Numerical Study on End-Wall Flow in Highly Loaded Supercritical Compressor Cascades

Author(s):  
Bin Jiang ◽  
Songtao Wang ◽  
Guotai Feng ◽  
Zhongqi Wang

This paper presents a numerical study on three-dimensional flow phenomena near the endwall of a linear high-turning compressor cascade at supercritical flow conditions. The compressor cascade with 60° camber angle was designed at a higher supercritical speed (M1>0.9) by optimum method based on the baseline which aimed at improving the flow near the stator hub of small transonic fans. The camber line and thickness distribution curves of the baseline are formed by quadratic polynomials and double cubic curves respectively. The stack line and the thickness distribution near the end-wall were chosen as optimization variables to approach the objective function of total pressure loss coefficient, since they are the two main geometry parameters which can influence end-wall flow obviously. The analysis in current paper focuses on comparing the flow phenomena near the end-wall of baseline cascade with that of optimized one. Numerical simulation results are presented to show the loss reduction from the baseline to the optimized cascade near end-wall. The boundary-layer development on the suction surface, flow separation structure, shockwave and local supersonic area on the suction surface near the end-wall are analyzed in detail. The optimized cascade has a stronger shockwave near the leading edge. It was found that the radial flow of the boundary-layer caused by the optimization of stack line is the key factor influencing the aerodynamics loss near the end-wall at supercritical condition which also plays an important part in second-flow and flow separation in the corner. An understanding of the low-loss pattern of the end-wall flow and the flow filed structure for high-turning compressor at higher supercritical flow conditions then is summarized at the end of this paper.

Author(s):  
Jun Ding ◽  
Shaowen Chen ◽  
Hao Xu ◽  
Shijun Sun ◽  
Songtao Wang

Boundary layer suction is used in turbomachinery to control flow separation to enhance the loading capacity of a compressor. This paper focuses on both numerical calculation and experimental investigation with boundary layer suction holes made in the suction surface of a compressor cascade with a large camber angle. Experimental and numerical investigations are carried out with suction holes in different positions. In the experimental investigation, exit aerodynamic parameters are measured using a five-hole aerodynamic probe, and ink-trace flow visualization is adopted on cascade surface. Experimental and numerical results indicate that both side and middle suctions on the suction surface can efficiently remove low-energy fluid to increase the cascade load capacity while they effectively restrain the corner flow separation. The cascade aerodynamic performance is obviously improved by middle and side suctions, and it is also significantly altered by the position of suction changes. The middle suction holes have their best positions at about 60–66% chord length from the leading edge, and the side suction holes have their best positions a little downstream the corner separation line.


Author(s):  
Yangang Wang ◽  
Qijie Shao ◽  
Wenbing Hu

The present paper performed a numerical study on a high-loaded and high turning compressor cascade, where the unsteady boundary layer transition behavior on the cascade blade undergoing negative jet flow is revealed. The two-equation SST turbulence model coupled with Langtry-Menter transition model is verified and applied on all the computations in present study. Reynolds number and turbulent intensity are selected as two dominate candidates which can significantly influence the transition behavior and their effect were examined. Results show that under all the tested case (i.e., varying Reynolds number and turbulence intensity), the flow structures on the suction surface of the blade are rolled up when the unsteady negative jet flow directly impacting on the blade. However, the unsteady wake from upstream has not influenced the boundary layer. For high Reynolds number (i.e., Re = 400,000) the rolling up and shed of the boundary layer only occurs at blade trailing edge. The wake is evidenced be able to bring more energy into the boundary layer and thus separation and loss can be significantly decayed and reduced. Moreover, decreasing the turbulent intensity would in practical decay the transition in the boundary layer and therefore make the boundary layer easy to separate.


Author(s):  
Tian Liang ◽  
Bo Liu ◽  
Stephen Spence

Abstract Control of corner separation in axial compressor blade rows has attracted much interest due to its potential to improve compressor efficiency and the energy utilization in turbomachinery. This paper investigates the effectiveness and mechanisms of boundary layer suction in controlling the corner separation of a highly loaded axial compressor cascade. Numerical simulations have been carried out to investigate the effect of different suction schemes on the loss downstream of the cascade and the change in incidence characteristics with the variation of the suction flow rate. The results show that the effectiveness of flow suction in controlling the flow separation depends heavily on the proportion of the blade for which it is applied. It was found that suction along part of the blade span on the suction surface could effectively remove the separation at the region of the span influenced by the suction slot. However, this resulted in a deterioration of the flow field at other parts of the span. The full span suction scheme on the suction surface not only eliminated the separation of the boundary layer in the middle of the blade, but also significantly improved the flow uniformity near the end-wall. Despite the improvement in flow uniformity using the full-span suction scheme, a three-dimensional (3D) corner separation still existed due to the strong cross-passage pressure gradient. To improve the flow field uniformity further, two combined suction schemes with one spanwise slot on the suction surface and another slot on the end-wall were designed in order to fully remove both the separated flow on the blade suction surface and the 3D corner separation. It was found that the total pressure loss coefficient was reduced significantly by 63.8% with suction flow rates of 1.88% and 0.82% for the slots on the suction surface and the end-wall respectively. Further work showed that the behavior of the loss coefficient is different as the combination of suction flow rates is changed for different incidence. The cascade loss at high incidence operation can be more effectively reduced with suction control on the end-wall. When implementing combined suction, it is necessary to determine the best combination of suction flow rate according to the incidence level.


2005 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanping Song ◽  
Fu Chen ◽  
Jun Yang ◽  
Zhongqi Wang

This paper is focused on the numerical investigation of boundary layer suction (BLS) via a slot on the suction surfaces of two compound lean compressor cascades with large camber angles as well as a conventional straight compressor cascade for comparison. The objective of the investigation is to study the influence of boundary layer suction on the performance of compound lean compressor cascades, thus to discuss the possibility of the application of boundary layer suction to improve their performance. An extensive numerical study has been carried out under different spanwise lengths, different axial positions of the slots, and different suction flow rates. The results show that the total loss of all three cascades is reduced significantly by boundary layer suction, and the largest reduction occurs at the highest suction flow rate. The axial locations of the slot have little effect on the total loss of the three cascades, which means the slots are opened within the optimal axial range in this case. The slot opened along the full span is the best one to obtain the largest reduction in total loss for all three cascades due to the alleviation of flow separation in the corner between the endwall and the suction surface. Moreover, the flow turning is increased, and pressure rise at the rear of the passage is recovered along the whole blade height via boundary layer suction along the full span, enhancing the working range of the highly loaded compressor cascades.


Author(s):  
M. Boehle ◽  
U. Stark

The paper reports on a numerical investigation into the effects of inlet boundary layer skew on the aerodynamic performance of a high turning 50 deg, 2D compressor cascade. The cascade geometry is representative of stator hub sections in highly loaded single-stage axial-flow low-speed compressors. 2D blades with NACA 65 thickness distribution on circular arc camber lines were used. The blade aspect ratio was 1.0, the space/chord ratio 0.5 and the stagger angle 25 deg. The simulations were done with a commercially available, steady three-dimensional RANS solver with the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model. The incoming end-wall boundary layers were assumed to be collateral or skewed. In both cases the profile boundary layers were fully turbulent. The Reynolds-number was fixed at 600000 and the thickness of the incoming end-wall boundary layer was 0.1. Results are shown for an inlet-air angle of 50 deg, representing the impact free inlet-air angle of a hypothetical cascade with zero-thickness blades. Contrary to what has been expected, the results do not show (hub) corner stall, neither with nor without end-wall boundary layer skew. Flow reversal happens to occur almost exclusively on the suction surface of the blades, not on the end-walls. The end-wall flow is highly overturned, when the incoming boundary layer is collateral and is much less curved when the incoming boundary layer is skewed and (re)energized. This in turn leads to an interaction between the end-wall and blade suction surface flow which is much stronger in the first than in the second case with corresponding higher and lower losses, respectively.


2007 ◽  
Vol 130 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Semiu A. Gbadebo ◽  
Nicholas A. Cumpsty ◽  
Tom P. Hynes

One of the important ways of improving turbomachinery compressor performance is to control three-dimensional (3D) separations, which form over the suction surface and end wall corner of the blade passage. Based on the insights gained into the formation of these separations, this paper illustrates how an appropriately applied boundary layer suction of up to 0.7% of inlet mass flow can control and eliminate typical compressor stator hub corner 3D separation over a range of operating incidence. The paper describes, using computational fluid dynamics, the application of suction on the blade suction surface and end wall boundary layers and exemplifies the influence of end wall dividing streamline in initiating 3D separation in the blade passage. The removal of the separated region from the blade suction surface is confirmed by an experimental investigation in a compressor cascade involving surface flow visualization, surface static pressure, and exit loss measurements. The ensuing passage flow field is characterized by increased blade loading (static pressure difference between pressure and suction surface), enhanced average static pressure rise, significant loss removal, and a uniform exit flow. This result also enables the contribution of the 3D separation to the overall loss and passage blockage to be assessed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tian Liang ◽  
Bo Liu ◽  
Stephen Spence

Abstract Control of corner separation in axial compressor blade rows has attracted much interest due to its potential to improve compressor efficiency and the energy utilization in turbomachinery. This paper investigates the effectiveness and mechanisms of boundary layer suction in controlling the corner separation of a highly loaded axial compressor cascade. Numerical simulations have been carried out to investigate the effect of different suction schemes on the loss downstream of the cascade and the change in incidence characteristics with the variation of the suction flowrate. The results show that the effectiveness of flow suction in controlling the flow separation depends heavily on the proportion of the blade for which it is applied. It was found that suction along part of the blade span on the suction surface could effectively remove the separation at the region of the span influenced by the suction slot. However, this resulted in a deterioration of the flow field at other parts of the span. The full-span suction scheme on the suction surface not only eliminated the separation of the boundary layer in the middle of the blade but also significantly improved the flow uniformity near the end-wall. Despite the improvement in flow uniformity using the full-span suction scheme, a three-dimensional (3D) corner separation still existed due to the strong cross-passage pressure gradient. To improve the flow field uniformity further, two combined suction schemes with one spanwise slot on the suction surface and another slot on the end-wall were designed in order to fully remove both the separated flow on the blade suction surface and the 3D corner separation. It was found that the total pressure loss coefficient was reduced significantly by 63.8% with suction flowrates of 1.88% and 0.82% for the slots on the suction surface and the end-wall, respectively. Further work showed that the behavior of the loss coefficient is different as the combination of suction flowrates is changed for different incidence. The cascade loss at high incidence operation can be more effectively reduced with suction control on the end-wall. When implementing combined suction, it is necessary to determine the best combination of suction flowrate according to the incidence level.


Author(s):  
Yanping Song ◽  
Fu Chen ◽  
Jun Yang ◽  
Zhongqi Wang

This paper is focused on the numerical investigation of boundary layer suction (BLS) via a slot on the suction surfaces of two compound lean compressor cascades with large camber angles as well as a conventional straight compressor cascade for comparison. The objective of the investigation is to study the influence of boundary layer suction on the performance of compound lean compressor cascades, thus to discuss the possibility of the application of boundary layer suction to improve their performance. An extensive numerical study has been carried out under different spanwise lengths and different axial positions of the slots, and different suction flow rates. The results show that the total loss of all three cascades is reduced significantly by boundary layer suction, and the largest reduction occurs at the highest suction flow rate. The axial locations of the slot have little effect on the total loss of the three cascades, which means the slots are opened within the optimal axial range in this case. The slot opened along the full span is the best one to obtain the largest reduction in total loss for all three cascades due to the alleviation of flow separation in the corner between the endwall and the suction surface. Moreover, the flow turning is increased, and pressure rise at the rear of the passage is recovered along the whole blade height via boundary layer suction along the full span, enhancing the working range of the highly loaded compressor cascades.


1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. P. Tang ◽  
F. Chen ◽  
M. Z. Chen

A detailed experimental investigation was carried out to examine the vortex structure in the corner region (between the end wall and the suction surface of blades) of a linear compressor cascade. A corner vortex was identified in the corner flow in the experiment. The corner vortex sheds from the pressure-driven boundary layer on the end wall in a process of three-dimensional separation. It dominates the corner flow by the strong interaction with the main flow and the boundary layer on the suction surface of blade. The difference between the corner vortex and the well-known passage vortex is discussed. A topology of the vortex structure is proposed. Furthermore, the dynamic effects of the vortex structure has been investigated, which leads to a explanation for the mechanism of corner stall in compressor cascades.


Author(s):  
Longxin Zhang ◽  
Shaowen Chen ◽  
Hao Xu ◽  
Jun Ding ◽  
Songtao Wang

Compared with suction slots, suction holes are (1) flexible in distribution; (2) alterable in size; (3) easy to fabricate and (4) high in strength. In this paper, the numerical and experimental studies for a high turning compressor cascade with suction air removed by using suction holes in the end-wall at a low Mach numbers are carried out. The main objective of the investigation is to study the influence of different suction distributions on the aerodynamic performance of the compressor cascade and to find a better compound suction scheme. A numerical model was first made and validated by comparing with the experimental results. The computed flow visualization and exit parameter distribution showed a good agreement with experimental data. Second, the model was then used to simulate the influence of different suction distributions on the aerodynamic performance of the compressor cascade. A better compound suction scheme was obtained by summarizing numerical results and tested in a low speed wind tunnel. As a result, the compound suction scheme can be used to significantly improve the performance of the compressor cascade because the corner separation gets further suppressed.


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