Investigation of Wedge Probe Wall Proximity Effects: Part 1 — Experimental Study
Conventional 3-hole wedge probes fail to measure the correct static pressure when operating in close proximity to a wall or boundary through which the probe is inserted. The free stream pressure near the outer wall of a turbomachine may be over indicated by upto 20% dynamic head. This paper reports a series of experiments aimed at quantifying this so-called ‘wall proximity effect’. It is shown from a factorial experiment that probe wedge angle, stem design and free-stream Mach number all have a significant influence. The yaw angle sensitivity of wedge probes is also found to depend on the proximity of the probe to the wall of introduction. Flow visualisation studies on large scale probe models are described, and a qualitative model of the probe local flow structures is developed. This model is used to explain the near wall characteristics of the actual size wedge probes. In Part 2 of this paper, the experimental data is used to validate CFD calculations of the flow field around a wedge probe. A simple analytical model of the probe/flow interaction is developed from the CFD solutions.