Numerical Investigation on the Effect of Vortex Generator on Axial Compressor Performance

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruchika Agarwal ◽  
Anand Dhamarla ◽  
Sridharan R. Narayanan ◽  
Shraman N. Goswami ◽  
Balamurugan Srinivasan
Keyword(s):  
Cross Flow ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Side Surface ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Layer Flow ◽  
Flow Effects ◽  
End Wall

The performance of the compressor blade is considerably influenced by secondary flow effects, like the cross flow on the end wall as well as corner flow separation between the wall and the blade. The present work is focused on the studying the effects of Vortex Generator (VG) on NASA Rotor 37 test case using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). VG helps in controlling the inception of the stall by generating vortices and energizes the low momentum boundary layer flow which enhances the rotor performance. Three design configuration namely, Counter-rotating, Co-rotating and Plow configuration VG are selected based on the improved aerodynamic performance discussed in reference [1]. These VG are located at 90% span and 42% chord on suction side surface of the blade. Among the three configurations, the first configuration has greater impact on the end wall cross flow and flow deflection which resulted in enhanced numerical stall margin of 5.4% from baseline. The reasons for this numerical stall margin improvement are discussed in detail.

Numerical Analysis on Axial Compressor Stage Performance With Vortex Generators

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruchika Agarwal ◽  
Sridharan R. Narayanan ◽  
Shraman N. Goswami ◽  
Balamurugan Srinivasan
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Cross Flow ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Separated Flow ◽  
Sensitivity Study ◽  
Vortex Generators ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Compressor Stage

The performance of axial flow compressor stage can be improved by minimizing the effects of secondary flow and by avoiding flow separation. At higher blade loading, interaction of tip secondary flow and separated flow on blade surface is more near the tip of the rotor. This results in stall and hence decreases compressor performance. A previous study [1] was carried out to improve the performance of a rotating row of blades with the help of Vortex Generators (VGs) and considerable effects were observed. The current investigation is carried out to find out the effect of Vortex Generator (VG) on the performance of a compressor stage. NASA Rotor 37 with NASA Stator 37 (stage) is used as a test case for the current numerical investigation. VGs are placed at different chord wise as well as span wise locations. A mesh sensitivity study has been done so that simulation result is mesh independent. The results of numerical simulation with different geometrical forms and locations of VGs are presented in this paper. The investigation includes a description of the secondary flow effect and separation zone in compressor stage based on numerical as well as experimental results of NASA Rotor 37 with Stator 37 (without VG). It is also observed that the shape and location of the VG impacts the end wall cross flow and flow deflection [1], which result in enhanced stall range.

CFD Analysis to Investigate the Effect of Vortex Generators on a Transonic Axial Flow Compressor Stage

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avinash Kumar Rajendran ◽  
M. T. Shobhavathy ◽  
R. Ajith Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Cross Flow ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Vortex Generators ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Compressor Rotor ◽  
Flow Compressor ◽  
End Wall

The performance of the compressor blade is considerably influenced by secondary flow effects, like the cross flow on the end wall as well as corner flow separation between the wall and the blade. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been extensively used to analyze the flow through rotating machineries, in general and through axial compressors, in particular. The present work is focused on the studying the effects of Vortex Generator (VG) on test compressor at CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, India using CFD. The compressor consists of NACA transonic rotor with 21 blades and subsonic stator with 18 vanes. The design pressure ratio is 1.35 at 12930 RPM with a mass flow rate of 22 kg/s. Three configurations of counter rotating VGs were selected for the analysis with 0.25δ, 0.5δ and δ height, where δ was equal to the physical thickness of boundary layer (8mm) at inlet to the compressor rotor [11]. The vortex generators were placed inside the casing at 18 percent of the chord ahead to the leading edge of the rotor. A total of 63 pairs of VGs were incorporated, with three pairs in one blade passage. Among the three configurations, the first configuration has greater impact on the end wall cross flow and flow deflection which resulted in enhanced numerical stall margin of 3.5% from baseline at design speed. The reasons for this numerical stall margin improvement are discussed in detail.

Effects of Vortex Generator Application on the Performance of a Compressor Cascade

2012 ◽  
Vol 135 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Hergt ◽  
Robert Meyer ◽  
Karl Engel
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Cross Flow ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Vortex Generators ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Compressor Cascade ◽  
Corner Separation ◽  
Design Point ◽  
Flow Effects ◽  
End Wall

The performance of a compressor cascade is considerably influenced by secondary flow effects, like the cross flow on the end wall as well as the corner separation between the wall and the vane. An extensive experimental study of vortex generator application in a highly loaded compressor cascade was performed in order to control these effects and enhance the aerodynamic performance. The results of the study will be used in future projects as a basis for parameterization in the design and optimization process for compressors in order to develop novel nonaxisymmetric endwalls as well as for blade modifications. The study includes the investigation of two vortex generator types with different geometrical forms and their application on several positions in the compressor cascade. The investigation includes a detailed description of the secondary flow effects in the compressor cascade, which is based on numerical and experimental results. This gives the basis for a specific approach of influencing the cascade flow by means of vortex generators. Depending on the vortex generator type and position, there is an impact on the end wall cross flow, the development of the horse shoe vortex at the leading edge of the vane, and the extent of the corner separation achieved by improved mixing within the boundary layer. The experiments were carried out on a compressor cascade at a high-speed test facility at DLR in Berlin at minimum loss (design point) and off-design of the cascade at Reynolds numbers up to Re = 0.6 × 106 (based on 40-mm chord) and Mach numbers up to M = 0.7. At the cascade design point, the total pressure losses could be reduced by up to 9% with the vortex generator configuration, whereas the static pressure rise was nearly unaffected. Furthermore, the cascade deflection could be influenced considerably by vortex generators and also an enhancement of the cascade stall range could be achieved. All these results will be presented and discussed with respect to secondary flow mechanisms. Finally, the general application of vortex generators in axial compressors will be discussed.

Effects of Vortex Generator Application on the Performance of a Compressor Cascade

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Hergt ◽  
Robert Meyer ◽  
Karl Engel
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Cross Flow ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Vortex Generators ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Compressor Cascade ◽  
Corner Separation ◽  
Design Point ◽  
Flow Effects ◽  
End Wall

The performance of a compressor cascade is considerably influenced by secondary flow effects, like the cross flow on the end wall as well as the corner separation between the wall and the vane. An extensive experimental study of vortex generator application in a highly loaded compressor cascade was performed, in order to control these effects and enhance the aerodynamic performance. The results of the study will be used in future projects as a basis for parameterization in the design and optimization process for compressors in order to develop novel non-axisymmetric endwall as well as for blade modifications. The study includes the investigation of two vortex generator types, with different geometrical forms and their application on several positions in the compressor cascade. The investigation includes a detailed description of the secondary flow effects in the compressor cascade which is based on numerical and experimental results. This gives the basis for a specific approach of influencing the cascade flow by means of vortex generators. Depending on the vortex generator type and position, there is an impact on the end wall cross flow, the development of the horse shoe vortex at the leading edge of the vane and the extent of the corner separation achieved by improved mixing within the boundary layer. The experiments were carried out on a compressor cascade at a high-speed test facility at the DLR in Berlin at minimum loss (design point) and off-design of the cascade at Reynolds numbers up to Re = 0.6 × 106 (based on 40 mm chord) and Mach numbers up to M = 0.7. The cascade consisted of five vanes and their profiles represent the cut near hub of the stator vanes of the single stage axial compressor of the Technical University of Darmstadt. At the cascade design point the total pressure losses could be reduced by up to 9 percent with vortex generator configuration whereas the static pressure rise was nearly unaffected. Furthermore, the cascade deflection could be influenced considerably by vortex generators and also an enhancement of the cascade stall range could be achieved. All these results will be presented and discussed with respect to secondary flow mechanisms.

scholarly journals Numerical Optimization of a Stall Margin Enhancing Recirculation Channel for an Axial Compressor

Fluids ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 88
Author(s):  
Motoyuki Kawase ◽  
Aldo Rona
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Dynamic Simulations ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Casing Treatment

A proof of concept is provided by computational fluid dynamic simulations of a new recirculating type casing treatment. This treatment aims at extending the stable operating range of highly loaded axial compressors, so to improve the safety of sorties of high-speed, high-performance aircraft powered by high specific thrust engines. This casing treatment, featuring an axisymmetric recirculation channel, is evaluated on the NASA rotor 37 test case by steady and unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) simulations, using the realizable k-ε model. Flow blockage at the recirculation channel outlet was mitigated by chamfering the exit of the recirculation channel inner wall. The channel axial location from the rotor blade tip leading edge was optimized parametrically over the range −4.6% to 47.6% of the rotor tip axial chord c z . Locating the channel at 18.2% c z provided the best stall margin gain of approximately 5.5% compared to the untreated rotor. No rotor adiabatic efficiency was lost by the application of this casing treatment. The investigation into the flow structure with the recirculating channel gave a good insight into how the new casing treatment generates this benefit. The combination of stall margin gain at no rotor adiabatic efficiency loss makes this design attractive for applications to high-speed gas turbine engines.

Effects of Circumferential Casing Grooves on the Performance of a Transonic Axial Compressor

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Minsuk Choi
Keyword(s):  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Reference Case ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Transonic Compressor ◽  
Stable Operating ◽  
Performance Curves ◽  
Downstream Flow

AbstractThe casing groove is a highly effective method for improving the stall margin with the least detrimental effect on the peak efficiency in an axial compressor. In this work, a single casing groove with different heights and positions was numerically tested to evaluate effects of each geometric parameter on the stall margin in a transonic compressor. Validation between the simulation and experiment was conducted with a smooth casing as a reference case, and the computed and experimental results were compared in terms of performance curves, downstream flow properties and Mach number contours. Subsequently, the performance curves for each test case with a single casing groove were obtained from the numerical results and compared with each other to determine the appropriate position and height of the groove for increasing the stall margin. A casing groove installed near the leading edge was found to be effective for expanding the stable operating range in a transonic compressor, giving about 3% point improvement in the stall margin at the cost of a small drop in efficiency at the design point. An attempt was also made to understand the underlying mechanism of the casing groove based on the analysis of the numerical flow data.

Effect of Various Trench Designs on Axial Compressor Blade Tip Aerodynamics

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashwin Ashok ◽  
Patur Ananth Vijay Sidhartha ◽  
Shine Sivadasan
Keyword(s):  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Horseshoe Vortex ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Compressor Cascade ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Casing Treatment ◽  
Tip Leakage

Abstract Tip clearance of axial compressor blades allows leakage of the flow, generates significant losses and reduces the compressor efficiency. The present paper aims to discuss the axial compressor tip aerodynamics for various configurations of tip gap with trench. The various configurations are obtained by varying the clearance, trench depth, step geometry and casing contouring. In this paper the axial compressor aerodynamics for various configurations of tip gap with trench have been studied. The leakage flow structure, vorticity features and entropy generations are analyzed using RANS based CFD. The linear compressor cascade comprises of NACA 651810 blade with clearance height varied from 0.5% to 2% blade span. Trail of the tip leakage vortex and the horseshoe vortex on the blade suction side are clearly seen for the geometries with and without casing treatments near the stalling point. Since the trench side walls are similar to forward/backing steps, a step vortex is observed near the leading edge as well as trailing edge of the blade and is not seen for the geometry without the casing treatment. Even though the size of the tip leakage vortex seams to be reduces by providing a trench to the casing wall over the blade, the presence of additional vortices like the step vortex leads to comparatively higher flow losses. An increase in overall total pressure loss due to the application of casing treatment is observed. However an increase in stall margin for the geometries with casing is noted.

Control of Tip-Clearance Flow in a Low Speed Axial Compressor Rotor With Plasma Actuation

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giridhar Jothiprasad ◽  
Robert C. Murray ◽  
Katherine Essenhigh ◽  
Grover A. Bennett ◽  
Seyed Saddoughi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Edge Plasma ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Low Speed ◽  
Gap Flow ◽  
End Wall ◽  
Tip Gap Flow

This research investigates different dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) actuator configurations for affecting tip leakage flow and suppressing stall inception. Computational investigations were performed on a low-speed rotor with a highly loaded tip region that was responsible for stall-onset. The actuator was mounted on the casing upstream of the rotor leading edge. Plasma injection had a significant impact on the predicted tip-gap flow and improved stall margin. The effect of changing the actuator forcing direction on stall margin was also studied. The improvement in stall margin was closely correlated with a reduction in loading parameter that quantifies mechanisms responsible for end-wall blockage generation. The actuation reduced end-wall losses by increasing the static pressure of tip-gap flow emerging from blade suction-side. Lastly, an approximate speed scaling developed for the DBD force helped estimate force requirements for stall enhancement of transonic rotors.

Investigation of Unsteady Flow Effects in an Axial Compressor Based on Whole Annulus Computations

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Ro¨ber ◽  
Edmund Ku¨geler ◽  
Anton Weber
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Wall Functions ◽  
Boundary Layer Development ◽  
Blade Row ◽  
Flow Effects ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
Unsteady Effects

Flows in the first stages of axial compressors are subject to a number of unsteady effects which are not generally taken into account in standard investigations, e.g. transition under the influence of impinging wakes as well as that of downstream potential effects, or the influence of unsteady blade row interactions. For numerical studies of these phenomena, usually, simplifications are made to the test case in question. These simplifications include domain scaling, quasi-unsteady modeling, or modeling assumptions regarding boundary layer development, like wall functions; and their impact on the final result can be quite high. This paper is concerned with the investigation of unsteady blade row interactions in a 4.5 stage research compressor without any of these simplifications. To this end, the whole annulus of the first two stages of the compressor was meshed and unsteady RANS simulations were carried out at two different operating points. Spatial and temporal resolutions were fine enough to allow the investigation of transitional phenomena on the blade surface using an integral multi-mode transition model. For each operating point, one revolution was recorded after computations reached a periodic state. Examination of the boundary layer parameters shows that transition plays a considerable role for the first two compressor stages which were investigated in more detail. It was evident that the development of the blade boundary layer depends not only on incoming wakes from upstream blade rows; the precise transition location is also highly dependent on the potential effect of downstream blade rows.

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