On the effects of a separation bubble on fan noise

Abstract

A scale model of a fan stage operating at approach condition is investigated using wall-resolved Large Eddy Simulations. The configuration is a state-of-the-art fan stage (rotor + stator) of an Ultra High Bypass Ratio turbofan engine, and the computational cost has been reduced by simulating a radial slice of a periodic sector. At low fan speeds and Reynolds number, a recirculation bubble can be observed on the suction side of the fan blades, near the leading edge. This recirculation bubble causes the boundary layer transition to turbulence and is associated with high levels of wall pressure fluctuations. The noise spectra upstream of the fan blades show high frequency tones, which are related to the noise generation mechanism of the recirculation bubble. It has been found that the size, position and pressure disturbances in the bubble depend on the mass flow rate. Furthermore, the frequencies and amplitudes of the high frequency tones in the noise spectra also depend on the mass flow rate. As the mass flow rate decreases, the size of the bubble increases, the bubble shifts towards downstream locations, and high levels of wall pressure fluctuations can be found along the suction side of the fan blade. The acoustic signature of the bubble shifts towards lower frequencies with the mass flow rate, but its amplitude increases. A coherence analysis and a Dynamic Mode Tracking technique are used to confirm that high frequency tones can be generated by the recirculation bubble in the separation region. The flow features at these frequencies suggest that a vortex shedding mechanism is related to the noise radiated from the recirculation bubble.