Thermodynamics of Centripetal Turbines
Radial inflow turbines for turbocharging - Basic principles

To establish the general relationships applicable to centripetal turbines, we assume that:

• the system is in steady state, which implies that the flow is considered steady in a reference frame tied to the stationary blades (distributor) or tied to the rotating blades (rotor);

• the flow is one-dimensional;

• the effect of gravity on the gas inside the turbine is negligible;

• the rotational speed of the rotor is constant.

No assumptions will be made regarding the nature of the flow variations.