Flow computations of multi-stages by URANS and flux balanced mixing models

Abstract

The quasi-steady methods based on mixing models have been widely applied to flow computations of turbomachinery multi-stages in aerospace engineering. Meanwhile, the unsteady numerical simulation has also been used due to its ability in obtaining time-dependent flow solutions. In the paper, two different mixing treatments and the corresponding flux balanced ones are presented to exchange the flow solutions on the interfaces between adjacent blade rows. The four mixing treatments are then used for flow computations of a subsonic 1.5-stage axial turbine and a quasi-1.5-stage transonic compressor rotor. The results are compared with those by unsteady numerical method, which is implemented by using the sliding mesh technique. The effects of the quasi-steady and unsteady computation methods on the conservation of flow solutions across the interfaces are presented and addressed. Furthermore, the influence of mixing treatments on shock wave and flow separation of the transonic compressor rotor is presented in detail. All the results demonstrate that the flux balanced mixing treatments can be used for multi-stage flow computations with improved performance on interface conservation, even in the complex flows.