scholarly journals Measurement of the Three-Dimensional Tip Region Flowfield in an Axial Compressor

1992 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Stauter
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Rotating Blade ◽  
Flow Phenomena ◽  
Component Velocity ◽  
Vortical Motion ◽  
And Behavior

A two-color, five-beam LDV system has been configured to make simultaneous three-component velocity measurements of the flow field in a two-stage axial compressor model. The system has been used to make time-resolved measurements both between compressor blade rows as well as within the rotating blade passages in an axial compressor. The data show the nature and behavior of the complex, three-dimensional flow phenomena present in the tip region of a compressor as they convect downstream. In particular, the nature of the tip leakage vortex is apparent, being manifested by high blockage as well as the expected vortical motion. The data indicate that the radial flows associated with the tip leakage vortex begin to decrease while within the rotor passage, and that they temporarily increase aft of the passage.

Measurement of the Three-Dimensional Tip Region Flow Field in an Axial Compressor

1993 ◽  
Vol 115 (3) ◽  
pp. 468-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Stauter
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Rotating Blade ◽  
Flow Phenomena ◽  
Component Velocity ◽  
And Behavior

A two-color, five-beam LDV system has been configured to make simultaneous three-component velocity measurements of the flow field in a two-stage axial compressor model. The system has been used to make time-resolved measurements both between compressor blade rows and within the rotating blade passages in an axial compressor. The data show the nature and behavior of the complex, three-dimensional flow phenomena present in the tip region of a compressor as they convect downstream. In particular, the nature of the tip leakage vortex is apparent, being manifested by high blockage as well as the expected vortical motion. The data indicate that the radial flows associated with the tip leakage vortex begin to decrease while within the rotor passage, and that they temporarily increase aft of the passage.

Visualization and Time-Resolved Particle Image Velocimetry Measurements of the Flow in the Tip Region of a Subsonic Compressor Rotor

2014 ◽  
Vol 137 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Tan ◽  
Yuanchao Li ◽  
Ian Wilkes ◽  
Rinaldo L. Miorini ◽  
Joseph Katz
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Compressor Rotor ◽  
Direct Measurements ◽  
Image Velocimetry ◽  
The One ◽  
And Behavior

A new optically index matched facility has been constructed to investigate tip flows in compressor-like settings. The blades of the one and a half stage compressor have the same geometry, but lower aspect ratio as the inlet guide vanes (IGVs) and the first stage of the low-speed axial compressor (LSAC) facility at NASA Glenn. With transparent blades and casings, the new setup enables unobstructed velocity measurements at any point within the tip region and is designed to facilitate direct measurements of effects of casing treatments on the flow structure. We start with a smooth endwall casing. High speed movies of cavitation and time-resolved PIV measurements have been used to characterize the location, trajectory, and behavior of the tip leakage vortex (TLV) for two flow rates, the lower one representing prestall conditions. Results of both methods show consistent trends. As the flow rate is reduced, TLV rollup occurs further upstream, and its initial orientation becomes more circumferential. At prestall conditions, the TLV is initially aligned slightly upstream of the rotor passage, and subsequently forced downstream. Within the passage, the TLV breaks up into a large number of vortex fragments, which occupy a broad area. Consequently, the cavitation in the TLV core disappears. With decreasing flow rate, this phenomenon becomes more abrupt, occurs further upstream, and the fragments occupy a larger area.

Unsteady Flow Behavior due to Breakdown of Tip Leakage Vortex in an Axial Compressor Rotor at Near-Stall Condition

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masato Furukawa ◽  
Kazuhisa Saiki ◽  
Kazutoyo Yamada ◽  
Masahiro Inoue
Keyword(s):  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Pressure Side ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Pressure Surface ◽  
Compressor Rotor

The unsteady flow nature caused by the breakdown of the tip leakage vortex in an axial compressor rotor at near-stall conditions has been investigated by unsteady three-dimensional Navier-Stokes flow simulations. The simulations show that the spiral-type breakdown of the tip leakage vortex occurs inside the rotor passage at the near-stall conditions. Downstream of the breakdown onset, the tip leakage vortex twists and turns violently with time, thus interacting with the pressure surface of the adjacent blade. The motion of the vortex and its interaction with the pressure surface are cyclic. The vortex breakdown causes significant changes in the nature of the tip leakage vortex, which result in the anomalous phenomena in the time-averaged flow fields near the tip at the near-stall conditions: no rolling-up of the leakage vortex downstream of the rotor, disappearance of the casing wall pressure trough corresponding to the leakage vortex, large spread of the low-energy fluid accumulating on the pressure side, and large pressure fluctuation on the pressure side. As the flow rate is decreased, the movement of the tip leakage vortex due to its breakdown becomes so large that the leakage vortex interacts with the suction surface as well as the pressure one. The interaction with the suction surface gives rise to the three-dimensional separation of the suction surface boundary layer.

Influence of Boundary Layer Skew on the Tip Leakage Vortex of an Axial Compressor Stator

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Björn Koppe ◽  
Martin Lange ◽  
Ronald Mailach
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Wall Region ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Flow Phenomena ◽  
Gap Height ◽  
End Wall

Abstract For an axial compressor stator with tip gap the boundary layer in the hub end-wall region has a significant influence on the development and progression of the tip leakage vortex. Herein the so-called boundary layer skew, which develops through relative motion of the hub, is of particular interest. Therefore, experimental and numerical investigations of a single axial compressor stator row with varying tip gap height (tip gap height/chord length = 2.0%|5.4%|6.7%) have been conducted. Comparing cases with rotating or stationary hub end-wall segments upstream of the examined vanes allowed to determine the effect of skewed and un-skewed inflow boundary layer. The steady state flow fields up- and downstream of the stator row were measured using five-hole pressure probes. For validation and to improve the understanding of the existing flow phenomena 3D-RANS CFD simulations using a commercial flow solver were carried out. Furthermore, analog cases with no tip gap were examined and considered in the comparisons to extend the knowledge on this boundary layer characteristic. The results show that the boundary layer skew has a major influence on the trajectory and size of the tip leakage vortex for the cases with tip clearance. The effect of reduction of the produced losses decreases with increasing tip gap height.

Unsteady Three-Dimensional Flow Phenomena Due to Breakdown of Tip Leakage Vortex in a Transonic Axial Compressor Rotor

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Yamada ◽  
M. Furukawa ◽  
T. Nakano ◽  
M. Inoue ◽  
K. Funazaki
Keyword(s):  
Shock Wave ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Vortex Breakdown ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Compressor Rotor

Unsteady three-dimensional flow fields in a transonic axial compressor rotor (NASA Rotor 37) have been investigated by unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulations. The simulations show that the breakdown of the tip leakage vortex occurs in the compressor rotor because of the interaction of the vortex with the shock wave. At near-peak efficiency condition small bubble-type breakdown of the tip leakage vortex happens periodically and causes the loading of the adjacent blade to fluctuate periodically near the leading edge. Since the blade loading near the leading edge is closely linked to the swirl intensity of the tip leakage vortex, the periodic fluctuation of the blade loading leads to the periodic breakdown of the tip leakage vortex, resulting in self-sustained flow oscillation in the tip leakage flow field. However, the tip leakage vortex breakdown is so weak and small that it is not observed in the time-averaged flow field at near-peak efficiency condition. On the other hand, spiral-type breakdown of the tip leakage vortex is caused by the interaction between the vortex and the shock wave at near-stall operating condition. The vortex breakdown is found continuously since the swirl intensity of tip leakage vortex keeps strong at near-stall condition. The spiral-type vortex breakdown has the nature of self-sustained flow oscillation and gives rise to the large fluctuation of the tip leakage flow field, in terms of shock wave location, blockage near the rotor tip and three-dimensional separation structure on the suction surface. It is found that the breakdown of the tip leakage vortex leads to the unsteady flow phenomena near the rotor tip, accompanying large blockage effect in the transonic compressor rotor at the near-stall condition.

Three-Dimensional Turbulent Flow of the Tip Leakage Vortex in an Axial Compressor Rotor Passage

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongwei Ma ◽  
Haokang Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Radial Component ◽  
Reynolds Stresses ◽  
Compressor Cascade ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Compressor Rotor

Three-dimensional turbulent flow of the tip leakage vortex in a single-stage axial compressor rotor passage is studied using a 3-Component Laser Doppler Velocimetry. The measurement results indicate that the tip leakage vortex originates at about 10% axial chord, 8% pitch away from the suction surface, and becomes strongest at about 30% chord. With the flow downstream, the vortex core moves toward the pressure surface and to a lower radial location, leading to substantial flow mixing, blockage and turbulence in the tip region. The radial component of turbulence intensities is found to be the highest while the axial-radial component of Reynolds stresses is the largest. Breakdown of the leakage vortex occurs inside the rear rotor passage, which makes the flow more turbulent in a wider region downstream. This viewpoint is confirmed by the measurements of unsteady static pressure on the casing wall. Breakdown of a leakage vortex is observed clearly in a compressor cascade with a small clearance. Unsteady interactions of the broken vorticities and the suction surface’s boundary layer are shown obviously inside the downstream passage.

Influence of Boundary Layer Skew on the Tip Leakage Vortex of an Axial Compressor Stator

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Björn Koppe ◽  
Martin Lange ◽  
Ronald Mailach
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Wall Region ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Flow Phenomena ◽  
Gap Height ◽  
End Wall

Abstract For an axial compressor stator with tip gap the boundary layer in the hub end-wall region has a significant influence on the development and progression of the tip leakage vortex. Herein the so-called boundary layer skew, which develops through relative motion of the hub, is of particular interest. Therefore, experimental and numerical investigations of a single axial compressor stator row with varying tip gap height (tip gap height/chord length = 2.0%|5.4%|6.7%) have been conducted. Comparing cases with rotating or stationary hub end-wall segments upstream of the examined vanes allowed to determine the effect of skewed and un-skewed inflow boundary layer. The steady state flow fields up- and downstream of the stator row were measured using five-hole pressure probes. For validation and to improve the understanding of the existing flow phenomena 3D-RANS CFD simulations using a commercial flow solver were carried out. Furthermore, analog cases with no tip gap were examined and considered in the comparisons to extend the knowledge on this boundary layer characteristic. The results show that the boundary layer skew has a major influence on the trajectory and size of the tip leakage vortex for the cases with tip clearance. The effect of reduction of the produced losses decreases with increasing tip gap height.

Vortical Features of a Rotor Blade in Reversed Flow

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhwanil Shukla ◽  
Nandeesh Hiremath ◽  
Narayanan Komerath
Keyword(s):  
Radial Flow ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Core Diameter ◽  
3 Dimensional ◽  
Rotating Blade ◽  
Flow Phenomena ◽  
Component Velocity ◽  
Blunt Edge

The nature of the flow around a rotating blade in reverse flow is described, integrating results from fixed and rotary wing experiments. The highly 3-dimensional flow phenomena do not conform to expectations based on 2-D airfoil aerodynamics. Fixed-wing results from load measurements and flow visualization showed that the sharp-edge vortex (SEV) is a primary feature when the blade is yawed either forward or backward. The loads are better modeled using the Polhamus leading edge suction analogy. Vortex-induced pressure gradient induces an inward radial flow overcoming centrifugal effects, but away from the vortex, outward radial flow is evident everywhere. A strongly three-dimensional and attached SEV is evident under the blade at 240 degrees azimuth. This detaches and convects with the flow, remaining close to the blade by 270 degrees. The vortex seen at 300 degrees is clearly detached, but growth of the core diameter corresponding to vortex bursting, causes strong suction under the blade. The flow around the blunt edge is again strongly 3-D. Some evidence of intermittent separation is seen, but the azimuth-resolved, ensemble-averaged flow is mostly attached around the blunt edge. Preliminary static pressure contours derived from the measured 3-component velocity field are presented.

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.

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