scholarly journals Rotating Stall Control in a High-Speed Stage With Inlet Distortion: Part I — Radial Distortion

Author(s):  
Z. S. Spakovszky ◽  
H. J. Weigl ◽  
J. D. Paduano ◽  
C. M. van Schalkwyk ◽  
K. L. Suder ◽  
...  

This paper presents the first attempt to stabilize rotating stall in a single-stage transonic axial flow compressor with inlet distortion using active feedback control. The experiments were conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center on a single-stage transonic core compressor inlet stage. An annular array of 12 jet-injectors located upstream of the rotor tip was used for forced response testing and to extend the compressor stable operating range. Results for radial distortion are reported in this paper. First, the effects of radial distortion on the compressor performance and the dynamic behavior were investigated. Control laws were designed using empirical transfer function estimates determined from forced response results. The transfer functions indicated that the compressor dynamics are decoupled with radial inlet distortion, as they are for the case of undistorted inlet flow. Single-input-single-output (SISO) control strategies were therefore used for the radial distortion controller designs. Steady axisymmetric injection of 4% of the compressor mass flow resulted in a reduction in stalling mass flow of 9.7% relative to the case with inlet distortion and no injection. Use of a robust H∞ controller with unsteady non-axisymmetric injection achieved a further reduction in stalling mass flow of 7.5%, resulting in a total reduction of 17.2%.

1999 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 510-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. S. Spakovszky ◽  
H. J. Weigl ◽  
J. D. Paduano ◽  
C. M. van Schalkwyk ◽  
K. L. Suder ◽  
...  

This paper presents the first attempt to stabilize rotating stall in a single-stage transonic axial flow compressor with inlet distortion using active feedback control. The experiments were conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center on a single-stage transonic core compressor inlet stage. An annular array of 12 jet-injectors located upstream of the rotor tip was used for forced response testing and to extend the compressor stable operating range. Results for radial distortion are reported in this paper. First, the effects of radial distortion on the compressor performance and the dynamic behavior were investigated. Control laws were designed using empirical transfer function estimates determined from forced response results. The transfer functions indicated that the compressor dynamics are decoupled with radial inlet distortion, as they are for the case of undistorted inlet flow. Single-input-single-output (SISO) control strategies were therefore used for the radial distortion controller designs. Steady axisymmetric injection of 4 percent of the compressor mass flow resulted in a reduction in stalling mass flow of 9.7 percent relative to the case with inlet distortion and no injection. Use of a robust H∞ controller with unsteady nonaxisymmetric injection achieved a further reduction in stalling mass flow of 7.5 percent, resulting in a total reduction of 17.2 percent.


1999 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 517-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. S. Spakovszky ◽  
C. M. van Schalkwyk ◽  
H. J. Weigl ◽  
J. D. Paduano ◽  
K. L. Suder ◽  
...  

This paper presents the first attempt to stabilize rotating stall in a single-stage transonic axial flow compressor with inlet distortion using active feedback control. The experiments were conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center on a single-stage transonic core compressor inlet stage. An array of 12 jet injectors located upstream of the compressor was used for forced response testing and feedback stabilization. Results for a circumferential total pressure distortion of about one dynamic head and a 120 deg extent (DC(60) = 0.61) are reported in this paper. Part I (Spakovszky et al., 1999) reports results for radial distortion. Control laws were designed using empirical transfer function estimates determined from forced response results. Distortion introduces coupling between the harmonics of circumferential pressure perturbations, requiring multivariable identification and control design techniques. The compressor response displayed a strong first spatial harmonic, dominated by the well-known incompressible Moore–Greitzer mode. Steady axisymmetric injection of 4 percent of the compressor mass flow resulted in a 6.2 percent reduction of stalling mass flow. Constant gain feedback, using unsteady asymmetric injection, yielded a further range extension of 9 percent. A more sophisticated robust H∞ controller allowed a reduction in stalling mass flow of 10.2 percent relative to steady injection, yielding a total reduction in stalling mass flow of 16.4 percent.


Author(s):  
Z. S. Spakovszky ◽  
C. M. van Schalkwyk ◽  
H. J. Weigl ◽  
J. D. Paduano ◽  
K. L. Suder ◽  
...  

This paper presents the first attempt to stabilize rotating stall in a single-stage transonic axial flow compressor with inlet distortion using active feedback control. The experiments were conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center on a single-stage transonic core compressor inlet stage. An array of 12 jet injectors located upstream of the compressor was used for forced response testing and feedback stabilization. Results for a circumferential total pressure distortion of about one dynamic head and a 120° extent (DC(60) = 0.61) are reported in this paper. Part I (Spakovszky et al. (1998)) reports results for radial distortion. Control laws were designed using empirical transfer function estimates determined from forced response results. Distortion introduces coupling between the harmonics of circumferential pressure perturbations, requiring multi-variable identification and control design techniques. The compressor response displayed a strong first spatial harmonic, dominated by the well known incompressible Moore-Greitzer mode. Steady axisymmetric injection of 4% of the compressor mass flow resulted in a 6.2% reduction of stalling mass flow. Constant gain feedback, using unsteady asymmetric injection, yielded a further range extension of 9%. A more sophisticated robust controller allowed a reduction in stalling mass flow of 10.2% relative to steady injection, yielding a total reduction in stalling mass flow of 16.4%.


1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 625-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. J. Weigl ◽  
J. D. Paduano ◽  
L. G. Fre´chette ◽  
A. H. Epstein ◽  
E. M. Greitzer ◽  
...  

Rotating stall and surge have been stabilized in a transonic single-stage axial compressor using active feedback control. The control strategy is to sense upstream wall static pressure patterns and feed back the signal to an annular array of twelve separately modulated air injectors. At tip relative Mach numbers of 1.0 and 1.5 the control achieved 11 and 3.5 percent reductions in stalling mass flow, respectively, with injection adding 3.6 percent of the design compressor mass flow. The aerodynamic effects of the injection have also been examined. At a tip Mach number, Mtip, of 1.0, the stall inception dynamics and effective active control strategies are similar to results for low-speed axial compressors. The range extension was achieved by individually damping the first and second spatial harmonics of the prestall perturbations using constant gain feedback. At a Mtip of 1.5 (design rotor speed), the prestall dynamics are different than at the lower speed. Both one-dimensional (surge) and two-dimensional (rotating stall) perturbations needed to be stabilized to increase the compressor operating range. At design speed, the instability was initiated by approximately ten rotor revolutions of rotating stall followed by classic surge cycles. In accord with the results from a compressible stall inception analysis, the zeroth, first, and second spatial harmonics each include more than one lightly damped mode, which can grow into the large amplitude instability. Forced response testing identified several modes traveling up to 150 percent of rotor speed for the first three spatial harmonics; simple constant gain control cannot damp all of these modes and thus cannot stabilize the compressor at this speed. A dynamic, model-based robust controller was therefore used to stabilize the multiple modes that comprise the first three harmonic perturbations in this transonic region of operation.


Author(s):  
Tsuguji Nakano ◽  
Andy Breeze-Stringfellow

A simple engineering parameter to evaluate the stability of high-speed multi-stage compressors with distorted inlet flow has been derived based on a simplified semi-compressible linear stability model. The parameter consists of steady-state flow quantities and geometric parameters of the compressor and it indicates that the circumferential integral of the slope of the steady-state individual blade row static pressure rise characteristics is important in the determination of the compressor stability limit in the presence of distortion. The parameter reduces to the author’s rotating stall inception parameter in the limit of non-distorted inlet flow. Since the model includes a downstream plenum and throttle, a condition for pure surge inception with undistorted inlet flow has been deduced. The pure surge conditions can be reduced to the classical dynamic and static instability conditions in the limit of a constant annulus area incompressible compressor. The results indicate that rotating stall always precedes surge instability, as many engineers and researchers would expect from experience. The parameter for instability with inlet distortion was calculated using test data measured in a high-speed 5-stage compressor with two different types of circumferential inlet distortion, and the results show that the parameter has a strong correlation with the data and is an improvement over the classical incompressible stability parameter. The results demonstrate that the parameter captures much of the physics important during the instability inception in a high-speed multi-stage compressor subjected to circumferential inlet distortion. The parameter clearly shows how each compressor component’s characteristics contribute to the overall stability in a high speed axial multi-stage compressor, therefore, it will aid engineers and designers in their understanding and prediction of the aerodynamic instability inception phenomena.


Author(s):  
H. J. Weigl ◽  
J. D. Paduano ◽  
L. G. Fréchette ◽  
A. H. Epstein ◽  
E. M. Greitzer ◽  
...  

Rotating stall and surge have been stabilized in a transonic single-stage axial compressor using active feedback control. The control strategy is to sense upstream wall static pressure patterns and feed back the signal to an annular array of twelve separately modulated air injectors. At tip relative Mach numbers of 1.0 and 1.5 the control achieved a 11% and 3.5% reduction in stalling mass flow respectively, with injection adding 3.6% of the design compressor mass flow. The aerodynamic effects of the injection have also been examined. At a tip Mach number, Mtip, of 1.0, the stall inception dynamics and effective active control strategies are similar to results for low-speed axial compressors. The range extension was achieved by individually damping the first and second spatial harmonics of the pre-stall perturbations using constant gain feedback. At a Mtip of 1.5 (design rotor speed), the pre-stall dynamics are different than at the lower speed. Both one-dimensional (surge) and two-dimensional (rotating stall) perturbations needed to be stabilized to increase the compressor operating range. At design speed, the instability was initiated by approximately 10 rotor revolutions of rotating stall followed by classic surge cycles. In accord with the results from a compressible stall inception analysis, the zeroth, first, and second spatial harmonics each include more than one lightly damped mode which can grow into the large amplitude instability. Forced response testing identified several modes traveling up to 150% of rotor speed for the first three spatial harmonics; simple constant gain control cannot damp all of these modes and thus cannot stabilize the compressor at this speed. A dynamic, model-based robust controller was therefore used to stabilize the multiple modes which comprise the first three harmonic perturbations in this transonic region of operation.


Author(s):  
Byeung Jun Lim ◽  
Tae Choon Park ◽  
Young Seok Kang

In this study, characteristics of stall inception in a single-stage transonic axial compressor with circumferential grooves casing treatment were investigated experimentally. Additionally, the characteristic of increasing irregularity in the pressure inside circumferential grooves as the compressor approaches the stall limit was applied to the stall warning method. Spike-type rotating stall was observed in the single-stage transonic axial compressor with smooth casing. When circumferential grooves were applied, the stall inception was suppressed and the operating point of the compressor moved to lower flow rate than the stall limit. A spike-like disturbance was developed into a rotating stall cell and then the Helmholtz perturbation was overlapped on it at N = 80%. At N = 70 %, the Helmholtz perturbation was observed first and the amplitude of the wave gradually increased as mass flow rate decreased. At N = 60%, spike type stall inceptions were observed intermittently and then developed into continuous rotating stall at lower mass flow rate. Pressure measured at the bottom of circumferential grooves showed that the level of irregularity of pressure increased as flow rate decreased. Based on the characteristic of increasing irregularity of the pressure signals inside the circumferential grooves as stall approaches, an autocorrelation technique was applied to the stall warning. This technique could be used to provide warning against stall and estimate real-time stall margins in compressors with casing treatments.


Author(s):  
Joel M. Haynes ◽  
Gavin J. Hendricks ◽  
Alan H. Epstein

A three-stage, low speed axial research compressor has been actively stabilized by damping low amplitude circumferentially travelling waves which can grow into rotating stall. Using a circumferential array of hot wire sensors, and an array of high speed individually positioned control vanes as the actuator, the first and second spatial harmonics of the compressor were stabilized down to a characteristic slope of 0.9, yielding an 8% increase in operating flow range. Stabilization of the third spatial harmonic did not alter the stalling flow coefficient. The actuators were also used open loop to determine the forced response behavior of the compressor. A system identification procedure applied to the forced response data then yielded the compressor transfer function. The Moore-Greitzer, 2-D, stability model was modified as suggested by the measurements to include the effect of blade row time lags on the compressor dynamics. This modified Moore-Greitzer model was then used to predict both the open and closed loop dynamic response of the compressor. The model predictions agreed closely with the experimental results. In particular, the model predicted both the mass flow at stall without control and the design parameters needed by, and the range extension realized from, active control.


Author(s):  
Albert Kammerer ◽  
Reza S. Abhari

Centrifugal compressors operating at varying rotational speeds, such as in helicopters or turbochargers, can experience forced response failure modes. The response of the compressors can be triggered by aerodynamic flow nonuniformities such as with diffuser-impeller interaction or with inlet distortions. The work presented here addresses experimental investigations of forced response in centrifugal compressors with inlet distortions. This research is part of an ongoing effort to develop related experimental techniques and to provide data for validation of computational tools. In this work, measurements of blade surface pressure and aerodynamic work distribution were addressed. A series of pressure sensors were designed and installed on rotating impeller blades and simultaneous measurements with blade-mounted strain gauges were performed under engine representative conditions. To the best knowledge of the authors, this is the first publication, which presents comprehensive experimental unsteady pressure measurements during forced response, for high-speed radial compressors. The experimental data were obtained for both resonance and off-resonance conditions with uniquely tailored inlet distortion. This paper covers aspects relating to the design of fast response pressure sensors and their installation on thin impeller blades. Additionally, sensor properties are outlined with a focus on calibration and measurement uncertainty estimations. The second part of this paper presents unsteady pressure results taken for a number of inlet distortion cases. It will be shown that the intended excitation order due to inlet flow distortion is of comparable magnitude to the second and third harmonics, which are consistently observed in all measurements. Finally, an experimental method will be outlined that enables the measurement of aerodynamic work on the blade surface during resonant crossing. This approach quantifies the energy exchange between the blade and the flow in terms of cyclic work along the blade surface. The phase angle between the unsteady pressure and the blade movement will be shown to determine the direction of energy transfer.


2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Dodds ◽  
M. Vahdati

In this two-part paper the phenomenon of part span rotating stall is studied. The objective is to improve understanding of the physics by which stable and persistent rotating stall occurs within high speed axial flow compressors. This phenomenon is studied both experimentally (Part I) and numerically (Part II). The experimental observations reported in Part I are now explored through the use of 3D unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulation. The objective is to both validate the computational model and, where possible, explore some physical aspects of the phenomena. Unsteady simulations are presented, performed at a fixed speed with the three rows of variable stator vanes adjusted to deliberately mismatch the front stages and provoke stall. Two families of rotating stall are identified by the model, consistent with experimental observations from Part I. The first family of rotating stall originates from hub corner separations developing on the stage 1 stator vanes. These gradually coalesce into a multicell rotating stall pattern confined to the hub region of the stator and its downstream rotor. The second family originates from regions of blockage associated with tip clearance flow over the stage 1 rotor blade. These also coalesce into a multicell rotating stall pattern of shorter length scale confined to the leading edge tip region. Some features of each of these two patterns are then explored as the variable stator vanes (VSVs) are mismatched further, pushing each region deeper into stall. The numerical predictions show a credible match with the experimental findings of Part I. This suggests that a RANS modeling approach is sufficient to capture some important aspects of part span rotating stall behavior.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document