Stall Inception Measurements in a High-Speed Multi-Stage Compressor

1995 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Escuret ◽  
V. Garnier
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Short Length ◽  
Length Scale ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Pressure Transducers ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Flow Phenomena ◽  
Response Pressure

This paper presents unsteady measurements taken in a high-speed four-stage aero-engine compressor prior to the onset of aerodynamic flow instabilities. In this experiment, forty fast-response pressure transducers have been located at various axial and circumferential positions throughout the machine in order to give a very detailed picture of stall inception. At all the compressor speeds investigated, the stall pattern observed is initiated by a very short length-scale finite-amplitude disturbance which propagates at a fast rate around the annulus. This initial stall cell leads to a large-amplitude system instability in less than five rotor revolutions. Varying the IGV setting angle is found to have a strong influence on the axial location of the first disturbance detected. In particular, transferring the aerodynamic loading from front to downstream stages moves the first disturbance detected from the first to the last stage of the compressor. Other repeatable features of the stall inception pattern in this compressor have been identified using a simple analysis technique particularly appropriate to the study of short length-scale disturbances. It is found that the origins of instabilities are tied to particular tangential positions in both the stationary and rotating frames of reference. These measurements lead to the conclusion that the stall inception process in high-speed multi-stage compressors can be characterised by some very local and organised flow phenomena. Moreover, there is no evidence of pre-stall waves in this compressor.

Stall Inception Measurements in a High-Speed Multistage Compressor

1996 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 690-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Escuret ◽  
V. Garnier
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Short Length ◽  
Length Scale ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Pressure Transducers ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Flow Phenomena ◽  
Response Pressure

This paper presents unsteady measurements taken in a high-speed four-stage aeroengine compressor prior to the onset of aerodynamic flow instabilities. In this experiment, 40 fast-response pressure transducers have been located at various axial and circumferential positions throughout the machine in order to give a very detailed picture of stall inception. At all the compressor speeds investigated, the stall pattern observed is initiated by a very short length-scale finite-amplitude disturbance, which propagates at a fast rate around the annulus. This initial stall cell leads to a large-amplitude system instability in less than five rotor revolutions. Varying the IGV setting angle is found to have a strong influence on the axial location of the first disturbance detected. In particular, transferring the aerodynamic loading from front to downstream stages moves the first disturbance detected from the first to the last stage of the compressor. Other repeatable features of the stall inception pattern in this compressor have been identified using a simple analysis technique particularly appropriate to the study of short length-scale disturbances. It is found that the origins of instabilities are tied to particular tangential positions in both the stationary and rotating frames of reference. These measurements lead to the conclusion that the stall inception process in high-speed multistage compressors can be characterized by some very local and organized flow phenomena. Moreover, there is no evidence of prestall waves in this compressor.

Stall Inception in a High-Speed Centrifugal Compressor

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong-Seek Kang ◽  
Shin-Hyoung Kang
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Good Method ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Pressure Transducers ◽  
Stall Warning ◽  
Response Pressure ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Warning Time

Stall inception in a high-speed centrifugal compressor has been examined. The main objective was to find stall precursor and to develop a reliable stall warning method. Eight equally spaced fast-response pressure transducers in the inducer detected the spatial structure of small amplitude perturbations, via spatial Fourier transform, as stall is approached. Near the stall inception point, the phase of spatial Fourier coefficients increased linearly with the speed of impeller rotation for several impeller revolutions at all test speeds, and the spectrum at impeller frequency increased as stall is approached. This is the clear evidence that the impeller frequency participates in the stalling process. For stall warning, a method which uses the spectrum at impeller frequency is suggested. The use of spectrum at impeller frequency as a stall warning method showed a warning time of about two hundreds impeller revolutions. This method uses only one sensor that it has made the stall warning method more useful. And the well-known traveling wave energy method proved to be a good method for stall warning also in a high-speed centrifugal compressor. The warning time was about one hundred impeller revolutions at lower speeds, and about one thousand impeller revolutions at higher speeds. The stall warning methods used here were found to be robust and reliable. Therefore, it seems to be promising to set up a reliable stall avoidance control based on this analysis.

Stall Inception in a High Speed Centrifugal Compressor During Speed Transients

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangyuan Lou ◽  
John C. Fabian ◽  
Nicole L. Key
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Flow Instability ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Transient Performance ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Pressure Transducers

The inception and evolution of rotating stall in a high-speed centrifugal compressor are characterized during speed transients. Experiments were performed in the Single Stage Centrifugal Compressor (SSCC) facility at Purdue University and include speed transients from sub-idle to full speed at different throttle settings while collecting transient performance data. Results show a substantial difference in the compressor transient performance for accelerations versus decelerations. This difference is associated with the heat transfer between the flow and the hardware. The heat transfer from the hardware to the flow during the decelerations locates the compressor operating condition closer to the surge line and results in a significant reduction in surge margin during decelerations. Additionally, data were acquired from fast-response pressure transducers along the impeller shroud, in the vaneless space, and along the diffuser passages. Two different patterns of flow instabilities, including mild surge and short-length-scale rotating stall, are observed during the decelerations. The instability starts with a small pressure perturbation at the impeller leading edge and quickly develops into a single-lobe rotating stall burst. The stall cell propagates in the direction opposite of impeller rotation at approximately one third of the rotor speed. The rotating stall bursts are observed in both the impeller and diffuser, with the largest magnitudes near the diffuser throat. Furthermore, the flow instability develops into a continuous high frequency stall and remains in the fully developed stall condition.

A Novel Approach to Surge Control: High-Frequency Pressure Variance As an Indicator of Impending Surge in Centrifugal Compressors

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meera Day Towler ◽  
Tim Allison ◽  
Paul Krueger ◽  
Karl Wygant
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Time Signal ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
Pressure Data ◽  
Pressure Transducers ◽  
Surge Margin ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Surge Control ◽  
Response Pressure

This investigation studies fast-response pressure measurements as an indicator of the onset of surge in a single-stage centrifugal compressor. The objective is to determine an online monitoring approach for surge control that does not rely on surge margin relative to maps from predictions or factory testing. Fast-response pressure transducers are installed in the suction piping, inducer, diffuser, and discharge piping. A speed line is mapped, and high-speed pressure data are collected across the compressor map. The compressor is driven into surge several times to collect pressure data between during surge and between surge events. Following testing, these data are post-processed via filtration and statistical analyses. It is determined that, when taken together, the mean and range of the standard deviation of the time signal for multiple time steps can be used to determine whether the compressor’s operating point is approaching surge for the conditions tested.

1997 Best Paper Award—Turbomachinery Committee: A Study of Spike and Modal Stall Phenomena in a Low-Speed Axial Compressor

1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Camp ◽  
I. J. Day
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Short Length ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Length Scale ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Low Speed ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Dimensional Instability

This paper presents a study of stall inception mechanisms in a low-speed axial compressor. Previous work has identified two common flow breakdown sequences, the first associated with a short length-scale disturbance known as a “spike,” and the second with a longer length-scale disturbance known as a “modal oscillation.” In this paper the physical differences between these two mechanisms are illustrated with detailed measurements. Experimental results are also presented that relate the occurrence of the two stalling mechanisms to the operating conditions of the compressor. It is shown that the stability criteria for the two disturbances are different: Long length-scale disturbances are related to a two-dimensional instability of the whole compression system, while short length-scale disturbances indicate a three-dimensional breakdown of the flow-field associated with high rotor incidence angles. Based on the experimental measurements, a simple model is proposed that explains the type of stall inception pattern observed in a particular compressor. Measurements from a single-stage low-speed compressor and from a multistage high-speed compressor are presented in support of the model.

Stall Inception in a High-Speed Centrifugal Compressor During Speed Transients

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangyuan Lou ◽  
John C. Fabian ◽  
Nicole L. Key
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Flow Instability ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Transient Performance ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Pressure Transducers

The inception and evolution of rotating stall in a high-speed centrifugal compressor are characterized during speed transients. Experiments were performed in the single stage centrifugal compressor (SSCC) facility at Purdue University and include speed transients from subidle to full speed at different throttle settings while collecting transient performance data. Results show a substantial difference in the compressor transient performance for accelerations versus decelerations. This difference is associated with the heat transfer between the flow and the hardware. The heat transfer from the hardware to the flow during the decelerations locates the compressor operating condition closer to the surge line and results in a significant reduction in surge margin during decelerations. Additionally, data were acquired from fast-response pressure transducers along the impeller shroud, in the vaneless space, and along the diffuser passages. Two different patterns of flow instabilities, including mild surge and short-length-scale rotating stall, are observed during the decelerations. The instability starts with a small pressure perturbation at the impeller leading edge (LE) and quickly develops into a single-lobe rotating stall burst. The stall cell propagates in the direction opposite of impeller rotation at approximately one-third of the rotor speed. The rotating stall bursts are observed in both the impeller and diffuser, with the largest magnitudes near the diffuser throat. Furthermore, the flow instability develops into a continuous high frequency stall and remains in the fully developed stall condition.

Spatial Correlation Based Stall Inception Analysis

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua D. Cameron ◽  
Scott C. Morris
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Correlation ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Fourier Decomposition ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Pressure Transducers ◽  
High Frequency Response ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Response Pressure

Investigations of stall inception and compressor pre-stall behavior have used a variety of techniques to make inferences about the mechanisms of rotating stall inception. Many of these techniques utilized data from arrays of circumferentially spaced hot-wires or high frequency response pressure transducers. This paper presents results from the application of several typical analysis techniques to the interpretation of unsteady casing pressure measurements recorded during two representative stall event in a high-speed axial compressor stage. Results from visual pressure trace inspection, spatial Fourier decomposition, wavelet filtering, and traveling wave energy techniques are presented and compared. The effects of measurement and analysis parameters are also briefly discussed. A new analysis technique based on windowed two-point spatial correlation between adjacent stall inception sensors is described. The method was found to provide both spatial and temporal information about rotating features in the compressor flow and is insensitive to low pass filtering and parameter selection over a wide range of values. It was also found to be valuable for analysis of both pre-stall and stall inception behavior.

Application of Complex Demodulation for Pseudo-Key-Phasor Recovery From Fast-Response Pressure Measurements

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan W. Ilott ◽  
W. D. E. Allan ◽  
Asad Asghar
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Phase Synchronization ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
Sampled Data ◽  
Rotor Speed ◽  
Pressure Transducers ◽  
Complex Demodulation ◽  
Response Pressure

When digitizing the output of fast-response pressure transducers installed on rotating machinery, it is often desirable to use a phase-synchronized method. The mechanical design of many turbomachines, particularly those not originally designed for a research application, can make it difficult to install the physical key-phasor needed to acquire phase-synchronized measurements. A method of phase-synchronization using a pseudo-key-phasor is presented in this paper. The technique applies complex demodulation to recover a pseudo-key-phasor signal from the blade-passing signal recorded in sampled data. The recovered pseudo-key-phasor is then used to digitally resample the data at a constant phase angle, removing the effect of small rotor speed variations. Example applications of this technique to vibration measurements can be found in the literature; however, examples of application to rotor pressure measurement were not. The technique has been applied to fast-response pressure measurements taken on the shroud of a high speed centrifugal compressor. It was found that this technique was able to remove the effect of rotor speed variations from data sampled with equal time intervals, making them suitable for phase averaging.

Propagation of Multiple Short Length-Scale Stall Cells in an Axial Compressor Rotor

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Inoue ◽  
M. Kuroumaru ◽  
T. Tanino ◽  
M. Furukawa
Keyword(s):  
Cell Structure ◽  
Stable State ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Short Length ◽  
Length Scale ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Pressure Transducers ◽  
Compressor Rotor ◽  
Double Phase ◽  
Stall Cells

Evolution and structure of multiple stall cells with short length-scale in an axial compressor rotor have been investigated experimentally. In a low-speed research compressor rotor tested, a short length-scale stall cell appeared at first, but did not grow rapidly in size unlike a so-called “spike-type stall inception” observed in many multi-stage compressors. Alternatively, the number of cells increased to a certain stable state (a mild stall state) under a fixed throttle condition. In the mild stall state the multiple stall cells, size of which was on the same order of the inception cell (a few blade spacings), were rotating at 72% of rotor speed and at intervals of 4.8 blade spacings. With further throttling, a long length-scale wave appeared overlapping the multiple short length-scale waves, then developed to a deep stall state with a big cell. In order to capture the short length-scale cells in the mild stall state, a so-called ‘double phase-locked averaging technique’ has been developed, by which the flow field can be measured phase locked to both of the rotor and the stall cell rotation. Then, time-dependent ensemble averages of the 3D velocity components upstream and downstream of the rotor have been obtained with a slanted hot-wire, and the pressure distributions on the casing wall with high response pressure transducers. By a physically plausible explanation for the experimental results, a model for the flow mechanism of the short length-scale stall cell has been presented. The distinctive feature of the stall cell structure is on the separation vortex bubble with a leg traveling ahead of the rotor, with changing the blade in turn on which the vortex leg stands.

The Effect of the Operating Point on the Pressure Fluctuations at the Blade Passage Frequency in the Volute of a Centrifugal Pump

2002 ◽  
Vol 124 (3) ◽  
pp. 784-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge L. Parrondo-Gayo ◽  
Jose´ Gonza´lez-Pe´rez ◽  
Joaquı´n Ferna´ndez-Francos
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Pump ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Strong Increase ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Blade Passage ◽  
Pressure Transducers ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Dynamic Forces ◽  
Response Pressure

An experimental investigation is presented which analyzes the unsteady pressure distribution existing in the volute of a conventional centrifugal pump with a nondimensional specific speed of 0.48, for flow-rates from 0% to 160% of the best-efficiency point. For that purpose, pressure signals were obtained at 36 different locations along the volute casing by means of fast-response pressure transducers. Particular attention was paid to the pressure fluctuations at the blade passage frequency, regarding both amplitude and phase delay relative to the motion of the blades. Also, the experimental data obtained was used to adjust the parameters of a simple acoustic model for the volute of the pump. The results clearly show the leading role played by the tongue in the impeller-volute interaction and the strong increase in the magnitude of dynamic forces and dipole-like sound generation in off-design conditions.

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