scholarly journals PIV measurements of the transient flow structure in the tip region of a transonic compressor near stability limit

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. JYVUQD ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Brandstetter ◽  
Heinz-Peter Schiffer
Keyword(s):  
Flow Structure ◽  
Transient Flow ◽  
Stability Limit ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Optical Measurements ◽  
Channel Height ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Transonic Compressor

Abstract The flow structures in an axial compressor that lead to short-length scale stall inception are investigated using optical measurements in a high-speed one and a half stage compressor. During transient throttling procedures, velocity was measured in a tangential plane at 92% channel height, intersecting the tip leakage vortex. The results show large scale disturbances of the secondary flow structure, which results from unsteady breakdown of the tip leakage vortex. It was possible to resolve spill forward several revolutions before the occurrence of rotating stall. This effect leads to local flow separations on the blade suction side and the development of radial vortex structures. The vortices are transported to the adjacent blade and cause further separations. Both effects are described in literature but were measured directly for the first time in a transonic compressor in this investigation. They are visualized for several time steps during transient throttling maneuvers and compared to blade vibration amplitudes. During the final phase before rotating stall occurs, asynchronous blade vibrations correlate with axial velocity in the region around the blade leading edge.

The Behavior of the Casing Boundary Layer With the Presence of Tip Leakage Vortex

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Nan ◽  
Feng Lin ◽  
Takehiro Himeno ◽  
Toshinori Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Skin Friction ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Transonic Compressor ◽  
Flow Loss ◽  
Produce Flow

Casing boundary layer effectively places a limit on the pressure rise capability achievable by the compressor. The separation of the casing boundary layer not only produce flow loss but also closely related to the compressor rotating stall. The motivation of this paper is to present a viewpoint that the casing boundary layer should be paid attention to in parallel with other flow factors on rotating stall trigger. This paper illustrates the casing boundary layer behavior by displaying its separation phenomena with the presence of tip leakage vortex at different flow conditions. Skin friction lines and the corresponding absolute streamlines are used to demonstrate the three-dimensional flow patterns on and near the casing. The results depict a Saddle, a Node and several tufts of skin friction lines dividing the passage into four zones. The tip leakage vortex is enfolded within one of the zones by the separated flows. All the flows in each blade passage are confined within the passage as long as the compressor is stable. The casing boundary layer of a transonic compressor is also examined in the same way, which results in qualitatively similar zonal flows that enfolds the tip leakage vortex. This research develops a new way to study the casing boundary layer in rotating compressors. The results may provide a first-principle based explanation to stalling mechanisms for compressors that are casing sensitive.

Investigation of Passage Flow Features in a Transonic Compressor Rotor With Casing Treatments

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. W. Mu¨ller ◽  
H.-P. Schiffer ◽  
Melanie Voges ◽  
Chunill Hah
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Stability Limit ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Operating Range ◽  
Transonic Compressor ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Casing Treatments

An experimental investigation on casing treatments in a one-stage transonic compressor is presented. The reference case consists of a radially staggered blisk and six circumferential grooves. Speedlines show that this axisymmetric treatment already provided a substantial increase in operating range with relatively small losses in efficiency. Since the onset of rotating stall in tip-critical high-speed compressors is always linked to the tip-leakage flow and the build-up of blockage within the blade passage. High-resolution measurement techniques have been employed to investigate the corresponding effects. Results with Particle Image Velocimetry show that the interaction between the tip leakage vortex and the shock front cause a blockage area. When throttled further, the blockage increases. The shock structure changes similar to the phenomena of vortex breakdown described by different researchers in the past, but a stagnation point is not present. Before reaching the stability limit, the interface line between the incoming flow and the blocked area moves towards the inlet plane of the rotor indicating spike-type stall inception. Wall pressure measurements confirmed this theory for the smooth wall, but with circumferential grooves applied, a part span stall cell develops prior to the stability limit. In order to assess the performance of circumferential grooves, two additional configurations are presented. The corresponding measurements addressed the questions whether circumferential grooves also provide an operating range extension when applied to an optimized rotor design with higher initial stall margin. Therefore, an identical casing treatment is applied to a forward swept rotor. The second question is, how circumferential grooves perform in direct comparison to a non-axisymmetric endwall structure. Axial slots have been applied to the radially staggered rotor. While the stall margin exceeds all other configurations, detrimential effects in efficiency are observed. A detailed anaylsis of probe data shows the changes of the radial profile at the rotor outlet which allows recommendations for more efficient CT designs. Parameters allowing to evaluate the CT influence are presented.

Interaction of Rotor and Casing Treatment Flow in an Axial Single-Stage Transonic Compressor With Circumferential Grooves

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin W. Mu¨ller ◽  
Christoph Biela ◽  
Heinz-Peter Schiffer ◽  
Chunill Hah
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Single Stage ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Casing Treatment ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Transonic Compressor

The influence of circumferential grooves on the tip flow field of an axial single-stage transonic compressor rotor has been examined experimentally and numerically. The compressor stage provides a strongly increased stall margin with only small penalties in efficiency when the casing treatment is applied. Due to the complex interactions of the grooves with the rotor flow, unsteady measurement techniques have been chosen as an attempt to identify the aerodynamic effects responsible for the operating range extension. Therefore, the casing treatment has been instrumented with piezoresistive pressure sensors in the land between the grooves providing high-resolution static wall pressure measurements at different operating conditions. Data acquisition worked at a sampling rate of 125kHz, providing around 23 static pressure values per blade passage at 11 axial positions at the nominal speed of 20,000 rpm. A comparable dataset, but with 14 sensors, was obtained for the smooth casing. The results show the fluctuation of the tip leakage vortex and shock-vortex-interactions as well as the changed situation with casing treatment. Ensemble-averaged data shows tip leakage vortex trajectories. At near stall conditions with the smooth casing, the vortex hits the front part of the adjacent blade, which indicates the possibility of a spill forward of low momentum fluid into the next passage. Standard deviation values prove a high fluctuation of the pressure field over the tip gap. When the casing treatment is applied, the vortex trajectory maintains alignment along the blade’s suction side, thus preventing the onset of rotating stall. Results are presented as a back-to-back comparison of the smooth casing versus the treated casing at three operating conditions: peak efficiency at a mass flow rate of m˙pe = 16.2kg/s, near stall of the smooth casing at m˙nssc = 14.0kg/s and near stall of the treated casing at m˙ns = 12.6kg/s. Steady and unsteady numerical simulations of the rotor-only flow field have been calculated with and without grooves. These calculations aim at a broad analysis of the occurring flow phenomena at the rotor tip. Tip leakage flow behaviour and vortex trajectories are discussed in detail by summarizing the congruent findings of both numerical and experimental investigations.

Unsteady Pressure Measurement in a Single Stage Axial Transonic Compressor Near the Stability Limit

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Biela ◽  
Martin W. Mu¨ller ◽  
Heinz-Peter Schiffer ◽  
Carsten Zscherp
Keyword(s):  
Total Pressure ◽  
Sampling Rate ◽  
Stability Limit ◽  
Wall Pressure ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Transonic Compressor ◽  
Vortex Pattern ◽  
Relative Standard ◽  
The Stability

With the help of piezoelectric high frequency pressure probes measurements are undertaken to investigate the flow during stable compressor operation close to the stability limit. Fourteen static pressure probes record the static wall pressure and ten total pressure probes record the total pressure at the rotor exit, both in the absolute frame of reference. The data is then visualised as ensemble averaged contour and spectrum plots. With the help of wall and exit pressure, the tip leakage vortex is localised. Oscillations of the tip leakage vortex are seen as well in terms of high relative standard deviation as well as in an excitation of a frequency band around 1/2 BPF. Further investigation of the frequency spectrum with the help of the pseudo-unsteady wall pressure reveal the occurrence of rotating tip leakage vortex disturbances forming a two-passage periodic vortex pattern. The presented measurements were obtained using Rotor-1 from the TU Darmstadt rotor family. With a sampling rate of 125kHz the pressure field is resolved with 23 measurements per passage (at 20.000 rpm, design speed).

scholarly journals Effects of Tip Leakage Flow on the Aerodynamic Performance and Stability of an Axial-Flow Transonic Compressor Stage

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 4168
Author(s):  
Botao Zhang ◽  
Xiaochen Mao ◽  
Xiaoxiong Wu ◽  
Bo Liu
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Shock Wave ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Transonic Compressor

To explain the effect of tip leakage flow on the performance of an axial-flow transonic compressor, the compressors with different rotor tip clearances were studied numerically. The results show that as the rotor tip clearance increases, the leakage flow intensity is increased, the shock wave position is moved backward, and the interaction between the tip leakage vortex and shock wave is intensified, while that between the boundary layer and shock wave is weakened. Most of all, the stall mechanisms of the compressors with varying rotor tip clearances are different. The clearance leakage flow is the main cause of the rotating stall under large rotor tip clearance. However, the stall form for the compressor with half of the designed tip clearance is caused by the joint action of the rotor tip stall caused by the leakage flow spillage at the blade leading edge and the whole blade span stall caused by the separation of the boundary layer of the rotor and the stator passage. Within the investigated varied range, when the rotor tip clearance size is half of the design, the compressor performance is improved best, and the peak efficiency and stall margin are increased by 0.2% and 3.5%, respectively.

Flow Field Unsteadiness in the Tip Region of a Transonic Compressor Rotor

1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. L. Puterbaugh ◽  
W. W. Copenhaver
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Vortex Interaction ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Transonic Compressor ◽  
Compressor Rotor ◽  
Operating Points

An experimental investigation concerning tip flow field unsteadiness was performed for a high-performance, state-of-the-art transonic compressor rotor. Casing-mounted high frequency response pressure transducers were used to indicate both the ensemble averaged and time varying flow structure present in the tip region of the rotor at four different operating points at design speed. The ensemble averaged information revealed the shock structure as it evolved from a dual shock system at open throttle to an attached shock at peak efficiency to a detached orientation at near stall. Steady three-dimensional Navier Stokes analysis reveals the dominant flow structures in the tip region in support of the ensemble averaged measurements. A tip leakage vortex is evident at all operating points as regions of low static pressure and appears in the same location as the vortex found in the numerical solution. An unsteadiness parameter was calculated to quantify the unsteadiness in the tip cascade plane. In general, regions of peak unsteadiness appear near shocks and in the area interpreted as the shock-tip leakage vortex interaction. Local peaks of unsteadiness appear in mid-passage downstream of the shock-vortex interaction. Flow field features not evident in the ensemble averaged data are examined via a Navier-Stokes solution obtained at the near stall operating point.

Numerical Investigation Into the Mechanism of Tip Flow Unsteadiness in a Transonic Compressor

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangyao An ◽  
Yanhui Wu ◽  
Jinhua Lang ◽  
Zhiyang Chen ◽  
Bo Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vortex Breakdown ◽  
Pressure Oscillation ◽  
Operating Point ◽  
Recirculation Region ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Vortex ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Flow Unsteadiness ◽  
Transonic Compressor ◽  
Evolution And Development

It is well known that tip flow unsteadiness has profound effects on both performance and stability of axial compressors. A number of numerical simulations have been performed in transonic compressors to uncover the nature of tip flow unsteadiness. From this research, tip flow unsteadiness can be attributed to many factors, such as the movement of the primary and secondary leakage flow, the interaction between shock and vortex, and the tip leakage vortex breakdown. However, no final conclusion has yet been reached on this matter. The current investigation is carried out to explore the origin of tip flow unsteadiness from the perspective of the evolution and development of tip leakage vortex breakdown. In this paper, unsteady RANS simulations have been performed to investigate the fluid dynamic processes in a tip-critical transonic compressor, NASA Rotor 35. A vortex core visualization method based on an eigenvector method is introduced as an important tool to identify the vortex arising from tip leakage flow. As the flow rate varies, three critical operating points with distinctive features of flow unsteadiness are observed. At the first critical operating point, bubble-type breakdown occurs, and gives rise to a weak unsteadiness with high frequency in the rotor passage due to the oscillation of the recirculation region induced by the tip leakage vortex breakdown. At the second critical operating point, the vortex breakdown has transformed from bubble-type to spiral-type, which leads to the frequency of the pressure oscillation reduced almost by half and the amplitude increased significantly. At the third critical operating point, a new vortex that is perpendicular to the pressure surface comes into being in the tip region, which leads to a prominent pressure oscillation of the tip flow and another jump in amplitude. As a result, the evolution and development of tip leakage vortex breakdown are closely related to the tip flow unsteadiness of the investigated rotor.

Reduced-Order Modelling of Rotating Stall

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominik Schlüter ◽  
Robert P. Grewe ◽  
Fabian Wartzek ◽  
Alexander Liefke ◽  
Jan Werner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Stability Limit ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Transonic Compressor ◽  
Experimental Findings

Abstract Rotating stall is a non-axisymmetric disturbance in axial compressors arising at operating conditions beyond the stability limit of a stage. Although well-known, its driving mechanisms determining the number of stall cells and their rotational speed are still marginally understood. Numerical studies applying full-wheel 3D unsteady RANS calculations require weeks per operating point. This paper quantifies the capability of a more feasible quasi-2D approach to reproduce 3D rotating stall and related sensitivities. The first part of the paper deals with the validation of a numerical baseline the simplified model is compared to in detail. Therefore, 3D computations of a state-of-the-art transonic compressor are conducted. At steady conditions the single-passage RANS CFD matches the experimental results within an error of 1% in total pressure ratio and mass flow rate. At stalled conditions, the full-wheel URANS computation shows the same spiketype disturbance as the experiment. However, the CFD underpredicts the stalling point by approximately 7% in mass flow rate. In deep stall, the computational model correctly forecasts a single-cell rotating stall. The stall cell differs by approximately 21% in rotational speed and 18% in circumferential size from the experimental findings. As the 3D model reflects the compressor behaviour sufficiently accurate, it is considered valid for physical investigations. In the second part of the paper, the validated baseline is reduced in radial direction to a quasi-2D domain only resembling the compressor tip area. Four model variations regarding span-wise location and extent are numerically investigated. As the most promising model matches the 3D flow conditions in the rotor tip region, it correctly yields a single-cell rotating stall. The cell differs by only 7% in circumferential size from the 3D results. Due to the impeded radial migration in the quasi-2D slice, however, the cell exhibits an increased axial extent. It is assumed, that the axial expansion into the adjacent rows causes the difference in cell speed by approximately 24%. Further validation of the reduced model against experimental findings reveals, that it correctly reflects the sensitivity of circumferential cell size to flow coefficient and individual cell speed to compressor shaft speed. As the approach reduced the wall clock time by 92%, it can be used to increase the physical understanding of rotating stall at much lower costs.

Nusselt Numbers and Flow Structure on and Above a Shallow Dimpled Surface Within a Channel Including Effects of Inlet Turbulence Intensity Level

2004 ◽  
Vol 127 (2) ◽  
pp. 321-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. M. Ligrani ◽  
N. K. Burgess ◽  
S. Y. Won
Keyword(s):  
Nusselt Number ◽  
Flow Structure ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Local Nusselt Number ◽  
Channel Height ◽  
Intensity Level ◽  
Stagnation Temperature ◽  
Channel Inlet ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Nusselt Numbers

Experimental results from a channel with shallow dimples placed on one wall are given for Reynolds numbers based on channel height from 3,700 to 20,000, levels of longitudinal turbulence intensity from 3% to 11% (at the entrance of the channel test section), and a ratio of air inlet stagnation temperature to surface temperature of approximately 0.94. The ratio of dimple depth to dimple print diameter δ∕D is 0.1, and the ratio of channel height to dimple print diameter H∕D is 1.00. The data presented include friction factors, local Nusselt numbers, spatially averaged Nusselt numbers, a number of time-averaged flow structural characteristics, flow visualization results, and spectra of longitudinal velocity fluctuations which, at a Reynolds number of 20,000, show a primary vortex shedding frequency of 8.0Hz and a dimple edge vortex pair oscillation frequency of approximately 6.5Hz. The local flow structure shows some qualitative similarity to characteristics measured with deeper dimples (δ∕D of 0.2 and 0.3), with smaller quantitative changes from the dimples as δ∕D decreases. A similar conclusion is reached regarding qualitative and quantitative variations of local Nusselt number ratio data, which show that the highest local values are present within the downstream portions of dimples, as well as near dimple spanwise and downstream edges. Local and spatially averaged Nusselt number ratios sometimes change by small amounts as the channel inlet turbulence intensity level is altered, whereas friction factor ratios increase somewhat at the channel inlet turbulence intensity level increases. These changes to local Nusselt number data (with changing turbulence intensity level) are present at the same locations where the vortex pairs appear to originate, where they have the greatest influences on local flow and heat transfer behavior.

Analysis of Local Flow Structure and Global Compressor Performance During Rotating Stall

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Palomba
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Flow Structure ◽  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Performance Parameters ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Flow Parameters ◽  
Compressor Performance

Rotating stall is an instability phenomenon that arises in axial flow compressors when the flow is reduced at constant rotational speed. It is characterised by the onset of rotating perturbations in the flow field accompanied by either an abrupt or gradual decrease of performances. Although the flow field is unsteady and non axisymmetric, the global operating point is stable and a stalled branch of performance curve may be experimentally determined. The number, rotational speed, circumferential extension of the rotating perturbed flow regions named rotating cells may vary from one compressor to another and may depend on the throttle position. The present work focuses on the interaction between local flow parameters and global compressor performance parameters with the aim of reaching a better understanding of the phenomenon. Starting from the Day, Greitzer and Cumpsty [1] model the detailed flow conditions during rotating stall are studied and related to the global performance parameters. This is done both to verify if the compressor under examination fits to the model and if the detailed flow structure may highlight the physics that in the simple model may hide behind the correlation’s used.

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