Whirl Frequency Dependent Alford Forces in Axial Compressors

Author(s):  
Claus M. Myllerup ◽  
Graeme Keith

Explicit closed form expressions are derived for the whirl frequency dependence of the Alford force in an axial compressor operating in steady-state away from the onset of rotating stall. The analysis includes the compressor flow dynamics using the Moore-Greitzer approximation. By asymptotic expansion in terms of the whirl orbit amplitude, expressions for the direct and cross-coupling impedance are obtained analytically. Several components in the cross-coupling impedance are shown to change phase as the whirl frequency transits the rotating stall frequency. This implies that for a given compressor design the Alford force can be stabilizing or destabilizing depending on flow rate and whirl frequency. Further, the analysis shows that the coupling between mean flow quantities and rotor whirl is of second order. Thereby, the present asymptotic expansion results in a fluid-structure coupling model, which is consistent in accuracy with usual linearized rotordynamic analysis.

Author(s):  
Gabriel Margalida ◽  
Pierric Joseph ◽  
Olivier Roussette ◽  
Antoine Dazin

The present paper aims at evaluating the surveillance parameters used for early stall warning in axial compressors, and is based on unsteady pressure measurements at the casing of a single stage axial compressor. Two parameters—Correlation and Root Mean Square (RMS)—are first compared and their relative performances discussed. The influence of sensor locations (in both radial and axial directions) is then considered, and the role of the compressor’s geometrical irregularities in the behavior of the indicators is clearly highlighted. The influence of the throttling process is also carefully analyzed. This aspect of the experiment’s process appears to have a non-negligible impact on the stall warning parameters, despite being poorly documented in the literature. This last part of this research work allow us to get a different vision of the alert parameters compared to what is classically done in the literature, as the level of irregularity that is reflected by the magnitude of the parameters appears to be an image of a given flow rate value, and not a clear indicator of the stall inception.


Author(s):  
Y. Levy ◽  
J. Pismenny ◽  
A. Reissner ◽  
W. Riess

The relationships between the frequencies of pressure oscillation ωOSC and the rotor speed (frequencies of rotor rotation) ωRR, as well as between the phases of pressure oscillation and geometrical angles of the sensor locations on the compressor casing (in the transverse cross-section) were determined experimentally. In addition, the phase–location relation permitted determination of the number of stall cells under established rotating stall. Literature on rotating stall in axial compressors typically refers to rotating stall with frequencies less than the rotor speed. This paper is concerned with two types of rotating stall, observed during experiments in a four-stage axial compressor, operating at the same rotor speed, n/nd = 0.95, where n is the rotor speed and nd the rotor data-sheet speed. The rotating stall frequencies were both, smaller and larger than the rotor speed. The relationships between ωOSC and ωRR were determined by four methods: directly from the time diagram of the pressure oscillation, from the diagrams of pressure variation in space and time, from the autocorrelation characteristics, and from the frequency characteristics of the pressure signals. All methods indicated values of ωOSC/ωRR in the form of integer ratios, 3:7 and 11:2. The phases of pressure oscillation in the transverse cross-section are equal to the sensor angles in compressor stator (in the case ωOSC/ωRR = 3:7) or are three times larger (in the case ωOSC/ωRR = 11:2), in accordance with the classical theory of single-cell and three-cell configurations of rotating stall, respectively.


Author(s):  
L. G. Fre´chette ◽  
O. G. McGee ◽  
M. B. Graf

A theoretical evaluation was conducted delineating how aeromechanical feedback control can be utilized to stabilize the inception of rotating stall in axial compressors. Ten aeromechanical control methodologies were quantitatively examined based on the analytical formulations presented in the first part of this paper (McGee et al, 2003a). The maximum operating range for each scheme is determined for optimized structural parameters, and the various schemes are compared. The present study shows that the most promising aeromechanical designs and controls for a class of low-speed axial compressors were the use of dynamic fluid injection. Aeromechanically incorporating variable duct geometries and dynamically re-staggered IGV and rotor blades were predicted to yield less controllability. The aeromechanical interaction of a flexible casing wall was predicted to be destabilizing, and thus should be avoided by designing sufficiently rigid structures to prevent casing ovalization or other structurally-induced variations in tip clearance. Control authority, a metric developed in the first part of this paper, provided a useful interpretation of the aeromechanical damping of the coupled system. The model predictions also show that higher spatial modes can become limiting with aeromechanical feedback, both in control of rotating stall as well as in considering the effects of lighter, less rigid structural aeroengine designs on compressor stability.


Author(s):  
Gh. Sari ◽  
O. Akhrif ◽  
L. Saydy

In this research we have addressed the study of the qualitative behavior of nonlinear variable speed axial compressors model exhibiting surge and stall instabilities. Such a study can shed some light on the development of an effective control approach being capable of simultaneously controlling the speed and instabilities. The controller can stabilize the system around an effective operating point and improve performance and reliability of variable speed axial compressors widely used in aeronautic industries. Although previous studies [1, 2] have focused on developing a model for non-constant speed axial compressors, qualitative characteristic of such a model is still unclear and its active control including both rotating stall and compressor speed is still a challenging problem. In this study we are particularly interested in investigating effects of the acceleration of the compressor rotor on qualitative properties of the model. To this end, bifurcation analysis of an axial compressor model with spool dynamics was performed and the simulation of the model was developed along the way. Preliminary surprising results revealed that the type of instability, surge or rotating stall, not only depends on the final speed as thought before but is also deeply affected by the rate of the rotor acceleration. Impacts of the initial speed on the qualitative properties of the model were demonstrated as well. Furthermore previous work [1, 2] showed that amplitudes of stall harmonics grow during the speed transition and cause a temporary pressure drop at the compressor output. Our simulation results supporting the bifurcation analysis of the model revealed that during speed transitions both amplitudes of high order stall harmonics and the number of dominant harmonics also depend on the rate of the acceleration and the initial speed.


1978 ◽  
Vol 100 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. J. Day ◽  
E. M. Greitzer ◽  
N. A. Cumpsty

A correlation is presented for predicting the performance characteristics of single and multistage axial compressors in rotating stall. The correlation is derived from new measurements of stalled compressor performance which have been obtained using a series of different compressor builds. In these experiments the compressor design parameters were systematically varied so that the influence of each could be clearly seen. It is shown that the stall cell blockage is an important parameter for correlating the flow regimes in stall, and hence the overall compressor performance. The resulting correlation, which has been developed based on a heuristic model of the stalled flow, can be applied to predict whether a given compressor will exhibit full-span or part-span stall, as well as the extent of the stall-unstall hysteresis loop. In particular, it is shown that as the number of stages and/or the design value of axial velocity parameter increases, the trend is toward both full-span stall and large hysteresis loops.


Author(s):  
Hanxuan Zeng ◽  
Xinqian Zheng ◽  
Mehdi Vahdati

Abstract The occurrence of stall and surge in axial compressors has a great impact on the performance and reliability of aero-engines. Accurate and efficient prediction of the key features during these events has long been the focus of engine design processes. In this paper, a new body-force model that can capture the three-dimensional and unsteady features of stall and surge in compressors at a fraction of time required for URANS computations is proposed. To predict the rotating stall characteristics, the deviation of local airflow angle from the blade surface is calculated locally during the simulation. According to this local deviation, the computational domain is divided into stalled and forward flow regions, and the body-force field is updated accordingly; to predict the surge characteristics, the local airflow direction is used to divide the computational domain into reverse flow regions and forward flow regions. A single-stage axial compressor and a three-stage axial compressor are used to verify the proposed model. The results show that the method is capable of capturing stall and surge characteristics correctly. Compared to the traditional fully three-dimensional URANS method (fRANS), the simulation time for multi-stage axial compressors is reduced by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude.


2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. G. Fre´chette ◽  
O. G. McGee ◽  
M. B. Graf

A theoretical evaluation was conducted delineating how aeromechanical feedback control can be utilized to stabilize the inception of rotating stall in axial compressors. Ten aeromechanical control methodologies were quantitatively examined based on the analytical formulations presented in the first part of this paper. The maximum operating range for each scheme is determined for optimized structural parameters, and the various schemes are compared. The present study shows that the most promising aeromechanical designs and controls for a class of low-speed axial compressors were the use of dynamic fluid injection. Aeromechanically incorporating variable duct geometries and dynamically re-staggered IGV and rotor blades were predicted to yield less controllability. The aeromechanical interaction of a flexible casing wall was predicted to be destabilizing, and thus should be avoided by designing sufficiently rigid structures to prevent casing ovalization or other structurally induced variations in tip clearance. Control authority, a metric developed in the first part of this paper, provided a useful interpretation of the aeromechanical damping of the coupled system. The model predictions also show that higher spatial modes can become limiting with aeromechanical feedback, both in control of rotating stall as well as in considering the effects of lighter, less rigid structural aeroengine designs on compressor stability.    


Author(s):  
Gianluca D’Elia ◽  
Giorgio Dalpiaz

This work addresses on a complete vibro-acoustic characterization of an axial compressor with the aim to foresee the rotor instability. The tests were performed on a turboshaft Allison 250-C18. The compressor is composed of six axial stages and one centrifugal stage. Four vibration signals were simultaneously measured by means of accelerometers, while the acoustic signals were measured by means of two microphones. Two different kinds of tests have been carried out on the compressor that operates at constant speed: in the course of the first test the six signals were acquired at different positions of the throttle opening, whereas during the second test, the signals were acquired while the throttle was gradually opened. The test results show a sensitive increase of the sub-synchronous activity in the accelerometers spectrum map, moreover, closing the throttle, the amplitude of the spectrum components increases. These phenomena can be related to the rotating stall behavior.


1993 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. 296-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Howard ◽  
S. J. Gallimore

An existing throughflow method for axial compressors, which accounts for the effects of spanwise mixing using a turbulent diffusion model, has been extended to include the viscous shear force on the endwall. The use of a shear force, consistent with a no-slip condition, on the annulus walls in the throughflow calculations allows realistic predictions of the velocity and flow angle profiles near the endwalls. The annulus wall boundary layers are therefore incorporated directly into the throughflow prediction. This eliminates the need for empirical blockage factors or independent annulus boundary layer calculations. The axisymmetric prediction can be further refined by specifying realistic spanwise variations of loss coefficient and deviation to model the three-dimensional endwall effects. The resulting throughflow calculation gives realistic predictions of flow properties across the whole span of a compressor. This is confirmed by comparison with measured data from both low and high-speed multistage machines. The viscous throughflow method has been incorporated into an axial compressor design system. The method predicts the meridional velocity defects in the endwall region and consequently blading can be designed that allows for the increased incidence, and low dynamic head, near the annulus walls.


Author(s):  
Jin Guo ◽  
Jun Hu ◽  
Xuegao Wang ◽  
Rong Xu

Abstract Rotating stall is a natural limit to the stable operating range of compressors due to the inverse pressure gradient of viscous gas. Effective prediction of compressor stall boundary is an important guarantee for the successful development of aeroengine. In this paper, a three-dimensional unsteady through-flow model based on body force theory is developed to reflect the dynamic stall process of multistage axial compressors with acceptable computational costs. The influence of blade geometric parameters is fully considered in blade force source terms. The source terms are related to the attack angle and Mach number of the blade inlet using the deviation angle and loss model in the through-flow theory. Meanwhile, the temporal lag response of the source terms to the upstream flow conditions is taken into account. Therefore, it can be utilized for predicting the off-design performance and rotating stall characteristics of multistage axial compressors. The developed model is validated on a two-stage low-speed axial compressor. The calculated performance line and stall cell speed are in agreement with the experimental results. The unsteady flow behavior of the compressor during stall is presented by the model. The results indicate that the developed model has the potential to be applied to the preliminary evaluation of compressor stability in design stage.


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