Numerical Study on Three-Dimensional Optimization of a Low-Speed Axial Compressor Rotor

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenkai Zhang ◽  
Jun Hu ◽  
Zhiqiang Wang ◽  
Chao Yin ◽  
Wei Yan
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Optimization ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Compressor Rotor ◽  
Flow Loss

This paper presents numerical optimization of a compressor rotor, to deepen the knowledge of endwall flow in the large-scale axial subsonic compressor, accordingly reduce its endwall loss and improve its aerodynamic performance. With numerical simulation and numerical optimization tools, three-dimensional stacking principle is optimized to improve the design operation point performance for the rotor. Results show that, hub region of the rotor cannot undertake large blade loading; compared to the prototype rotor, obvious aerodynamic performance improvements locate near the hub area, and a certain degree of positive dihedral in this region effectively helps to reduce its flow loss. The effect of “loaded leading edge and unloaded trailing edge” due to positive dihedral was shown, which suppresses flow separation near the trailing edge, consequently obviously reduces the flow loss and largely improves the rotor aerodynamic performance.

An Explanation for Flow Features of Spike-Type Stall Inception in an Axial Compressor Rotor

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazutoyo Yamada ◽  
Hiroaki Kikuta ◽  
Ken-ichiro Iwakiri ◽  
Masato Furukawa ◽  
Satoshi Gunjishima
Keyword(s):  
Flow Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Stall Inception ◽  
Compressor Rotor ◽  
Pressure Region ◽  
Casing Pressure ◽  
Edge Separation

The unsteady behavior and three-dimensional flow structure of spike-type stall inception in an axial compressor rotor have been investigated by experimental and numerical analyses. Previous studies have revealed that the test compressor falls into a mild stall after emergence of a spike, in which multiple stall cells, each consisting of a tornado-like vortex, are rotating. However, the flow mechanism from the spike onset to the mild stall remains unexplained. The purpose of this study is to describe the flow mechanism of a spike stall inception in a compressor. In order to capture the transient phenomena of spike-type stall inception experimentally, an instantaneous casing pressure field measurement technique was developed, in which 30 pressure transducers measure an instantaneous casing pressure distribution inside the passage for one blade pitch at a rate of 25 samplings per blade passing period. This technique was applied to obtain the unsteady and transient pressure fields on the casing wall during the inception process of the spike stall. In addition, the details of the three-dimensional flow structure at the spike stall inception have been analyzed by a numerical approach using the detached-eddy simulation (DES). The instantaneous casing pressure field measurement results at the stall inception show that a low-pressure region starts traveling near the leading edge in the circumferential direction just after the spiky wave was detected in the casing wall pressure trace measured near the rotor leading edge. The DES results reveal the vortical flow structure behind the low-pressure region on the casing wall at the stall inception, showing that the low-pressure region is caused by a tornado-like separation vortex resulting from a leading-edge separation near the rotor tip. A leading-edge separation occurs near the tip at the onset of the spike stall and grows to form the tornado-like vortex connecting the blade suction surface and the casing wall. The casing-side leg of the tornado-like vortex generating the low-pressure region circumferentially moves around the leading-edge line. When the vortex grows large enough to interact with the leading edge of the next blade, the leading-edge separation begins to propagate, and then, the compressor falls into a stall with decreasing performance.

Three-Dimensional Turbulent Flow in the Tip Region of an Axial Compressor Rotor Passage at a Near Stall Condition

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongwei Ma ◽  
Haokang Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Compressor Rotor

This paper presents an experimental study of the three-dimensional turbulent flow field in the tip region of an axial flow compressor rotor passage at a near stall condition. The investigation was conducted in a low-speed large-scale compressor using a 3-component Laser Doppler Velocimetry and a high frequency pressure transducer. The measurement results indicate that a tip leakage vortex is produced very close to the leading edge, and becomes the strongest at about 10% axial chord from the leading edge. Breakdown of the vortex periodically occurs at about 1/3 chord, causing very strong turbulence in the radial direction. Flow separation happens on the tip suction surface at about half chord, prompting the corner vortex migrating toward the pressure side. Tangential migration of the low-energy fluids results in substantial flow blockage and turbulence in the rear of a rotor passage. Unsteady interactions among the tip leakage vortex, the separated vortex and the corner flow should contribute to the inception of the rotating stall in a compressor.

scholarly journals The Effect of Adding Roughness and Thickness to a Transonic Axial Compressor Rotor

1995 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 491-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Suder ◽  
R. V. Chima ◽  
A. J. Strazisar ◽  
W. B. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Surface Finish ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Blade Surface ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Compressor Rotor ◽  
Performance Deterioration ◽  
Design Speed

The performance deterioration of a high-speed axial compressor rotor due to surface roughness and airfoil thickness variations is reported. A 0.025 mm (0.001 in.) thick rough coating with a surface finish of 2.54–3.18 rms μm (100–125 rms μin.) is applied to the pressure and suction surface of the rotor blades. Coating both surfaces increases the leading edge thickness by 10 percent at the hub and 20 percent at the tip. Application of this coating results in a loss in efficiency of 6 points and a 9 percent reduction in the pressure ratio across the rotor at an operating condition near the design point. To separate the effects of thickness and roughness, a smooth coating of equal thickness is also applied to the blade. The smooth coating surface finish is 0.254–0.508 rms μm (10–20 rms μin.), compared to the bare metal blade surface finish of 0.508 rms pm (20 rms μin.). The smooth coating results in approximately half of the performance deterioration found from the rough coating. Both coatings are then applied to different portions of the blade surface to determine which portions of the airfoil are most sensitive to thickness/roughness variations. Aerodynamic performance measurements are presented for a number of coating configurations at 60, 80, and 100 percent of design speed. The results indicate that thickness/roughness over the first 2 percent of blade chord accounts for virtually all of the observed performance degradation for the smooth coating, compared to about 70 percent of the observed performance degradation for the rough coating. The performance deterioration is investigated in more detail at design speed using laser anemometer measurements as well as predictions generated by a quasi-three-dimensional Navier–Stokes flow solver, which includes a surface roughness model. Measurements and analysis are performed on the baseline blade and the full-coverage smooth and rough coatings. The results indicate that adding roughness at the blade leading edge causes a thickening of the blade boundary layers. The interaction between the rotor passage shock and the thickened suction surface boundary layer then results in an increase in blockage, which reduces the diffusion level in the rear half of the blade passage, thus reducing the aerodynamic performance of the rotor.

Unsteady Three-Dimensional Flow Phenomena Due to Breakdown of Tip Leakage Vortex in a Transonic Axial Compressor Rotor

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Yamada ◽  
M. Furukawa ◽  
T. Nakano ◽  
M. Inoue ◽  
K. Funazaki
Keyword(s):  
Shock Wave ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Vortex Breakdown ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Compressor Rotor

Unsteady three-dimensional flow fields in a transonic axial compressor rotor (NASA Rotor 37) have been investigated by unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulations. The simulations show that the breakdown of the tip leakage vortex occurs in the compressor rotor because of the interaction of the vortex with the shock wave. At near-peak efficiency condition small bubble-type breakdown of the tip leakage vortex happens periodically and causes the loading of the adjacent blade to fluctuate periodically near the leading edge. Since the blade loading near the leading edge is closely linked to the swirl intensity of the tip leakage vortex, the periodic fluctuation of the blade loading leads to the periodic breakdown of the tip leakage vortex, resulting in self-sustained flow oscillation in the tip leakage flow field. However, the tip leakage vortex breakdown is so weak and small that it is not observed in the time-averaged flow field at near-peak efficiency condition. On the other hand, spiral-type breakdown of the tip leakage vortex is caused by the interaction between the vortex and the shock wave at near-stall operating condition. The vortex breakdown is found continuously since the swirl intensity of tip leakage vortex keeps strong at near-stall condition. The spiral-type vortex breakdown has the nature of self-sustained flow oscillation and gives rise to the large fluctuation of the tip leakage flow field, in terms of shock wave location, blockage near the rotor tip and three-dimensional separation structure on the suction surface. It is found that the breakdown of the tip leakage vortex leads to the unsteady flow phenomena near the rotor tip, accompanying large blockage effect in the transonic compressor rotor at the near-stall condition.

Impact of Uniform Surface Roughness on the Aerodynamic Performance of an Axial Compressor Rotor at Different Rotational Speeds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashima Malhotra ◽  
Shraman Goswami ◽  
Pradeep A M
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Performance Loss ◽  
Compressor Rotor ◽  
Multistage Compressor ◽  
Design Speed ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Relative Flow

Abstract The aerodynamic performance of a compressor rotor is known to deteriorate due to surface roughness. It is important to understand this deterioration as it impacts the overall performance of the engine. This paper, therefore, aims to numerically investigate the impact of roughness on the performance of an axial compressor rotor at different rotational speeds. In this numerical study, the simulations are carried out for NASA Rotor37 at 100%, 80%, and 60% of its design speed. with and without roughness on the blade surface. These speeds are chosen because they represent different flow regimes. The front stages of a multistage compressor usually have a supersonic or transonic regime whereas the middle and aft stages have a subsonic regime. Thus, these performance characteristics can give an estimate of the impact on the performance of a multistage compressor. At 100% speed (design speed), the relative flow is supersonic, at 80% of design speed, the relative flow is transonic and at 60% of design speed, the relative flow is subsonic. Detailed flow field investigations are carried out to understand the underlying flow physics. The results indicate that, for the same amount of roughness, the degradation in the performance is maximum at 100% speed where the rotor is supersonic, while the impact is minimum at 60% speed where the rotor is subsonic. Thus, the rotor shock system plays an important role in determining the performance loss due to roughness. It is also observed that the loss increases with increased span for 100% and 80% speeds, but for 60% speed, the loss is almost constant from the hub to the shroud. This is because, with the increased span, the shock strength increases for 100% and 80% speeds, whereas at 60% speed flow is subsonic.

Three-Dimensional Turbulent Flow Field Downstream of a Single-Stage Axial Compressor Rotor

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongwei Ma ◽  
Haokang Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Single Stage ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Rotor Wake ◽  
Compressor Rotor

This paper reports an experimental investigation of the three-dimensional turbulent flow downstream of a single-stage axial compressor rotor. The flow fields were measured at two axial locations in the rotor-stator gap at different mass-flow conditions. Both hot-wire probe and fast-response pressure probe were employed to survey the flow structure. At the design condition, substantial flow blockage, turbulence, loss and aerodynamic noise mainly occur in the tip mid-passage, the rotor wake and at the hub corner of the suction surface. The radial component is the highest of the three turbulence intensities at 15% axial chord downstream of the trailing edge. With the flow downstream, the radial turbulence components decay fast. Interactions of the tip leakage vorticities and the rotor wake are found at 30% axial chord downstream of the trailing edge. With the mass-flow decrease, the turbulence intensities and shear stresses become stronger, while the radial components increase fast. The flow separation and tangential migration of the low-energy fluids at the tip corner of the suction surface play an important role in the tip flow field at a low mass-flow condition.

Effect of Inflow Circumferential Distortion on a Transonic Axial Compressor

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuyun Li ◽  
Zhiheng Wang ◽  
Guang Xi
Keyword(s):  
Total Pressure ◽  
Rotor Blade ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Inlet Distortion ◽  
Compressor Rotor ◽  
Structure Changes ◽  
Transonic Axial Compressor

The Inlet distortion, which may lead to the stability reduction or structure failure, is often non-ignorable in an axial compressor. In the paper, the three-dimensional unsteady numerical simulations on the flow in NASA rotor 67 are carried out to investigate the effect of inlet distortion on the performance and flow structure in a transonic axial compressor rotor. A sinusoidal circumferential total pressure distortion with eleven periods per revolution is adopted to study the interaction between the transonic rotor and inlet circumferential distortion. Concerning the computational expense, the flow in two rotor blade passages is calculated. Various intensities of the total pressure distortion are discussed, and the detailed flow structures under different rotating speeds near the peak efficiency condition are analyzed. It is found that the distortion has a positive effect on the flow near the hub. Even though there is no apparent decrease in the rotor efficiency or total pressure ratio, an obvious periodic loading exists over the whole blade. The blade loadings are concentrated in the region near the leading edge of the rotor blade or regions affected by the oscillating shocks near the pressure side. The time averaged location of shock structure changes little with the distortion, and the motion of shocks and the interactions between the shock and the boundary layer make a great contribution to the instability of the blade structure.

scholarly journals A Three-Dimensional Navier-Stokes Calculation Applied to an Axial Compressor Rotor and Stator

1993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Dring ◽  
Ricky J. VanSeters ◽  
Robert M. Zacharias
Keyword(s):  
Total Pressure ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Measured Data ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Compressor Rotor ◽  
Pressure Distributions

The objective of this paper is to apply a three-dimensional Navier-Stokes calculation to the second stage rotor and stator of a large scale compressor and to compare the computed results with measured data. The comparisons include: (1) airfoil and endwall surface streamlines, (2) radial-circumferential distributions of exit total pressure, (3) spanwise distributions of circumferentially averaged inlet and exit flow quantities, and (4) fullspan airfoil pressure distributions. This assessment demonstrates that the computational state-of-the-art has advanced to a point where calculations such as this can be applied with reasonable confidence in both design and analysis situations.

Three-Dimensional Unsteady Flow Field due to IGV-Rotor Interaction in the Tip Region of an Axial Compressor Rotor Passage

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongwei Ma ◽  
Haokang Jiang ◽  
Qingguo Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Compressor Rotor ◽  
Flow Mixing

This paper reports an experimental study of the three-dimensional unsteady flow field due to IGV-rotor interaction in the tip region of an axial compressor rotor passage. The measurements were conducted on a low-speed large-scale axial compressor using a 3-component Laser Doppler Velocimetry. Both experimental method and measurement techniques are presented in details. The results indicate that the tip corner flow of the IGV suction surface has deeper effects on the downstream flow than the IGV wake in the tip region. The interaction and the flow mixing among the IGV wake, the IGV comer flow and the rotor leading-edge flow occur at the inlet of a rotor passage, which make the rotor inlet flow three-dimensional, turbulent and unsteady. The low-energy fluids from the upstream tend to accumulate toward the rotor pressure surface after they enter a rotor passage. In the procedure, the interaction and the flow mixing among the rotor tip leakage vortex and the low-energy fluids occur in the rotor passage.

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