Visualizations of Flow Structures in the Rotor Passage of an Axial Compressor at the Onset of Stall

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huang Chen ◽  
Yuanchao Li ◽  
David Tan ◽  
Joseph Katz
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Incidence Angle ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry ◽  
High Speed Imaging ◽  
Vortical Structures ◽  
Flow Phenomena

Experiments preformed in the JHU refractive index matched facility examine flow phenomena developing in the rotor passage of an axial compressor at the onset of stall. High-speed imaging of cavitation performed at low pressures qualitatively visualizes vortical structures. Stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) measurements provide detailed snapshots and ensemble statistics of the flow in a series of meridional planes. At prestall condition, the tip leakage vortex (TLV) breaks up into widely distributed intermittent vortical structures shortly after rollup. The most prominent instability involves periodic formation of large-scale backflow vortices (BFVs) that extend diagonally upstream, from the suction side (SS) of one blade at midchord to the pressure side (PS) near the leading edge of the next blade. The 3D vorticity distributions obtained from data recorded in closely spaced planes show that the BFVs originate form at the transition between the high circumferential velocity region below the TLV center and the main passage flow radially inward from it. When the BFVs penetrate to the next passage across the tip gap or by circumventing the leading edge, they trigger a similar phenomenon there, sustaining the process. Further reduction in flow rate into the stall range increases the number and size of the backflow vortices, and they regularly propagate upstream of the leading edge of the next blade, where they increase the incidence angle in the tip corner. As this process proliferates circumferentially, the BFVs rotate with the blades, indicating that there is very little through flow across the tip region.

Visualizations of Flow Structures in the Rotor Passage of an Axial Compressor at the Onset of Stall

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huang Chen ◽  
Yuanchao Li ◽  
David Tan ◽  
Joseph Katz
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Flow Structures ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
High Speed Imaging ◽  
Vortical Structures ◽  
Tip Leakage

Flow visualizations and stereoscopic PIV (SPIV) measurements are carried out to study the flow phenomena developing in the rotor passage of an axial compressor at the onset of stall. Experiments have been performed in the JHU optically index-matched facility, using acrylic blades and liquid that have the same optical refractive index. The blade geometries are based on the first one and a half stages of the Low Speed Axial Compressor (LSAC) facility at NASA Glenn. The SPIV measurements provide detailed snapshots and ensemble statistics on the flow in a series of meridional planes. Data recorded in closely spaced planes enable us to obtain ensemble averaged 3D vorticity distributions. High speed imaging of cavitation, performed at low pressure, is used to qualitatively visualize the vortical structures within the rotor passage. The observations are performed just above and at stall conditions. At pre-stall condition, shortly after it rolled up, the tip leakage vortex (TLV) breaks up into widely distributed intermittent vortical structures. In particular, interaction of the backward tip leakage flow with the nearly opposite direction main passage flow under (radially inward) it results in periodic generation of large scale vortices that extend upstream, from the suction side (SS) of one blade to the pressure side (PS) or even near the leading edge of the next blade. When these structures penetrate to the next passage, they trigger formation of a similar phenomenon there, initiating a process that sustains itself. Once they form, these vortices rotate with the blade, indicating little through flow in the tip region. The 3D velocity and vorticity distributions confirm the presence of these large flow structures at the transition between the high circumferential velocity region below the TLV center and the main flow deeper in the passage. Further reduction in flow rate into the stall range caused a rapid increase in the number and scale of these vortices, demonstrating that their formation and proliferation plays a key role in the onset of stall.

Impact of Vortex Produced by a Novel Curve-Micro Vortex Generator on Secondary Flow in Compressor Cascade

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Ma ◽  
Wuli Chu ◽  
Haoguang Zhang ◽  
Lanpan Li ◽  
Jinhua Lang
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Incidence Angle ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Chord Length ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Compressor Cascade ◽  
Micro Vortex Generator

The performance of compressor cascade is considerably influenced by secondary flow. An extensive experimental study of vortex generator (VG) applied on axial compressor was conducted by many scholars, in order to control these effects. Particularly, MVG is one of the hot researches in present to restrain secondary flow. On the foundation of research experience finished by the former scholars, a new Curve-micro vortex generator (C-MVG) was proposed in this paper. In order to investigate the effect of C-MVG on secondary flow in low-Mach number cascade, the present was carried out on a high-loaded axial compressor cascade with incoming flow of Ma<0.3. The experiment of baseline was conducted at a low speed (incompressible) cascade wind tunnel. The C-MVGs were placed on the end-wall at a distance of 7% chord length ahead of passage and a pitch distance of 26 mm from the leading edge of suction side. 8 cases with different spacing and θVGs were calculated. The height of all the C-MVGs were 5 mm and each case was comprised of 3 vanes. At design and stall incidence angle (−1 deg and 8 deg), the total pressure loss coefficient averaged by mass-flow (Loss) in the outlet was analyzed with numerical method of k-omega turbulence model. Different combinations of C-MVGs were compared. Results show that the Loss in 140% axial chord length (Ca) after leading edge was increased on design condition. At 8 deg incidence angle, all cases could delay the inception of separation and decrease loss. The case VGθ3 showed the highest loss reduction benefit of 7.3%, which indicated that C-MVGs could control the large separation area effectively.

scholarly journals Reduction of Unsteady Blade Loading by Beneficial Use of Vortical and Potential Disturbances in an Axial Compressor With Rotor Clocking

1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 705-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. T. Hsu ◽  
A. M. Wo
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Forced Response ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Blade Loading ◽  
Beneficial Use ◽  
Unsteady Loading ◽  
Vortical Disturbance ◽  
First Time

This paper demonstrates reduction of stator unsteady loading due to forced response in a large-scale, low-speed, rotor/stator/rotor axial compressor rig by clocking the downstream rotor. Data from the rotor/stator configuration showed that the stator response due to the upstream vortical disturbance reaches a maximum when the wake impinges against the suction surface immediately downstream of the leading edge. Results from the stator/rotor configuration revealed that the stator response due to the downstream potential disturbance reaches a minimum with a slight time delay after the rotor sweeps pass the stator trailing edge. For the rotor/stator/rotor configuration, with Gap1 = 10 percent chord and Gap2 = 30 percent chord, results showed a 60 percent reduction in the stator force amplitude by clocking the downstream rotor so that the time occurrence of the maximum force due to the upstream vortical disturbance coincides with that of the minimum force due to the downstream potential disturbance. This is the first time, the authors believe, that beneficial use of flow unsteadiness is definitively demonstrated to reduce the blade unsteady loading.

Steady longitudinal vortices in supersonic turbulent separated flows

2011 ◽  
Vol 672 ◽  
pp. 451-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
ERICH SCHÜLEIN ◽  
VICTOR M. TROFIMOV
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Roughness Element ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Vortex Pair ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Separated Flows ◽  
Vortex Generators ◽  
Longitudinal Vortices ◽  
Oil Flow

Large-scale longitudinal vortices in high-speed turbulent separated flows caused by relatively small irregularities at the model leading edges or at the model surfaces are investigated in this paper. Oil-flow visualization and infrared thermography techniques were applied in the wind tunnel tests at Mach numbers 3 and 5 to investigate the nominally 2-D ramp flow at deflection angles of 20°, 25° and 30°. The surface contour anomalies have been artificially simulated by very thin strips (vortex generators) of different shapes and thicknesses attached to the model surface. It is shown that the introduced streamwise vortical disturbances survive over very large downstream distances of the order of 104 vortex-generator heights in turbulent supersonic flows without pressure gradients. It is demonstrated that each vortex pair induced in the reattachment region of the ramp is definitely a child of a vortex pair, which was generated originally, for instance, by the small roughness element near the leading edge. The dependence of the spacing and intensity of the observed longitudinal vortices on the introduced disturbances (thickness and spanwise size of vortex generators) and on the flow parameters (Reynolds numbers, boundary-layer thickness, compression corner angles, etc.) has been shown experimentally.

Numerical Investigation of Intermittent Corner Separation in a Linear Compressor Cascade

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Ma ◽  
Feng Gao ◽  
Xavier Ottavy ◽  
Lipeng Lu ◽  
A. J. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Detached Eddy Simulation ◽  
Compressor Cascade ◽  
Linear Compressor ◽  
Corner Separation ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Linear Compressor Cascade

Recently bimodal phenomenon in corner separation has been found by Ma et al. (Experiments in Fluids, 2013, doi:10.1007/s00348-013-1546-y). Through detailed and accurate experimental results of the velocity flow field in a linear compressor cascade, they discovered two aperiodic modes exist in the corner separation of the compressor cascade. This phenomenon reflects the flow in corner separation is high intermittent, and large-scale coherent structures corresponding to two modes exist in the flow field of corner separation. However the generation mechanism of the bimodal phenomenon in corner separation is still unclear and thus needs to be studied further. In order to obtain instantaneous flow field with different unsteadiness and thus to analyse the mechanisms of bimodal phenomenon in corner separation, in this paper detached-eddy simulation (DES) is used to simulate the flow field in the linear compressor cascade where bimodal phenomenon has been found in previous experiment. DES in this paper successfully captures the bimodal phenomenon in the linear compressor cascade found in experiment, including the locations of bimodal points and the development of bimodal points along a line that normal to the blade suction side. We infer that the bimodal phenomenon in the corner separation is induced by the strong interaction between the following two facts. The first is the unsteady upstream flow nearby the leading edge whose angle and magnitude fluctuate simultaneously and significantly. The second is the high unsteady separation in the corner region.

scholarly journals Aerothermal Investigations of Mixing Flow Phenomena in Case of Radially Inclined Ejection Holes at the Leading Edge

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dieter E. Bohn ◽  
Karsten A. Kusterer
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Pressure Side ◽  
Blade Surface ◽  
Cooling Fluid ◽  
Flow Phenomena ◽  
Vortex Systems

A leading edge cooling configuration is investigated numerically by application of a 3-D conjugate fluid flow and heat transfer solver, CHT-Flow. The code has been developed at the Institute of Steam and Gas Turbines, Aachen University of Technology. It works on the basis of an implicit finite volume method combined with a multi-block technique. The cooling configuration is an axial turbine blade cascade with leading edge ejection through two rows of cooling holes. The rows are located in the vicinity of the stagnation line, one row is on the suction side, the other row is on the pressure side. The cooling holes have a radial ejection angle of 45°. This configuration has been investigated experimentally by other authors and the results have been documented as a test case for numerical calculations of ejection flow phenomena. The numerical domain includes the internal cooling fluid supply, the radially inclined holes and the complete external flow field of the turbine vane in a high resolution grid. Periodic boundary conditions have been used in the radial direction. Thus, end wall effects have been excluded. The numerical investigations focus on the aerothermal mixing process in the cooling jets and the impact on the temperature distribution on the blade surface. The radial ejection angles lead to a fully three dimensional and asymmetric jet flow field. Within a secondary flow analysis it can be shown that complex vortex systems are formed in the ejection holes and in the cooling fluid jets. The secondary flow fields include asymmetric kidney vortex systems with one dominating vortex on the back side of the jets. The numerical and experimental data show a good agreement concerning the vortex development. The phenomena on the suction side and the pressure side are principally the same. It can be found that the jets are barely touching the blade surface as the dominating vortex transports hot gas under the jets. Thus, the cooling efficiency is reduced.

Fuel Influence on Targeted Gas Turbine Combustion Properties: Part I — Detailed Diagnostics

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Mosbach ◽  
Victor Burger ◽  
Barani Gunasekaran
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Optical Measurements ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
High Speed Imaging ◽  
Combustion Properties ◽  
First Results

The threshold combustion performance of different fuel formulations under simulated altitude relight conditions were investigated in the altitude relight test facility located at the Rolls-Royce plc. Strategic Research Centre in Derby, UK. The combustor employed was a twin-sector representation of an RQL gas turbine combustor. Eight fuels including conventional crude-derived Jet A-1 kerosene, synthetic paraffinic kerosenes (SPKs), linear paraffinic solvents, aromatic solvents and pure compounds were tested. The combustor was operated at sub-atmospheric air pressure of 41 kPa and air temperature of 265 K. The temperature of all fuels was regulated to 288 K. The combustor operating conditions corresponded to a low stratospheric flight altitude near 9 kilometres. The experimental work at the Rolls-Royce (RR) test-rig consisted of classical relight envelope ignition and extinction tests, and ancillary optical measurements: Simultaneous high-speed imaging of the OH* chemiluminescence and of the soot luminosity was used to visualize both the transient combustion phenomena and the combustion behaviour of the steady burning flames. Flame luminosity spectra were also simultaneously recorded with a spectrometer to obtain information about the different combustion intermediates and about the thermal soot radiation curve. This paper presents first results from the analysis of the weak extinction measurements. Further detailed test fuel results are the subject of a separate complementary paper [1]. It was found in general that the determined weak extinction parameters were not strongly dependent on the fuels investigated, however at the leading edge of the OH* chemiluminescence intensity development in the pre-flame region fuel-related differences were observed.

Experimental Characterization of the Evolution of Global Flow Structure in the Passage of an Axial Compressor

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayush Saraswat ◽  
Subhra Shankha Koley ◽  
Joseph Katz
Keyword(s):  
Flow Structure ◽  
Rotor Blade ◽  
Incidence Angle ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Rotor Wake ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Blade Tip

Abstract Ongoing experiments conducted in a one-and-half stages axial compressor installed in the JHU refractive index-matched facility investigate the evolution of flow structure across blade rows. After previously focusing only on the rotor tip region, the present stereo-PIV (SPIV) measurements are performed in a series of axial planes covering an entire passage across the machine, including upstream of the IGV, IGV-rotor gap, rotor-stator gap, and downstream of the stator. The measurements are performed at flow rates corresponding to pre-stall condition and best efficiency point (BEP). Data are acquired for various rotor-blade orientations relative to the IGV and stator blades. The results show that at BEP, the wakes of IGV and rotor are much more distinct and the wake signatures of one row persists downstream of the next, e.g., the flow downstream of the stator is strongly affected by the rotor orientation. In contrast, under pre-stall conditions, the rotor orientation has minimal effect on the flow structure downstream of the stator. However, the wakes of the stator blades, where the axial momentum is low, are now wider. For both conditions, the flow downstream of the rotor is characterized by two regions of axial momentum deficit in addition to the rotor wake. A deficit on the pressure side of the rotor wake tip is associated with the tip leakage vortex (TLV) of the previous rotor blade, and is much broader at pre-stall condition. A deficit on the suction side of the rotor wake near the hub appears to be associated with the hub vortex generated by the neighboring blade, and is broader at BEP. At pre-stall, while the axial momentum upstream of the rotor decreases over the entire tip region, it is particularly evident near the rotor blade tip, where the instantaneous axial velocity becomes intermittently negative. Downstream of the rotor, there is a substantial reduction in mean axial momentum in the upper half of the passage, concurrently with an increase in the circumferential velocity. Consequently, the incidence angle upstream of the stator increases in certain regions by up to 30 degrees. These observations suggest that while the onset of the stall originates from the rotor tip flow, one must examine its impact on the flow structure in the stator passage as well.

scholarly journals Investigation of Vortical Structures and Turbulence Characteristics in Corner Separation in an Axial Compressor Stator Using DDES

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2123
Author(s):  
Jun Li ◽  
Jun Hu ◽  
Chenkai Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Turbulence Energy ◽  
Separation Flow ◽  
Mechanism Analysis ◽  
Separation Region ◽  
Detached Eddy Simulation ◽  
Vortical Structures ◽  
Corner Separation

In order to investigate the flow structure and unsteady behavior of three-dimensional corner separation, a delayed detached-eddy simulation (DDES) method based on the Spalart–Allmaras (SA) model is performed on the third-stage stator of a multistage low-speed axial compressor. The stator simulation is validated by experiments before flow mechanism analysis. The complicated flow fields in the stator are then described step by step. Firstly, the structure and development process of vortices in corner separation flow are analyzed. Secondly, the velocity histogram of the monitor points in the mainstream and corner separation regions is obtained, and the velocity distribution of the corner separation region is discussed. Finally, Reynolds stress, Lumley anisotropy, turbulence energy spectra, and helicity density are discussed to understand the turbulence behavior of the corner separation flow in the stator. The results show that the corner separation appears at even the design condition and different kinds of vortical structures appear in the stator hub corner. The unsteadiness of corner separation flow is mainly reflected in the separation on the suction side of the blade and the wake shedding. Turbulence anisotropy and energy backscatter are found to be dominant in the separation region, which is correlated to the high shear stress.

Cooling of Turbine Blades With Expanded Exit Holes: Computational Analyses of Leading Edge and Pressure-Side of a Turbine Blade

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fariborz Forghan ◽  
Omid Askari ◽  
Uichiro Narusawa ◽  
Hameed Metghalchi
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Weak Shock ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Pressure Side ◽  
Blade Surface ◽  
Cooling Effectiveness ◽  
Hot Gas ◽  
Computational Analyses

Turbine blades are cooled by a jet flow from expanded exit holes (EEH) forming a low-temperature film over the blade surface. Subsequent to our report on the suction-side (low-pressure, high-speed region), computational analyses are performed to examine the cooling effectiveness of the flow from EEH located at the leading edge as well as at the pressure-side (high-pressure, low-speed region). Unlike the case of the suction-side, the flow through EEH on the pressure-side is either subsonic or transonic with a weak shock front. The cooling effectiveness, η (defined as the temperature difference between the hot gas and the blade surface as a fraction of that between the hot gas and the cooling jet), is higher than the suction-side along the surface near the exit of EEH. However, its magnitude declines sharply with an increase in the distance from EEH. Significant effects on the magnitude of η are observed and discussed in detail of (1) the coolant mass flow rate (0.001, 0.002, and 0.004 (kg/s)), (2) EEH configurations at the leading edge (vertical EEH at the stagnation point, 50 deg into the leading-edge suction-side, and 50 deg into the leading-edge pressure-side), (3) EEH configurations in the midregion of the pressure-side (90 deg (perpendicular to the mainstream flow), 30 deg EEH tilt toward upstream, and 30 deg tilt toward downstream), and (4) the inclination angle of EEH.

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