Effects of Low Reynolds Number on Loss Characteristics in Transonic Axial Compressor

Abstract

A three-dimensional computation was conducted to understand effects of low Reynolds numbers on loss characteristics in a transonic axial compressor, Rotor 67. As a gas turbine becomes smaller and it operates at high altitude, the engine frequently operates under low Reynolds number conditions. This study found that large viscosity significantly affects the location and intensity of the passage shock, which moves toward the leading edge and has decreased intensity at low Reynolds number. This change greatly affects performance as well as internal flows, such as pressure distribution on the blade surface, tip leakage flow and separation. The total pressure ratio and adiabatic efficiency both decreased by about 3% with decreasing Reynolds number. At detailed analysis, the total pressure loss was subdivided into four loss categories such as profile loss, tip leakage loss, endwall loss and shock loss.