Manipulating near-wall flow instability and transport characteristics by the airfoil probe: Investigation on a transonic compressor cascade

Abstract

The flow field exhibits complex features, such as shock waves, wakes, and end wall vortices in a transonic cascade. Installation of airfoil probes exacerbates the multi-scale and unsteady behavior of the internal passage flow. Apart from inducing measurement errors, it also generates extra flow loss inevitably and further affects the measuring accuracy. This paper investigates the impact of airfoil probes on a transonic compressor cascade's unsteady behavior and transport characteristics. Using high-fidelity numerical simulations, the influence of pipe layouts on the flow field of instrumented blades is visualized, revealing highly radial asymmetry. Loss analysis uncovers entropy transport induced by the streamwise vortices, primarily manifested by large-scale angular deformation at the outlet. The vortex structures in the wake region are dominated by momentum transport, displaying regional evolution and momentary equilibrium. The vortex expansion plays a leading role in the global vortex transport process, which is strengthened by the presence of the probes. Spatiotemporal analysis of the unsteady flow field can reveal some features overlooked by conventional fluid mechanics analysis. Using proper orthogonal decomposition, wake vortex pairs' high-frequency oscillations and shedding behaviors are captured in adjacent modes for the first time. The proposed approach can provide a theoretical basis for in-depth investigations of instrumented blade flow fields at the transonic regime. Furthermore, corresponding research can promote the refinement of instrument design by enabling experimentalists to understand the effects of intrusive instruments on transonic flow fields.