Abstract
This paper proposes the use of plasma actuator to suppress boundary layer separation on a compressor blade suction side to increase axial compressor performance. Plasma actuators are a new type of electrical flow control device that imparts momentum to the air when submitted to a high AC voltage at high frequency. The concept presented in this paper consists in the positioning of a plasma actuator near the separation point on a compressor rotor suction side to increase flow turning. In this computational study, three parameters have been studied to evaluate the effectiveness of plasma actuator: actuator strength, position and actuation method (steady versus unsteady). Results show that plasma actuator operated in steady mode can increase the pressure ratio, efficiency, and power imparted by the rotor to the air and that the pressure ratio, efficiency and rotor power increase almost linearly with actuator strength. On the other hand, the actuator's position has limited effect on the performance increase. Finally, the results from unsteady simulations show a limited performance increase but are not fully conclusive, due possibly to the chosen pulsing frequencies of the actuator and/or to limitations of the CFD code.
Highlights
The aerodynamic performance of compressors and fans is essentially measured in terms of pressure ratio and efficiency
This paper presents a preliminary study, through CFD simulations, of the potential of plasma actuators to suppress the flow separation over a compressor blade in order to increase its pressure ratio, efficiency and power
Simulations have been carried out to evaluate the effect of three parameters: actuator strength, actuator position on the blade and actuation method
Summary
The aerodynamic performance of compressors and fans is essentially measured in terms of pressure ratio and efficiency. A pressure ratio increase could allow a reduction in the number of stages for axial compressors and a reduction in weight, length and mechanical complexity of the engine. The pressure ratio is related to the air deflection in each blade row of the stage. The higher the deflection, the higher the pressure ratio and imparted power to the air will be. The achievable pressure ratio at a given rotational speed is limited by the growth of the airfoil surface and endwall boundary layers. When the deflection is too high, the suction surface boundary layer separates and the pressure ratio and efficiency decrease rapidly
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