducer,
the suction surface of the impeller leading edge was
(a) New high pressure ratio impeller (b) Conventional Impeller
Figure 5 Comparison of compressor characteristics.

0.53
0.62
0.67
0.72
0.77
0.81
0.86
0.91
0.96
N/N
0
=1.00
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5
Volume Flow Q0[m
3
/s]
T
o
t
a
l

P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

R
a
t
i
o
Conventional I mpeller
83%
84%
at) 298.15 K
70%
72%
74%
76%
78%
80%
82%

N/N
0
=1.06
1.03
0.99
0.96
0.93
0.87
0.82
0.77
0.73
0.65
0.51
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5
Volume Flow Q0[m
3
/s]
T
o
t
a
l

P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

R
a
t
i
o
83%
84%
New I mpeller
at) 298.15 K
70%
72%
74%
76%
78%
80%
82%

CIMAC Congress 2004, Kyoto Paper No. 59 6

modified as illustrated in Figure 9, and the influence
on surging characteristics was assessed.
As indicated in Figure 9, the radius of the rounded
blade leading edge was shortened, only the suction
surface in the immediate vicinity of the leading edge
was adjusted. Naturally, this resulted in reduced
thickness of the blade at the leading edge in
comparison with the original shape, but this was
undertaken within a range that did not affect blade
strength. Care was also taken not to change the
impeller throat width, such that matching between
the impeller and diffuser did not differ substantially.
Figure 10 presents the pressure ratio - flow rate
characteristics in the low pressure ratio region as
obtained from the performance test results. The
performance testing in this case was conducted
using an impeller that was developed prior to the
high pressure ratio impeller reported above. It can
be seen from Figure 10 that, compared to the blade
shape prior to improvement, the pressure ratio in
the surging vicinity was elevated, and the rightward
rising slope of the pressure ratio - flow rate
characteristic curve became steeper, demonstrating
improved surge characteristics. Figure 11 shows a
comparison of compressor efficiency before and
after the blade shape improvement. Good results
were obtained, in that efficiency rose by about
1~2% in the surging vicinity for each of the speeds
considered.
Based on these results, this concept was applied to
the new high pressure ratio impeller reported above,
and surging characteristics were improved.
CONCLUSIONS
The authors of the current study have conducted
research on the optimization of the aerodynamic
performance of high pressure ratio compressors,
with the aim of obtaining compressor characteristics
that correspond to ease of use in the high pressure
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5
Pressure Ratio
C
o
m
p
r
e
s
s
o
r

e
f
f
ic
ie
n
c
y

(
%
)
New impeller
Conventional impeller
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5
Pressure Ratio
C
o
m
p
r
e
s
s
o
r

e
f
f
ic
ie
n
c
y

(
%
)
New impeller
Conventional impeller
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
550
600
1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5
Pressure Ratio
I
m
p
e
l
l
e
r

t
i
p

s
p
e
e
d

(
m
/
s)
New impeller
Conventional impeller
Figure 7 Comparison of impeller tip speed at
surging margin 15% flow rate
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5
Pressure Ratio
O
p
e
r
a
t
i
n
g

r
a
n
g
e


d
Q
/
Q
s
u
r
g
e
New impeller
Conventional impeller
Figure 8 Comparison of operating range
(a) Peak efficiency (b) Efficiency at surging margin 15% flow rate
Figure 6 Comparison of compressor efficiency
CIMAC Congress 2004, Kyoto Paper No. 59 7

region of highly turbocharged diesel engines.
Results were achieved as noted below.
1. Aerodynamic design was carried out for a
compressor having a wide operating range in the
high pressure region by enlarging of the
backward swept angle, decreasing the turning
angle of the inducer, and improving the splitter
blades, and a prototype was fabricated.
2. Performance test results demonstrated
improvement of approx. 2% at a pressure ratio of
4.0 and approx. 4% at a ratio of 4.5 in
comparison with the conventional impeller. The
operating range was shown to be about 1.7
times greater at a pressure ratio of 4.0 and about
3 times greater at a ratio of 4.5.
3. In order to realize superior performance and
surge characteristics at low speeds, the shape of
the suction surface of the blade leading edge
was improved, such that compressor efficiency
rose by 1~2%, and a positive effect was obtained
with respect to surge characteristics.
NOMENCLATURE
M = Mach Number
N = impeller rotational speed rpm
PS = pressure surface
Q = volume flow rate m
3
/sec
S = Entropy J/(kg K)
SS = suction surface

Figure 9 Modification of blade leading edge and
suction surface
Figure 10 Comparison of compressor
characteristics at low speed
B
A
C
B
A
C
1.4
1.6
1.8
2.0
2.2
2.4
0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6
Flow rate (m3/s)
P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

r
a
t
i
o
Modified impeller
Conventional impeller
N/N0=1.0
N/N0=0.87
(a) N/N0=0.87 (b)N/N0=1.0
Figure 11 Comparison of compressor efficiency at low speed
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3
Flow rate Q (m3/s)

C
o
m
p
r
e
s
s
o
r

e
f
f
i
c
i
e
n
c
y

(
%
)
Modified impeller
Conventional inpeller
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5
Flow rate Q (m3/s)

C
o
m
p
r
e
s
s
o
r

e
f
f
i
c
i
e
n
c
y

(
%
)
Modified impeller
Conventional inpeller

CIMAC Congress 2004, Kyoto Paper No. 59 8

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to express their sincere
appreciation to Mr. Sumida and Mr. Suita of the
Second Experiment Section of the Nagasaki
Research & Development Center of Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries, Ltd. for their assistance in
conducting the tests involved in the research
reported here.
REFERENCES
[1] RODGER, C., The Centrifugal Compressor
Inducer, ASME Paper No.98-GT-32, 1998.
[2] IBARAKI, S., HIGASHIMORI, H., MATSUO,
T., Flow Investigation of a Transonic Centrifugal
Compressor for Turbocharger, 23
rd
CIMAC
Hamburg, 2001.
[3] IBARAKI, S., MATSUO, T., KUMA, H., SUMIDA,
K., SUITA, T., Aerodynamics of a Transonic
Centrifugal Compressor Impeller, ASME J.
Turbomach., 125(2), pp. 346-351, 2003.
[4] DAWES, W. N., Application of a three-
dimensional viscous compressible flow solver to
a high-speed centrifugal compressor rotor
secondary flow and loss generation, IMechE
Paper No.C261/87, 1987.
[5] BALDWIN, B. and LOMAX, H. , Thin Layer
Approximation and Algebratic Model for
Separated Turbulent Flows, AIAA Paper No.78-
257, 1978.