Analysis of Axial Compressor Stall Inception Using Unsteady Casing Pressure Measurements

2012 ◽  
Vol 135 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua D. Cameron ◽  
Scott C. Morris
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Scalar Function ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Fourier Decomposition ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Axial Compressors ◽  
Casing Pressure

The unsteady flow in axial compressors during pre-stall and stall inception is often studied using circumferentially distributed pressure sensors. The present investigation utilized a transonic axial compressor facility to acquire time resolved casing static pressure measurements at an axial location upstream of the rotor leading edge. These measurements were processed using a variety of analysis techniques in order to provide insight into the fluid dynamics and compression system dynamics prior to and during stall inception. Specifically, visual inspection of the time series, spatial Fourier decomposition, traveling wave energy, and wavelet transform results will be described and compared for two representative stall inception events. Additionally, a new method was developed based on a windowed, two-point correlation function between adjacent sensors. The intent was to provide a scalar function that was nonzero only when disturbances that rotated around the compressor annulus in the direction of the rotor’s rotation were present. The results indicated that this method highlights many detailed features of the rotating disturbances with both spatial and temporal resolution during both pre-stall and stall inception.

An Explanation for Flow Features of Spike-Type Stall Inception in an Axial Compressor Rotor

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazutoyo Yamada ◽  
Hiroaki Kikuta ◽  
Ken-ichiro Iwakiri ◽  
Masato Furukawa ◽  
Satoshi Gunjishima
Keyword(s):  
Flow Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Compressor Rotor ◽  
Pressure Region ◽  
Casing Pressure ◽  
Edge Separation

The unsteady behavior and three-dimensional flow structure of spike-type stall inception in an axial compressor rotor have been investigated by experimental and numerical analyses. Previous studies have revealed that the test compressor falls into a mild stall after emergence of a spike, in which multiple stall cells, each consisting of a tornado-like vortex, are rotating. However, the flow mechanism from the spike onset to the mild stall remains unexplained. The purpose of this study is to describe the flow mechanism of a spike stall inception in a compressor. In order to capture the transient phenomena of spike-type stall inception experimentally, an instantaneous casing pressure field measurement technique was developed, in which 30 pressure transducers measure an instantaneous casing pressure distribution inside the passage for one blade pitch at a rate of 25 samplings per blade passing period. This technique was applied to obtain the unsteady and transient pressure fields on the casing wall during the inception process of the spike stall. In addition, the details of the three-dimensional flow structure at the spike stall inception have been analyzed by a numerical approach using the detached-eddy simulation (DES). The instantaneous casing pressure field measurement results at the stall inception show that a low-pressure region starts traveling near the leading edge in the circumferential direction just after the spiky wave was detected in the casing wall pressure trace measured near the rotor leading edge. The DES results reveal the vortical flow structure behind the low-pressure region on the casing wall at the stall inception, showing that the low-pressure region is caused by a tornado-like separation vortex resulting from a leading-edge separation near the rotor tip. A leading-edge separation occurs near the tip at the onset of the spike stall and grows to form the tornado-like vortex connecting the blade suction surface and the casing wall. The casing-side leg of the tornado-like vortex generating the low-pressure region circumferentially moves around the leading-edge line. When the vortex grows large enough to interact with the leading edge of the next blade, the leading-edge separation begins to propagate, and then, the compressor falls into a stall with decreasing performance.

Examination of Rotating Stall Inception in a Small High Speed Axial Compressor

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. G. N. Bennett ◽  
W. D. E. Allan
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Gasoline Engine ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
Operating Life ◽  
Fourier Decomposition ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Prediction And Prevention

Rotating stall is an internal aerodynamic disturbance that limits the performance and operating life of a compressor. It has been studied with the aim of developing techniques for its prediction and prevention. To further the understanding of rotating stall inception, a test rig was constructed with the axial stages of a Rolls Royce Model 250-C20B small, high speed axial compressor as the test article. A gasoline engine was used to power the compressor and airflow was throttled through a pneumatically controlled valve. Simultaneous static pressure measurements were taken with seven high speed transducers arranged in two configurations: distributed both axially and circumferentially around the compressor casing. The compressor characteristic was mapped and detailed pressure measurements were taken between normal and surge operating conditions. Previous studies of high speed multi-stage compressors have shown both modal and spike type stall inception at different compressor stages. Other examinations of the Model 250 compressor have shown stall inception occurring at the first stage of the compressor. Similar results were observed in this study and an analysis was conducted using a variety of signal processing techniques including pressure trace inspection and discrete spatial Fourier decomposition.

An Explanation for Flow Features of Spike-Type Stall Inception in an Axial Compressor Rotor

2012 ◽  
Vol 135 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazutoyo Yamada ◽  
Hiroaki Kikuta ◽  
Ken-ichiro Iwakiri ◽  
Masato Furukawa ◽  
Satoshi Gunjishima
Keyword(s):  
Flow Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Compressor Rotor ◽  
Pressure Region ◽  
Casing Pressure ◽  
Edge Separation

The unsteady behavior and three-dimensional flow structure of spike-type stall inception in an axial compressor rotor were investigated by experimental and numerical analyses. Previous studies revealed that the test compressor falls into a mild stall after emergence of a spike, in which multiple stall cells, each consisting of a tornado-like vortex, are rotating. However, the flow mechanism from the spike onset to the mild stall remains unexplained. The purpose of this study is to describe the flow mechanism of a spike stall inception in a compressor. In order to capture the transient phenomena of spike-type stall inception experimentally, an instantaneous casing pressure field measurement technique was developed, in which 30 pressure transducers measure an instantaneous casing pressure distribution inside the passage for one blade pitch at a rate of 25 samplings per blade passing period. This technique was applied to obtain the unsteady and transient pressure fields on the casing wall during the inception process of the spike stall. In addition, the details of the three-dimensional flow structure at the spike stall inception were analyzed by a numerical approach using the detached-eddy simulation (DES). The instantaneous casing pressure field measurement results at the stall inception show that a low-pressure region starts traveling near the leading edge in the circumferential direction just after the spiky wave was detected in the casing wall pressure trace measured near the rotor leading edge. The DES results reveal the vortical flow structure behind the low-pressure region on the casing wall at the stall inception, showing that the low-pressure region is caused by a tornado-like separation vortex resulting from a leading-edge separation near the rotor tip. A leading-edge separation occurs near the tip at the onset of the spike stall and grows to form the tornado-like vortex connecting the blade suction surface and the casing wall. The casing-side leg of the tornado-like vortex generating the low-pressure region circumferentially moves around the leading-edge line. When the vortex grows large enough to interact with the leading edge of the next blade, the leading-edge separation begins to propagate, and then the compressor falls into a stall with decreasing performance.

Effects of Tip Clearance on the Stall Inception Process in an Axial Compressor Rotor

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazutoyo Yamada ◽  
Hiroaki Kikuta ◽  
Masato Furukawa ◽  
Satoshi Gunjishima ◽  
Yasunori Hara
Keyword(s):  
Vortex Breakdown ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Compressor Rotor ◽  
Flow Phenomena ◽  
Casing Pressure

The paper presents experimental and numerical studies on the effects of tip clearance on the stall inception process in a low-speed axial compressor rotor with a large tip clearance. It has been revealed that in the small tip clearance case, shortly after the spike disturbance which results from the leading-edge separation near the rotor tip appears, the tornado-like vortex is generated by the separation, and soon the compressor falls into stall. In the large tip clearance case, the experiment showed that the performance characteristic differs from that in the small tip clearance case at near-stall conditions. This implies that the stall inception process differs with the tip clearance size. The flow phenomenon in the stall inception leading to such difference has been investigated in this study. Pressure and velocity fields which were ensemble-averaged and phase-locked by the periodic multi-sampling technique were measured on the casing wall and downstream of the rotor, respectively. In addition, to capture the unsteady flow phenomena inside the rotor, “Instantaneous Casing Pressure Field Measurement” was carried out: instantaneous casing pressure fields in one rotor passage region were measured by 30 high response pressure transducers mounted on the casing wall. In order to investigate further details of near-stall flow field for the large tip clearance, DES (Detached Eddy Simulation) has been conducted using a computational mesh with 120 million points. The results are compared with those from previous studies for the small tip clearance. As expected, the measurement results show notable differences in the near-stall flow field between the two tip clearance cases. The results from the casing pressure measurement show that high pressure fluctuation appears on the pressure side near the rotor leading-edge in the large tip clearance case. In the result of the velocity field measurement downstream of the rotor, high turbulence intensity is found near the casing in the large tip clearance case. The numerical results reveal that the vortex breakdown occurs in the tip leakage vortex and induces the oscillation of the tip leakage vortex with its unsteady nature. The flow phenomena confirmed in the experimental results are clearly explained by considering the breakdown of the tip leakage vortex. The vortex breakdown gives rise to not only large blockage but also the rotating disturbance through the interaction of the fluctuating tip leakage vortex with the pressure surface of the adjacent blade, and governs the stall inception process.

scholarly journals Comparison and Sensibility Analysis of Warning Parameters for Rotating Stall Detection in an Axial Compressor

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Margalida ◽  
Pierric Joseph ◽  
Olivier Roussette ◽  
Antoine Dazin
Keyword(s):  
Research Work ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Axial Compressors ◽  
Sensibility Analysis ◽  
Stall Warning ◽  
Two Parameters ◽  
Unsteady Pressure Measurements

The present paper aims at evaluating the surveillance parameters used for early stall warning in axial compressors, and is based on unsteady pressure measurements at the casing of a single stage axial compressor. Two parameters—Correlation and Root Mean Square (RMS)—are first compared and their relative performances discussed. The influence of sensor locations (in both radial and axial directions) is then considered, and the role of the compressor’s geometrical irregularities in the behavior of the indicators is clearly highlighted. The influence of the throttling process is also carefully analyzed. This aspect of the experiment’s process appears to have a non-negligible impact on the stall warning parameters, despite being poorly documented in the literature. This last part of this research work allow us to get a different vision of the alert parameters compared to what is classically done in the literature, as the level of irregularity that is reflected by the magnitude of the parameters appears to be an image of a given flow rate value, and not a clear indicator of the stall inception.

Stall inception mechanisms in a contra-rotating fan operating at different speed combinations

2019 ◽  
Vol 234 (8) ◽  
pp. 1041-1052 ◽  
Author(s):  
MP Manas ◽  
AM Pradeep
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Stability Limit ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Axial Direction ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Unsteady Pressure ◽  
Stall Cells ◽  
The Stability

Contra-rotating fan is a concept that can possibly replace the present-day conventional fans due to its several aerodynamic advantages. It has the potential to improve the stability limit and can achieve a higher pressure ratio per stage. One of the advantages of a contra-rotating fan is its capability to operate both the rotors at different speeds. In the present study, experiments are carried out at different speed combinations of the rotors and the stall inception phenomenon is captured using high-response unsteady pressure sensors placed on the casing upstream of the leading edge of rotor-1. The unsteady pressure data are investigated using wavelet and Fourier analysis techniques. It is observed that the mechanism of stall inception is different for different speed combinations. The pre-stall disturbances fall in different frequency ranges for different speed combinations. For the range of speed combinations investigated, the frequency of appearance of stall cells of rotor-1 does not depend on the speed of rotor-2. A higher speed of rotation of rotor-1 leads to a higher frequency of appearance of stall cells and a lower speed of rotation of rotor-1 leads to a lower frequency of appearance of stall cells. For all the speed combinations, there is a range of frequency where no disturbance is observed and this range is termed as the ‘no-disturbance zone’. Disturbances are observed at lower frequencies and at frequencies close to the blade passing frequency. In order to understand the flow physics in detail, computational analysis is carried out for different speed combinations of the rotors. For a higher speed of rotor-2, it is observed that the suction effect of rotor-2 is significant enough to pull the tip-leakage flow towards the axial direction. Thus, the suction effect of rotor-2 plays a significant role in determining the stall of the stage.

Prestall Instability in Axial Flow Compressors

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Eck ◽  
Roland Rückert ◽  
Dieter Peitsch ◽  
Marc Lehmann
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Propagation Speed ◽  
Flow Coefficient ◽  
Spectral Signature ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Pressure Transducers ◽  
Flow Disturbances

Abstract The aim of the present paper is to improve the physical understanding of discrete prestall flow disturbances developing in the tip area of the compressor rotor. For this purpose, a complementary instrumentation was used in a single-stage axial compressor. A set of pressure transducers evenly distributed along the circumference surface mounted in the casing near the rotor tip leading edges measures the time-resolved wall pressures simultaneously to an array of transducers recording the chordwise static pressures. The latter allows for plotting quasi-instantaneous casing pressure contours. Any occurring flow disturbances can be properly classified using validated frequency analysis methods applied to the data from the circumferential sensors. While leaving the flow coefficient constant, a continuously changing number of prestall flow disturbances appears to be causing a unique spectral signature, which is known from investigations on rotating instability. Any arising number of disturbances is matching a specific mode order found within this signature. While the flow coefficient is reduced, the propagation speed of prestall disturbances increases linearly, and meanwhile, the speed seems to be independent from the clearance size. Casing contour plots phase-locked to the rotor additionally provide a strong hint on prestall disturbances clearly not to be caused by a leading edge separation. Data taken beyond the stalling limit demonstrate a complex superposition of stall cells and flow disturbances, which the title “prestall disturbance” therefore does not fit to precisely any more. Different convection speeds allow the phenomena to be clearly distinguished from each other. Furthermore, statistical analysis of the pressure fluctuations caused by the prestall disturbances offer the potential to use them as a stall precursor or to quantify the deterioration of the clearance height between the rotor blade tips and the casing wall during the lifetime of an engine.

Dynamic Characterization and Identification of Flow in a Blade Passage in Near-Stall Conditions of Axial Compressor Systems

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eighdi Aung ◽  
Marco P. Schoen ◽  
Jichao Li
Keyword(s):  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Active Flow Control ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Operating Point ◽  
Stall Inception

Abstract Axial compressor systems are susceptible to unstable conditions near their optimal operating point. In particular, rotating stall and surge are conditions that need to be avoided during the operation of an axial compressor. In extreme cases these conditions may cause damage to the compressor. The onset of either condition is rather rapid, and usually does not allow for remedial control action based on the limited time available. Hence, research efforts have been focusing on the development of new detection methods that allow for more time to take corrective measures. This paper explores and compares various existing and proposed methods to identify and detect those precursors. The methods detailed in this work are tested at different operating conditions and locations. The methods investigated include the sequentially computed correlation coefficient of pressure sensor data, correlation coefficient, the Generalized Extreme Studentized Deviate Test (ESD) for outlier detection, spectral entropy, and Autoregressive (AR) models. The primary goal of evaluating these methods is based on their suitability for employment as pre-processors for dynamic system identification. By using the dynamics of the identified model rather than a static precursor, it is stipulated that the onset of stall and surge can be managed with a control concept. For this work, the extracted models are investigated for suitability to serve as precursors, and the potential as predictive models. This work may serve for future work to achieve active flow control by direct air injection at the leading edge of the blades. For this work, a one-stage compressor system with a blade geometry that allows for spike inception is utilized. Spike stall inception is a precursor to fully developed rotating stall. The subsonic compressor has 60 blades, and its operating point is controlled by a throttle and constant speed control of the rotor. The pressure data is collected with 10 Kulite™ sensors which are placed along the blade cord length on the outer casing of the compressor. The results of the tabulated performance of the various methods and resulting models indicate that an ARESD combination yields the earliest indication for spike stall inception.

Comprehensive Application of a First Principles Based Methodology for Design of Axial Compressor Configurations

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vishwas Iyengar ◽  
Lakshmi N. Sankar
Keyword(s):  
First Principles ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Aerodynamic Characteristics ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Axial Compressors ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Improved Accuracy ◽  
Total Pressure Ratio

Axial compressors are widely used in many aerodynamic applications. The design of an axial compressor configuration presents many challenges. It is necessary to retool the design methodologies to take advantage of the improved accuracy and physical fidelity of these advanced methods. Here, a first-principles based multiobjective technique for designing single stage compressors is described. The study accounts for stage aerodynamic characteristics and rotor-stator interactions. The proposed methodology provides a way to systematically screen through the plethora of design variables. This method has been applied to a rotor-stator stage similar to NASA Stage 35. By selecting the most influential design parameters and by optimizing the blade leading edge and trailing edge mean camber line angles, phenomena such as tip blockages, blade-to-blade shock structures and other loss mechanisms can be weakened or alleviated. It is found that these changes to the configuration can have a beneficial effect on total pressure ratio and stage adiabatic efficiency, thereby improving the performance of the axial compression system.

Stall Inception in Axial Compressors

1990 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. M. McDougall ◽  
N. A. Cumpsty ◽  
T. P. Hynes
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Compressor Stage ◽  
Inlet Flow ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Axial Compressors ◽  
Multistage Compressor

Detailed measurements have been made of the transient stalling process in an axial compressor stage. The stage is of high hub-casing ratio and stall is initiated in the rotor. If the rotor tip clearance is small stall inception occurs at the hub, but at clearances typical for a multistage compressor the inception is at the tip. The crucial quantity in both cases is the blockage caused by the endwall boundary layer. Prior to stall, disturbances rotate around the inlet flow in sympathy with rotating variations in the endwall blockage; these can persist for some time prior to stall, rising and falling in amplitude before the final increase, which occurs as the compressor stalls.

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