Effects of Stator Flow Distortion on Rotating Blade Endurance: Part 1—Aerodynamic Excitation Aspects

Abstract

Blade vibrations, with the possibility of a failure, are one of the major factors controlling the reliability of all compressors and turbines. Flow disturbances upstream and downstream of rotor/ stator will produce wake pulses that excite the blades. This requires a structural dynamic model of the blade stress response for a given excitation and a method to estimate the pulsating forces acting on the rotating blades by the stationary components and, vice versa, for rotor pulsations acting on the stator. This paper discusses the efforts made to understand the aerodynamic instabilities caused by the vane and its role in generation of blade vibration. Here, comprehensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are used to get a better understanding of the stator-rotor flow interactions at different operating conditions and their effect on overall pulsation and vibration levels. This model is based on blade dynamic response measurements and on careful CFD simulations of basic flow altering scenarios. It is found that a surprisingly low misalignment angle (relative) could result in fatigue damage stress levels in most cases. This paper presents several example cases to demonstrate typical flow profiles for axial and radial compressors/ turbines with varying stator flow distortions. It is Part 1 of a two-part high cycle fatigue (HCF) failure analysis procedure, dealing with aerodynamic excitation aspects.