Simulation based design tool for radial turbine rotors

Abstract Radial turbines are critical components in turbocharging systems, where improvements in aerodynamic efficiency directly enhance energy utilization. This work presents an integrated optimization framework that combines reduced-order one-dimensional (1D) modeling with automated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to streamline the design of radial turbine rotors. The proposed approach defines a multi-parameter design space and employs CFD-based evaluations to identify configurations with superior performance. Applied to the Borg-Warner K03/05 turbine, the optimized rotor achieved an approximate 2% increase in total-to-static efficiency compared with the reference geometry, with numerical verification confirming the reliability of the results. This framework offers a flexible and computationally efficient pathway for the development of high-performance rotors, with potential applicability to a wide range of energy recovery and turbomachinery systems.