This paper is focused on the performance of centrifugal compressors for vehicle turbochargers operating at high altitude. The reasons for turbocharged diesel engine power loss increases and bad economy performance caused by exhaust gas energy utilization are investigated. The atmosphere’s impact on the turbocharger centrifugal compressor’s energy distribution characteristics under the plateau is discussed. The key parameters that affect compressor characteristics are concluded in a theoretical method. A simulation calculation model is established to accurately predict compressor performance at high altitude. By comparing the experimental results, the calculation results are validated. The details of the internal flow fields analysis, including critical parameters of a compressor operating at high altitude, are analyzed. The results show that with the increase of altitude from 0 m to 4500 m, the peak efficiency of the compressor is reduced by 2.4%, while the peak pressure ratio is increased by 7%. The main influence characters of the plateau environment on the turbocharger centrifugal compressor performance, such as blade loads, exergy utilization and entropy distribution are concluded. The key factors for compressor performance and compressor energy flow control design method operated at high altitude are obtained.

Tip leakage flow (TLF) patterns, which affect compressor performance, are closely related to compressor stability. To date, minimal attention has been given to circumferential nonuniformity of the TLF in a centrifugal compressor with a nonaxisymmetric volute structure. In this study, the circumferential difference of the TLF in a centrifugal compressor with a volute during the stall process is analyzed. The circumferential nonuniformity of tip leakage vortex (TLV) trajectories, loading distribution near the tip, and distance between the TLV core and the leading edge (LE) of splitter blades were also investigated. It is shown that in the circumferential direction, there are two peaks associated with the angle (α) between the TLV trajectory of the seven main blades and the axial direction. As the stall process progresses, the blade whose LE is affected by the high static pressure band (PP) induced by the volute tongue (VT) loses its work capacity first and the α difference between this blade and the other blades increases. In addition, the tip loading and TLF velocity of the blade whose LE is affected by the high static pressure band induced by the VT are at a minimum, and the flow loss in the tip clearance is higher. There is a phenomenon of the TLV breakdown. When the blade trailing edge (TE) is located in the low static pressure region, TLV streamlines appear as a significant turn at the breakdown point. However, the TLV streamlines at other circumferential positions do not exhibit this phenomenon.