Three-Dimensional Flows and Loss Reduction in Axial Compressors

1987 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
pp. 354-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Dong ◽  
S. J. Gallimore ◽  
H. P. Hodson

Measurements have been performed in a low-speed high-reaction single-stage axial compressor. Data obtained within and downstream of the rotor, when correlated with the results of other investigations, provide a link between the existence of suction surface–hub corner separations, their associated loss mechanisms, and blade loading. Within the stator, it has been shown that introducing a small clearance between the stator blade and the stationary hub increases the efficiency of the stator compared to the case with no clearance. Oil flow visualizaton indicated that the leakage reduced the extensive suction surface–hub corner separation that would otherwise exist. A tracer gas experiment showed that the large radial shifts of the surface streamlines indicated by the oil flow technique were only present close to the blade. The investigation demonstrates the possible advantages of including hub clearance in axial flow compressor stator blade rows.

1986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Dong ◽  
S. J. Gallimore ◽  
H. P. Hodson

Measurements have been performed in a low speed high reaction single stage axial compressor. Data obtained within and downstream of the rotor, when correlated with the results of other investigations, provide a link between the existence of suction surface-hub corner separations, their associated loss mechanisms and blade loading. Within the stator, it has been shown that introducing a small clearance between the stator blade and the stationary hub increases the efficiency of the stator compared to the case with no clearance. Oil flow visualisation indicated that the leakage reduced the extensive suction surface-hub corner separation that would otherwise exist. A tracer gas experiment showed that the large radial shifts of the surface streamlines indicated by the oil flow technique were only present close to the blade. The investigation demonstrates the possible advantages of including hub clearance in axial flow compressor stator blade rows.


Author(s):  
Vaclav Cyrus

A detailed investigation of three-dimensional flow was carried out in a low speed rear axial compressor stage with the change of the stator blade row setting. The stator blade stagger change was in the range of (−14) – (23) degree. Measurements were performed by means of both stationary and rotating pressure probes at seven working points. The origin of large regions of separated flow in blade rows at positive incidence angles was analysed with the use of the spanwise diffusion factor distribution. These areas in the rotor and stator rows originated as the diffusion factor exceeded the critial value D = 0.6 within (1/4 – 1/3) of the blade height near one end-wall. The rotating stall in compressor stage arised when large regions of separated flow occured simultaneously in both rotor and stator blade rows.


1984 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
pp. 337-345
Author(s):  
B. Lakshminarayana ◽  
N. Sitaram

The annulus wall boundary layer inside the blade passage of the inlet guide vane (IGV) passage of a low-speed axial compressor stage was measured with a miniature five-hole probe. The three-dimensional velocity and pressure fields were measured at various axial and tangential locations. Limiting streamline angles and static pressures were also measured on the casing of the IGV passage. Strong secondary vorticity was developed. The data were analyzed and correlated with the existing velocity profile correlations. The end wall losses were also derived from these data.


Author(s):  
Kirubakaran Purushothaman ◽  
N. R. Naveen Kumar ◽  
Vidyadheesh Pandurangi ◽  
Ajay Pratap

Abstract Variability in stator vanes is a widely used technique to improve the stability and efficiency of axial flow compressor in gas turbine engines. Most of the modern aircraft jet engines use variable stator vanes in both low pressure and high pressure compressors primarily for off-design performance. This study discusses in detail about the effect of stator variability in a three stage low pressure axial compressor at design and off-design conditions. Computational flow analysis were carried out for the three stage low pressure compressor with variability in inlet guide vane and first stage stator blade. Detailed investigation on flow physics was carried out in rotor blade passages with stator variability. At off-design speeds, the reduction in flow velocity is lower than the reduction in blade tip speed. This leads to mismatch in flow angles and inlet blade angles causing high incidence and large flow separation in blade passage. This results in poor aerodynamic stability of the axial compressor at off-design speeds. In this study, aerodynamic performance of compressor is evaluated from 70% to 100% design speeds with different stagger angle setting of inlet guide vane at each speed. Further, to improve 2nd stage rotor performance, variability was introduced in 1st stage stator blade and performance was evaluated. Compressor test results are compared with CFD data for design and off-design speeds.


2012 ◽  
Vol 532-533 ◽  
pp. 474-478
Author(s):  
Wei Hua Cheng ◽  
Mian Chang Li ◽  
Chuan Peng Li

This paper conducts numerical simulation to a 15-stage civil axial flow compressor and obtains its main parameters distribution and performance curve by a full three-dimensional viscid flow computation software. The computation result indicates that, the developed axial flow compressor meets the anticipated design requirements, and satisfies the customers’ indicators. Under the designed compression ratio, the difference between the maximum air supply quantity in summer and the minimum air supply quantity in winter is 22%. By comparing the operating conditions and data analysis, obtained the change trend of axial velocity, static pressure and temperature, and Ma, and discovered that, under opening of 48° and outlet back pressure of 550KPa, flow separation occurred on the section of machine set close to hud, which indicated that operating condition was close to surging condition.


1987 ◽  
Vol 109 (1) ◽  
pp. 142-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. H. Law ◽  
A. J. Wennerstrom

A single-stage axial-flow compressor which incorporates rotor inlet counterswirl to improve stage performance is discussed. Results for two rotor configurations are presented, including design and experimental test data. In this compressor design, inlet guide vanes were used to add counterswirl to the inlet of the rotor. The magnitude of the counterswirl was radially distributed to maximize the overall stage efficiency by minimizing the rotor combined losses (diffusion losses and shock losses). The shock losses were minimized by simultaneously optimizing the rotor blade section geometry, through-blade static pressure distribution, and leading edge aerodynamic/geometric shock sweep angles. Results from both the design and experimental performance analyses are presented and comparisons are made between the experimental data and the analyses and between the performance of both rotor designs. The computation of the flow field for both rotor designs and for the analysis of both tests was performed in an identical fashion using an axisymmetric, streamline-curvature-type code. Results presented include tip section blade-to-blade static pressure distributions and rotor through-blade and exit distributions of various aerodynamic parameters. The performance of this compressor stage represents a significant improvement in axial compressor performance compared to previous attempts to use rotor inlet counterswirl and to current, more conventional, state-of-the-art axial compressors operating under similar conditions.


Author(s):  
Hari Krishna Borra ◽  
Dilipkumar Bhanudasji Alone

This paper describes the method to improve the stall margin of transonic axial flow compressor by controlling the boundary layer on the suction surface of the rotor blade tip through natural aspiration. Aspiration slots in the compressor blade are intended to energize the flow by increasing its momentum on the suction surface. This phenomenon of boundary layer control can delay the flow separation and hence results in enhancement of the stall margin of the compressor stage. Flow behavior with aspiration slots and its performance are evaluated using commercially available numerical software. Steady state RANS simulations with three dimensional implicit pressure-based coupled solver and turbulence model SST k-ω are used. The effect of natural aspiration slot on the rotor blade performance is computed numerically. The main objective of the study was to identify the optimum location of the aspiration slot along the chord of the compressor on the rotor blade. The axial location chosen for the performance evaluations were 20%,40%,50%,60% and 70% of the rotor blade axial tip chord. By comparing the numerical simulation results with the steady state behavior in the absence of the aspirated slots, the optimized location of the aspiration slot that results in maximum stall improvement is identified. At the optimized location, natural aspiration slots on the rotor blade tip improved the stall margin with the minimum reduction in efficiency and stage pressure ratio when compared to base model. After critically understanding the performance with straight aspiration slots the compressor stage performance has enhanced further by orienting the aspiration slots. The numerical three dimensional results conclude an optimal improvement in the stall margin for the slots near the trailing edge of the rotor. The prediction shows that with the inclined aspiration slots at proper location it is possible to improve the stall margin of the compressor stage and also to restore the stage efficiency.


Author(s):  
N. Suryavamshi ◽  
B. Lakshminarayana ◽  
J. Prato

In Part 1 of this paper, the unsteady velocity field derived from slanted hot-film measurements was presented and interpreted. In this part, the stagnation pressure (Kulite probe) and temperature data (Aspirating Probe) is integrated with the velocity data (hot-film probe) to derive a composite flow field description of the steady and unsteady flow behavior downstream of the second stator of a three stage axial flow compressor at the peak efficiency operating condition. Detailed mechanisms for various flow field features such as the hub clearance flow and the suction surface-casing endwall comer region have been analyzed based on the composite flow field. The feasibility of correlating the deterministic velocity and temperature distributions to develop stress and heat-flux terms to be used in Part 3 of this paper are explored. The results indicate that major blockage is caused in the stator hub endwall leakage flow and its possible subsequent rollup into a vortex and in the casing endwall region due to suction surface casing endwall comer and secondary flow region. These are also the regions with the highest levels of unsteadiness. From the ensemble averaged velocity, pressure and temperature field it was observed that very good comparison exists between these data sets for the wake properties such as width and depth. The transport of rotor wake towards the pressure side of the stator is confirmed through an integrated interpretation of all the flow properties.


Author(s):  
I. G. Nikolaou ◽  
K. C. Giannakoglou ◽  
K. D. Papailiou

A three-dimensional space marching code is used for the numerical modelling of the flow in an isolated axial flow compressor rotor. The rotor is analyzed at four operating points, up to near stall conditions. Numerical results are first validated versus available experimental data and then further exploited in order to illuminate flow patterns in the inter-blade region. The tip leakage impact on the main passage flow and losses level as well as the effect of blade loading on the hub corner stall extent and the radial displacement of the flow are fully detailed. In order to account for the rotor geometry, the modifications performed in an existing software are mainly concerned with the accurate modelling of the clearance which is formed above the curved blade tip; for this purpose, a local H-type mesh is embedded to the main passage grid.


Author(s):  
H. E. Gallus ◽  
H. Hoenen

Criteria for the maximum diffusion allowable in a blade row without reaching stall play an important part in the design of highly loaded axial-flow compressors. Most of these criteria for maximum blade loading were derived from wind tunnel measurements of 2-d-steady cascade flow. As the flow field in turbomachines is extremely unsteady and of three-dimensional nature the boundary layers are influenced by these effects. The paper deals with the results of boundary layer measurements in a stator blade channel of a subsonic axial-flow compressor stage at various operating points between unthrottled and highly throttled flow (near stall). In front of the stator, the time-averaged velocity profiles as well as the fluctuations due to the unsteady flow field downstream of the rotor were measured. The growing of the separation zones inside the channel with increased blade load is studied in detail. Photos of flow visualization in the boundary layers by dye-injection and flow patterns derived from hot-wire measurements illustrate the physics of boundary layer behavior and separation due to increasing stator blade load. The investigations include measurements of the turbulence energy and a frequency analysis of the velocity fluctuations in the boundary layers.


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