Aerodynamic Design and Analysis of a Low-reaction Axial Compressor Stage

There is introduced a new low-reaction, highly-loaded axial compressor design concept which is coupled with boundary layer suction method. The characteristic features of the concept are made clear through its comparison with the MIT boundary layer suction compressor. Also are pointed out the potential applications of this concept as well as its key technological problems. Based on this concept, a single-stage, low-reaction and low-speed axial compressor is constructed in association with analysis and computation of boundary layer suction on vanes with the aid of a three-dimensional numerical approach. The results attest to the effectiveness of this way to control separation in blade cascades by the boundary layer suction and the feasibility of this proposed design concept.

Effects of Deposition Models on Deposition and Performance Deterioration in Axial Compressor Cascade

A new particle deposition model, namely partial deposition model, is developed in order to improve the accuracy of prediction to particle deposition. Concepts of critical velocity and critical angle are proposed and used to determine whether particles are deposited or not. The comparison of numerical results calculated by partial deposition model and existing deposition model shows that the deposition distribution obtained by partial deposition model is more reasonable. Based on the predicted deposition results, the change of total pressure loss coefficient with operating time and the distribution of pressure coefficients on blade surface after 500 hours are predicted by using partial deposition model.

Experimental investigation about the effect of non-axisymmetric wake impact on a low speed axial compressor

Non-axisymmetric wake impact experiments were carried out after the best exciting frequency for a low speed axial compressor had been found by axisymmetric wake impact experiments. When the number and circumferential distribution of inlet guide vanes （IGV） are logical, the wakes of non-axisymmetric IGVs can exert beneficial unsteady exciting effect on their downstream rotor flow fields and improve the compressor＇s performance. In the present paper, four non-axisymmetric wake impact plans were found working better than the axisymmetric wake impact plan. Compared with the base plan, the best non-axisymmetric plan increased the compressor＇s peak efficiency, and the total pressure rise by 1.1 and 2%, and enhanced the stall margin by 4.4%. The main reason why non-axisymmetric plans worked better than the axisymmetric plan was explained as the change of the unsteady exciting signal arising from IGV wakes. Besides the high-frequency components, the nonaxisymmetric plan generated a beneficial low-frequency square-wave exciting signal and other secondary frequency components. Compared with the axisymmetric plan, multifrequency exciting wakes arising from the non-axisymmetric plans are easier to get coupling relation with complex vortices such as clearance vortices, passage vortices and shedding vortices.

Numerical study of a 3.5-stage axial compressor at on-and off-design conditions

Numerical investigation is conducted on a 3.5-stage axial compressor,on which numerous experimental projects were carried out at the Institute during the last years and an experimental database was established.In the current study five on-and off-design operating points are simulated using a RANS solver and the results are compared with the measurement.The result shows that the compressor performance can be qualitatively predicted by the mixing-plane method.Better agreement is obtained for the on-design operating point.However,as the flow unsteadiness is insufficiently considered,the numerical method produces end-wall low-speed flow layers accumulated with the flow passing through the passage,which is in no good agreement with the experimental data.In the numerical simulation the rotor rows receive less work and this difference from the measurement increases with the rotational speed.In contrast,the stator rows increase the pressure more efficiently than the measurement.In the simulation the flow in the last stator row tends more to separate on the pressure side of the blade.For the operating points close to the surge line,the predicted separation is more intense than the experimental observation.But for the operating points close to the choke,the separation is suppressed.

Structural and Conceptual Design Analysis of an Axial Compressor for a 100 MW Industrial Gas Turbine (IND100)

The structural design of the IND100 axial compressor requires a multistage interrelationship between the thermodynamic, aerodynamic, mechanical design and structural integrity analysis of the component. These design criteria, sometimes act in opposition, hence engineering balance is employed within the specified design performance limits. This paper presents the structural and conceptual design of a sixteen stage single shaft high pressure compressor of IND100 with an overall pressure ratio of 12 and mass flow of 310 kg/s at ISOSLS conditions. Furthermore, in order to evaluate the conceptual design analysis, basic parameters like compressor sizing, load and blade mass, disc stress analysis, bearings and material selections, conceptual disc design and rotor dynamics are considered using existing tools and analytical technique. These techniques employed the basic thermodynamic and aerodynamic theory of axial flow compressors to determine the temperature and pressure for all stages, geometrical parameters, velocity triangle, and weight and stress calculations of the compressor disc using Sagerser Empirical Weight Estimation. The result analysis shows a constant hub diameter annulus configuration with compressor overall axial length of 3.75 m, tip blade speed of 301 m/s, maximum blade centrifugal force stress of 170 MPa, with major emphasis on industrial application for the structural component design selections.

Study on a High Precision Inter-stage Flow Field Test System for Axial Compressors

The accurate parameters measurement of the flow field between the stages for axial compressors is a significant demand.This paper proposes an axial compressor inter-stage flow field high-precision test system,which mainly consists of a probe motion scanning mechanism,fully automated test control software,and data processing methods.Iterative correction is applied to the original readings obtained from the scanning tests to enhance testing accuracy.Using this test system,detailed tests are conducted on a 1.5-stage subsonic axial compressor under different operating conditions.The test results effectively captured the impact of surface roughness and tip clearance variations on compressor performance.The distribution characteristics of parameters measured in inter-stage sections can characterize the effects of blade wake area and changes in aerodynamic performance at different blade heights.The developed test system can be extended to multi-stage compressors.

An improved deviation model for transonic stages in axial compressors

Deviation model is an important model for through-flow analysis in axial compressors.Theoretical analysis in classical deviation models is developed under the assumption of onedimensional flow,which is controlled by the continuity equation.To consider three-dimensional characteristics in transonic flow,this study proposes an improved theoretical analysis method combining force analysis of the blade-to-blade flow with conventional analysis of the continuity equation.Influences of shock structures on transverse force,streamwise velocity and streamline curvature in the blade-to-blade flow are analyzed,and support the analytical modelling of density flow ratio between inlet and outlet conditions.Thus,a novel deviation model for transonic stages in axial compressors is proposed in this paper.The empirical coefficients are corrected based on the experimental data of a linear cascade,and the prediction accuracy is validated with the experimental data of a three-stage transonic compressor.The novel model provides accurate predictions for meridional flow fields at the design point and performance curves at design speed,and shows obvious improvements on classical models by Carter and C¸etin.

Effect of wire mesh casing treatment on axial compressor performance and stability

In this paper,a kind of Wire Mesh Casing Treatment(WMCT)is proposed to improve the stable operating range of the compressor.In contrast to the traditional circumferential groove,as for WMCT,a layer of wire mesh is laid on the surface of the circumferential groove.Parametric studies were conducted on the low-speed axial flow compressor,including the groove width,axial location,and mesh count.The optimum axial location for WMCT is related to its groove width.A higher wire mesh count results in a smaller compressor stall margin improvement.Steady simulations were carried out to study the effect of WMCT on the flow structure of the compressor.The wire mesh in the WMCT has a certain flow resistance,which restricts the flow into and out of the groove.Due to the WMCT,the flow parameter in the tip region of the rotor is less sensitive to changes in the operating conditions of the compressor.The WMCT causes the rotor tip blade loading to shift backward,inhibiting the formation of spill forward of the leakage flow,and thus improving the stability of the compressor.The flow resistance on the groove surface is a new degree-of-freedom for the casing treatment designer.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Non-synchronous Blade Vibration Excitation in a Transonic Axial Compressor

The complex flow phenomenon of rotating instability(RI) and its induced non-synchronous vibration(NSV) have become a significant challenge as they continuously increase aerodynamic load.This study aims to provide an understanding of the non-synchronous blade vibration phenomenon caused by the rotating instability of a transonic axial compressor rotor.In this case,blade vibrations and non-synchronous excitation are captured by strain gauges and unsteady wall pressure transducer sensors.Unsteady numerical simulations for a full-annulus configuration are used to obtain the non-synchronous flow excitation.The results show that the first-stage rotor blade exhibits an NSV close to the first bending mode;NSV is accompanied by a sharp increase in pressure pulsation;amplitude can reach 20%,and unsteady aerodynamic frequency will lock in a structural mode frequency when the blade vibrates in a large-amplitude motion.The predicted NSV frequency aligns well with the experimental results.The dominant mode of circumferential instability flow structure is approximately 47% of the number blades,and the cell size occupies 2-3 pitches in the circumferential direction.The full-annulus unsteady simulations demonstrate that the streamwise oscillation of the shedding and reattachment vortex structure is the main cause of NSV owing to the strong interaction between the tip leakage and separation vortices near the suction surface.

A Methodology for Assessing Axial Compressor Stability with Inlet Temperature Ramp Distortion

Based on a small perturbation stability model for periodic flow,the effects of inlet total temperature ramp distortion on the axial compressor are investigated and the compressor stability is quantitatively evaluated.In the beginning,a small perturbation stability model for the periodic flow in compressors is proposed,referring to the governing equations of the Harmonic Balance Method.This stability model is validated on a single-stage low-speed compressor TA36 with uniform inlet flow.Then,the unsteady flow of TA36 with different inlet total temperature ramps and constant back pressure is simulated based on the Harmonic Balance Method.Based on these simulations,the compressor stability is analyzed using the proposed small perturbation model.Further,the Dynamic Mode Decomposition method is employed to accurately extract pressure oscillations.The two parameters of the temperature ramp,ramp rate and Strouhal number,are discussed in this paper.The results indicate the occurrence and extension of hysteresis loops in the rows,and a decrease in compressor stability with increasing ramp rate.Compressor performance is divided into two phases,stable and limit,based on the ramp rate.Furthermore,the model predictions suggest that a decrease in period length and an increase in Strouhal number lead to improved compressor stability.The DMD results imply that for compressors with inlet temperature ramp distortion,the increase of high-order modes and oscillations at the rotor tip is always the signal of decreasing stability.

Effects of Axial Non-uniform Tip Clearances on Aerodynamic Performance of a Transonic Axial Compressor

This paper presents a numerical investigation of effects of axial non-uniform tip clearances on the aerodynamic performance of a transonic axial compressor rotor （NASA Rotor 37）. The three-dimensional steady flow field within the rotor passage was simulated with the datum tip clearance of 0.356 mm at the design wheel speed of 17188.7 rpm. The simulation results are well consistent with the measurement results, which verified the numeri- cal method. Then the three-dimensional steady flow field within the rotor passage was simulated respectively with different axial non-uniform tip clearances. The calculation results showed that optimal axial non-uniform tip clearances could improve the compressor performance, while the efficiency and the pressure ratio of the com- pressor were increased. The flow mechanism is that the axial non-uniform tip clearance can weaken the tip leak- age vortex, blow down low-energy fluids in boundary layers and reduce both flow blockage and tip loss.

Blade bowing effects on radial equilibrium of inlet flow in axial compressor cascades

The circumferentially averaged equation of the inlet flow radial equilibrium in axial compressor was deduced. It indicates that the blade inlet radial pressure gradient is closely related to the radial component of the circumferential fluctuation（CF） source item. Several simplified cascades with/without aerodynamic loading were numerically studied to investigate the effects of blade bowing on the inlet flow radial equilibrium. A data reduction program was conducted to obtain the CF source from three-dimensional（3D） simulation results. Flow parameters at the passage inlet were focused on and each term in the radial equilibrium equation was discussed quantitatively. Results indicate that the inviscid blade force is the inducement of the inlet CF due to geometrical asymmetry. Blade bowing induces variation of the inlet CF, thus changes the radial pressure gradient and leads to flow migration before leading edge（LE） in the cascades. Positive bowing drives the inlet flow to migrate from end walls to mid-span and negative bowing turns it to the reverse direction to build a new equilibrium. In addition, comparative studies indicate that the inlet Mach number and blade loading can efficiently impact the effectiveness of blade bowing on radial equilibrium in compressor design.

A Time-Marching Throughflow Model and its Application in Transonic Axial Compressor

A throughflow model based on the time-marching finite volume approach is described in this paper. The governing equations are derived by circumferentially averaging the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations neglecting the circumferentially non-uniform and viscous terms. An inviscid blade force model similar to the Large-particle method is derived. The viscous blade force has been modeled by the distributed loss model. The convective fluxes of the governing equation are discretized with the Edward’s low-diffusion flux-splitting (LDFSS) scheme. And a point-iterative Symmetric Gauss-Seidel (SGS) scheme is used in the temporal discretization. The throughflow model has been applied to the NASA Rotor 67 and a high-load transonic fan stage ATS-2. The reasonable good agreements with the experiments and the 3D viscous computations show the potential of the method.

Study on the Effects of End-bend Cantilevered Stator in a 2-stage Axial Compressor

Leading edge recambering is applied to the cantilevered stator vanes in a 2-stage compressor in this paper. Differentcurving effects are produced when the end-bend stator vanes are stacked in different ways. Stacking on theleading edge induces a positive curving effect near the casing.When it is stacked on the centre of gravity, a negativecurving effect takes place. The numerical investigation shows that the flow field is redistributed when theend-bend stators with leading edge stacking are applied. The variations in the stage matching for the mainstreamand near the hub have an impact on the performance of the 2-stage compressor. The isentropic efficiency and thetotal pressure ratio of the compressor are increased near the design condition. The compressor total pressure ratiois decreased near choke and near stall. The maximum flow rate is reduced and the stall margin is decreased.

Relationship between the Flow Blockage of Tip Leakage Vortex and its Evolutionary Procedures inside the Rotor Passage of a Subsonic Axial Compressor

The near casing flow fields inside the rotor passage of a 1.5 stage axial compressor with different blade-loading levels and tip gap sizes were measured by using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry(SPIV). Based on a carefully defined blockage extracting method, the variations of blockage parameter inside the blade passage were analyzed. It was found that the variation of blockage parameter appeared as a non-monotonic behavior inside the blade passage in most cases. This non-monotonic behavior became much more remarkable as the blade loading increases or mass flow rate decreases.The variations of the blockage parameter inside the blade passage had close relation to the evolutionary procedures of the tip leakage vortex(TLV). The destabilization of the TLV caused a rapid increasing of the blockage parameter. After the TLV lost the features of a concentrated streamwise vortex,the blockage parameter usually got a peak value. And then, because of the intense turbulent mixing between the TLV low momentum flow and its surrounding flows, the flow deficit inside the TLV recovered.

Using tandem blades to break loading limit of highly loaded axial compressors

It is confirmed that tandem-blade configurations have potential to enlarge the flow turning in two-dimension(2D) studies. However, the potential of tandem blades to enlarge the design space for highly loaded axial compressors was rarely investigated in open literatures. The present work aims to show the capability of tandem blades to break the loading limit of conventional blades for highly loaded compressors. The 2D models of the maximum static pressure rise derived in previous work were validated by a large amount experimental data, which showed a good agreement. An E parameter was defined to evaluate the stall margin of compressor based on the theoretical models, which indicated that the tandem blade was able to increase the loading limit of axial compressors. A single-blade stage with a loading coefficient of 0.46(based on the blade tip rotating speed) was designed as the baseline case under the guidance of the E parameter. A tandem-blade stage was then designed by ensuring that the velocity triangles were similar to the single-blade stage. The performances of both stages were investigated experimentally. The results showed that the maximum efficiency of the tandem-blade stage was 92.8%, 1% higher than the single;the stall margin increased from 16.9% to 22.3%. Besides, the maximum pressure rise of tandem rotors was beyond the loading limit of 2D single-blade cascades, which confirmed the potential of tandem blades to break the loading limit of axial compressors.

Numerical Analysis of the Tip Leakage Flow Field in a Transonic Axial Compressor with Circumferential Casing Treatment

This paper reports on numerical investigations aimed at understanding the influence of circumferential casing grooves on the tip leakage flow and its resulting vortical structures.The results and conclusions are based on steady state 3D numerical simulations of the well-known transonic axial compressor NASA Rotor 37 near stall operating conditions.The calculations carried out on the casing treatment configuration reveal an important modification of the vortex topology at the rotor tip clearance.Circumferential grooves limit the expansion of the tip leakage vortex in the direction perpendicular to the blade chord,but generate a set of secondary tip leakage vortices due to the interaction with the leakage mass flow.Finally,a deeper investigation of the tip leakage flow is proposed.

Alleviation of spike stall in axial compressors utilizing grooved casing treatment

Abstract This article deals with application of grooved type casing treatment for suppression of spike stall in an isolated axial compressor rotor blade row. The continuous grooved casing treatment covering the whole compressor circumference is of 1.8 mm in depth and located between 90% and 108% chord of the blade tip as measured from leading edge. The method of investigation is based on time-accurate three-dimensional full annulus numerical simulations for cases with and without casing treatment. Discretization of the Navier Stokes equations has been carried out based on an upwind second-order scheme and k-a-SST （Shear Stress Transport） turbulence modeling has been used for estimation of eddy viscosity. Time-dependent flow structure results for the smooth casing reveal that there are two criteria for spike stall inception known as leading edge spillage and trailing edge backftow, which occur at specific mass flow rates in near-stall conditions. In this case, two dominant stall cells of different sizes could be observed. The larger one is caused by the spike stall covering roughly two blade passages in the circumferential direction and about 25% span in the radial direction. Spike stall disturbances are accompanied by lower frequencies and higher amplitudes of the pressure signals. Casing treatment causes flow blockages to reduce due to allevi- ation of backflow regions, which in turn reduces the total pressure loss and increases the axial veloc- ity in the blade tip gap region, as well as tip leakage flow fluctuation at higher frequencies and lower amplitudes. Eventually, it can be concluded that the casing treatment of the stepped tip gap type could increase the stall margin of the compressor. This fact is basically due to retarding the movement of the interface region between incoming and tip leakage flows towards the rotor leading edge Diane and suttressing the reversed flow around the blade trailing edee.

Investigation on Multiple Cylindrical Holes Casing Treatment for Transonic Axial Compressor Stability Enhancement

Casing treatment is one possible way of regaining axial compressor operating range. However, most of casing treatments extend the operating range with the cost of efficiency penalty. A new form of multiple cylindrical holes casing treatment(MHCT) with pre-swirl blowing for the NASA Rotor-37 has been designed based on profound understanding of the stall inception. Unsteady numerical simulations have been performed for Rotor-37 with and without MHCT. Parametric studies of the total extraction holes area and their axial locations show that the compressor performance deteriorates as the area ratio increases but the stall margin is extended and there is an optimum extraction holes axial location for stall margin extending. The better configuration of MHCT could extend the stall margin by 6.2% with only 0.23% peak efficiency reduction. Detailed analysis of the physical mechanism behind the stall margin improvement shows that the casing treatment could eliminate the passage blockage by suppressing breakup of tip leakage vortex and decrease the blade load in tip region, which both contribute to improve stall margin of transonic axial compressors.

Experimental Investigation of Effects of Suction-Side Squealer Tip Geometry on the Flow Field in a Large-scale Axial Compressor using SPIV

It is well known that the non-uniform tip geometry is a promising passive flow control technique in turbomachinery.However,detailed investigation of its effects on the unsteady flow field of turbomachinery is rare in the existiug hteratures.This paper presents an experimental investigation of effects of suction side squealer tip configuration on both the steady and unsteady flow field of an isolated compressor rotor.The flow field at 10%chord downstream from the trailing edge was measured using a mini five-hole probe.Meanwhile,the unsteady flow field inside the passage was investigated using stereo particle image velocimetry(SPIV).The steady results show that the SSQ tip configuration exerts positive effect on the static pressure rise performance of this compressor,and the radial equilibrium at the rotor outlet is obviously rearranged.The SSQ tip configuration would create a stronger tip leakage vortex at the formation phase,and it experiences a faster dissipation process around the rear chord.Also,the splitting process of the tip leakage vortex is severer,which is the main cause of the relatively higher probability of the presence of the streamwise reverse flow.The quantitatively analysis of the tip leakage vortex indicates that the velocity loss inside the blockage region is direct response of the evolutionary procedure of the tip leakage vortex.It keeps increasing until the end of the splitting process.Although the blockage coefficient grows sustainably,the velocity loss will reduce once the turbulent mixing procedure is dominant.