Investigation of the Surge Behavior of a Multi-Stage Axial Compressor With a Multi-Sensor Probe
The surge behavior of the first rotor of an eight-stage aero engine high pressure compressor has been investigated experimentally. For that purpose, a new multi-hole pressure probe was developed and adapted to the axial compressor test rig. Due to the high time resolution measurements (more than 45000 measuring points per surge cycle) it is possible to investigate the dynamic flow field of a surge cycle in a time-accurate manner. The results especially show the complex flow field structure at the surge inception. At the rotor leading edge the flow shows perturbations with high amplitudes and initiates the surge event, whereas the flow at the rotor trailing edge is less influenced. The inflow vector turns around the leading edge of the blade relatively slowly. During that turn around three different characteristic flow conditions have been identified. These are ‘zero rotor turning’, ‘turbine-like flow’ and ‘no flow’. ‘No flow’ means, that the absolute velocity vector reaches a flow angle where it consists of a pure tangential velocity component. That is the point where the reverse flow phase is initiated. A 180° shift of the flow direction at the rotor trailing edge is the consequence. After a quasi-steady reverse flow the acceleration of the flow starts. In total, this paper gives new and fundamental insights into the unsteady flow field phenomena during various surge cycles. Especially the transient velocity vector imparts a good idea of the flow field structure of a surging compressor.