Finding the optimal compressor impeller material to improve the efficiency of the turbocharging system

Vehicles powered by diesel engines are equipped with superchargers in order to improve the efficiency of vehicles. The efficiency of the turbochargers themselves partly depends on the optimum performance of their impellers, which in turn is achieved by choosing the right impeller materials. An important property of the material of the turbine wheel is heat resistance to the incoming exhaust gases, and for the compressor wheel it is the resistance to the pressure of the air simultaneously supplied to it and forced by it.

In this paper, the issue of increasing the efficiency of the turbocharging system is considered in the context of comparing three materials (nickel and titanium alloys, structural steel), which are proposed for the manufacture of a compressor impeller by designing its model using computer software products. The measurements of real turbocharging elements and their characteristics are transferred to CREO, where the required dimensions are calculated and other necessary calculations are carried out, which are then imported into ANSYS for the purpose of subsequent research, including thermal and structural analyzes. Comparison of the analysis results allows us to conclude that the nickel alloy is superior to other materials under consideration in terms of its minimum susceptibility to deformation and obtaining the lowest total heat flux in the compressor impeller, and to recommend this material for use in turbocharging or for its subsequent comparison with previously not considered materials, which, as suggested in the study, to some extent can contribute to an increase in the efficiency of the vehicle.