Cascade Loss Research Articles

8569 Defining Cell-Intrinsic Defects In Hepatic Insulin Resistance In Type 2 Diabetes Using A Human iPS Cell-Derived Disease-In-A-Dish Model

Abstract Disclosure: A. Gattu: None. M. Tanzer: None. T. Yaron: None. L. Cantley: None. C.R. Kahn: None. Hepatic insulin resistance is central to type 2 diabetes (T2D). Understanding the cellular drivers underlying insulin resistance in the liver is challenging since, in vivo, this can be due to cell-intrinsic defects in insulin signaling, as well as the effects of multiple circulating factors that can modify insulin signaling. Here, we have utilized inducible pluripotent stem cells (iPS) from 8 control and 8 T2D patients differentiated in vitro into hepatocytes (iHeps) to dissect the cell-intrinsic defects in hepatic insulin resistance. We find that following stimulation with insulin, T2D iHeps displayed “pathway-selective insulin resistance,” in which insulin failed to suppress gene expression of critical gluconeogenic enzymes (PCK1, G6PC) but continued to stimulate expression of the lipogenic enzymes (FASN, ACACA). This was associated with a 1.5-fold higher level of insulin stimulation of C[1]4 acetate into lipids, i.e., de novo lipogenesis. Immunoblotting analysis showed T2D iHeps exhibited a 50% reduction in phosphorylation of the insulin receptor IRY[1][1]35 and ∼ 30% reductions in AKTT308, GSK3αS2[1]/GSK3βS9, and FOXO1T24/FOXO3aT32 in T2D following insulin stimulation for 10 minutes. To define the full spectrum of alterations in signaling in iHeps, we used unbiased LC-MS/MS-based phosphoproteomics. This revealed alterations in 987 insulin-regulated phosphosphorylations that had increased phosphorylation after insulin treatment and alterations in 723 sites for which insulin decreased phosphorylation (with a |fold-change| >1.5 and adj. p < 0.05). These alterations were of two types: 43% of the altered insulin-regulated phosphosites showed reduced or “impaired” insulin regulation, but 57% of the phosphosites displayed new or significantly increased insulin-regulated phosphorylations in T2D, i.e., “emergent” signaling. The impaired signaling in T2D included losses in the insulin receptor signaling cascade, Rho-GTPase pathway, Notch-HLH, and anti-viral mechanisms of IFN-stimulated genes. In contrast, emergent signaling included other components of the Rho-GTPase pathway, metabolism of RNA, membrane trafficking, and chromatin-modifying enzymes. Using an AI-based kinase-substrate association analysis, we found that the deficiencies in signaling represented reduced actions of kinases AKT2, AKT3, PKCθ, CHK2, PHKG2, and/or STK32C kinases, while the emergent changes represented increases in ROCK1, ROCK2, MST4 and/or BCKDK kinase activity. In summary, phosphoproteomic analyses of iHeps revealed a comprehensive insulin signaling network disrupted in insulin resistance in the liver in T2D, which underlies the etiology of insulin resistance. These alterations can be ascribed to changes in the activity of two classes of upstream kinases, representing potential new targets for treating T2D. Presentation: 6/1/2024

Effects of bird feather-like convergent–divergent-riblet surfaces on the total pressure loss and wake turbulence of a transonic compressor cascade

The flow loss caused by the fan blades in a turbofan engine with a large bypass ratio is significant, and the wake considerably affects the inlet flow of downstream components. Surfaces with bird feather-like convergent–divergent (C–D) riblets have been proven to modulate the boundary layer flow by inducing counter-rotating rolling modes; however, the effects of these surfaces on the total pressure loss and wake turbulence of transonic compressor cascades remain unexplored. In this study, the effects of C–D-riblet surfaces on the total pressure loss and wake turbulence of a transonic compressor cascade were experimentally investigated using a five-hole probe and hot-wire measurements. The flow-loss-control effects of C–D-riblet surfaces with different characteristic lengths were also analyzed. The most significant reduction in the area-averaged total pressure loss (11.23%) was achieved using a C–D-riblet surface with a characteristic length of 30 μm at a Mach number of 0.94; this total pressure loss reduction corresponded to an increase in the mean velocity and a decrease in the turbulence intensity of the wake profile. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the loss control varied significantly with the spreading position of the C–D riblets. The optimal control effect was observed in the divergence-line region, and the control was slightly less effective as the measurement position neared the convergence line. This paper demonstrates the promising potential of using C–D riblets to achieve flow loss control in transonic compressor cascades.

Coping with collapse: Functional robustness of coral-reef fish network to simulated cascade extinction.

Human activities and climate change have accelerated species losses and degradation of ecosystems to unprecedented levels. Both theoretical and empirical evidence suggest that extinction cascades contribute substantially to global species loss. The effects of extinction cascades can ripple across levels of ecological organization, causing not only the secondary loss of taxonomic diversity but also functional diversity erosion. Here, we take a step forward in coextinction analysis by estimating the functional robustness of reef fish communities to species loss. We built a tripartite network with nodes and links based on a model output predicting reef fish occupancy (113 species) as a function of coral and turf algae cover in Southwestern Atlantic reefs. This network comprised coral species, coral-associated fish (site occupancy directly related to coral cover), and co-occurring fish (occupancy indirectly related to coral cover). We used attack-tolerance curves and estimated network robustness (R) to quantify the cascading loss of reef fish taxonomic and functional diversity along three scenarios of coral species loss: degree centrality (removing first corals with more coral-associated fish), bleaching vulnerability and post-bleaching mortality (most vulnerable removed first), and random removal. Degree centrality produced the greatest losses (lowest R) in comparison with other scenarios. In this scenario, while functional diversity was robust to the direct loss of coral-associated fish (R = 0.85), the taxonomic diversity was not robust to coral loss (R = 0.54). Both taxonomic and functional diversity showed low robustness to indirect fish extinctions (R = 0.31 and R = 0.57, respectively). Projections of 100% coral species loss caused a reduction of 69% of the regional trait space area. The effects of coral loss in Southwestern Atlantic reefs went beyond the direct coral-fish relationships. Ever-growing human impacts on reef ecosystems can cause extinction cascades with detrimental consequences for fish assemblages that benefit from corals.

Numerical investigation of aerodynamic characteristics in tandem cascades with various curving strategies

Tandem configurations with curved blades can improve the flow field in compressor cascades. This study conducts a numerical investigation into the impact of various curving strategies on the losses and flow structures within tandem cascades. Curving strategies of three distinct configurations (curving both blades, solely the rear blade, and solely the front blade) along with three curved angles (5°, 10°, and 15°) are compared. Four primary vortex structures are causing losses in the tandem cascades. Loss weight coefficients, derived from each vortex, are adopted to quantify the proportion of losses. All curving strategies mitigate the accumulation of low-energy fluid near the endwalls, weakening the passage vortex. Various curving strategies have different effects on losses of the endwall spanwise vortex and trailing edge shedding vortices. The influence of curved angles on the three configurations indicates that curving both blades at 5° and curving the front blade at 5° or 10° can mitigate losses. An increasing loss is observed when the rear blade curves at any angle alone. Curving both blades or only the front blade mitigates the corner separation while the curved rear blade exacerbates it. The novelty of this study lies in applying topology analysis to establish correlations between losses, vortices, and topological configurations. This approach is a pivotal research methodology for elucidating the underlying mechanisms of loss generation and vortex dynamics within curved tandem cascades.

Numerical investigation of tip bifurcation on aerodynamic characteristics and flow field structure in a compressor cascade

In this study, the tip bifurcation of the compressor cascade is proposed, referring to the biological characteristics of bird wing bifurcation. The influence of tip bifurcation with different structural parameters on the aerodynamic performance and flow field structure of compressor cascade at different incidence angles is studied by numerical simulation. The research shows that the tip bifurcation can make the starting position of the corner separation move backward, inhibit the separation along the pitch and blade height direction, and reduce the flow loss of the cascade. The separation control effect of the corner region first increases and then decreases as the bifurcation height increases, and gradually diminishes as the arrangement position approaches the trailing edge. When the tip bifurcation is set at the starting position of the corner separation and its height is equal to 4 %H, the flow improvement effect in the passage is the most obvious, and the cascade flow loss is reduced by 14.4 %. At the same time, the tip bifurcation cascade has effective positive incidence angle characteristics, but when the incidence angle is less than the minimum loss incidence angle, the tip bifurcation increases the cascade loss.

Numerical Study on the Influence of Inlet Turbulence Intensity on Turbine Cascades

The turbulence intensity of the high-pressure turbine inlet plays an important role in the development of secondary flow and boundary layer evolution in the turbine passage. Unfortunately, current research often overlooks the coupling effect between boundary layer separation and endwall secondary flow, and lacks comprehensive exploration of loss variation. To complement existing research, this study utilizes numerical simulation techniques to investigate the evolution of the boundary layer and secondary flow in high-pressure turbine cascades under varying turbulence intensities, with experimental research results as the basis. Furthermore, the relationship between profile loss and endwall secondary flow loss is analyzed. The research results indicate that higher turbulence intensity can enhance the anti-separation ability of the boundary layer, thereby reducing the blade profile loss caused by separation in the boundary layer. However, higher turbulence intensities (Tu) enhance the development of secondary flow within the cascade, leading to a significant increase in secondary flow losses. Q-criterion methods are employed to display the vortex structures within the passage, while loss decomposition is leveraged to uncover the variations of different losses under different turbulence intensities (Tu of 1% and 6%).With the exception of a minor decrease in total pressure loss (Yp) when Tu increases from 1% to 2%, Yp demonstrates a substantial increase in all other cases with increasing Tu. Additionally, this study explains why the loss of high-pressure turbine cascades shows a trend of first increasing and then decreasing with the increase in inlet turbulence intensity.

Experiment investigation on secondary flow loss and flow control mechanisms in a variable compressor cascade with penny cavities

Variable Stator Vanes (VSVs) with penny cavities are an important method to improve the efficiency of compressors. However, the annular and radial gaps in VSVs introduce complex flow structures, posing challenges in enhancing compressor efficiency. This article employs low-speed wind tunnel experiments to study the impact mechanisms of VSVs' adjustment angle and radial gap size on secondary flow losses and implements single-hole suction as a means of flow control to reduce total pressure loss. The results indicate that radial gap leakage has a certain inhibitory effect on annular gap leakage at general adjustment angles. Total pressure loss decreases initially as the radial gap increases but once the radial gap further enlarges and dominates the loss components, the total pressure loss increases proportionally with the radial gap. At extreme adjustment angles, where the lateral pressure gradient is significant, radial gap leakage intensity is high and comprises the major part of the loss, leading to an increase in total pressure loss in proportion to radial gap enlargement. Additionally, single-hole suction is effective under various conditions, with the potential to reduce total pressure loss by up to 19.4 %. These findings provide guidance for the application of VSVs in further improving compressor efficiency.

Hydraulic loss analysis of turbodrill blade cascades based on entropy production theory

Turbodrill is a kind of high-temperature resistant downhole motor which is commonly used in drilling deep and high-temperature wells. It belongs to multi-stage axial flow turbomachinery. There are complex flow losses in turbodrill blade cascades, but conventional flow-loss evaluation methods cannot obtain the location of losses in cascades. The entropy production method constructs the relationship between flow field parameters and flow losses, so the location where flow losses generate can be obtained, which is commonly used to analyze the flow losses in various flows. In this paper, entropy production method is used to obtain the magnitude and position of hydraulic losses in turbodrill blade cascades. The single passage calculation model of three-stage stator and rotor is established, and CFD method is employed to compute the flow field parameters at different viscosities and rotary speeds. Different kinds of entropy production rates and values are calculated. Finally, the total flow loss calculated by entropy production method is compared with that calculated by pressure difference method, and the contrastive result is very similar, which indicates the correctness of entropy production method. The results show that the high entropy production regions are mainly located near the walls and the position changes with variations in rotary speed and viscosity, and the stator entropy production value is always lower than that in rotor. In addition, when the fluid viscosity is low, the main types of entropy production are turbulent entropy production and wall friction entropy production, while when the fluid viscosity is high, the main types of entropy production are direct entropy production and turbulent entropy production. Furthermore, the rotary speed variation has a greater impact on turbulent entropy production and wall friction entropy production compared to viscosity change, while the viscosity change has a greater impact on direct entropy production than the variation rotary speed. This paper introduces entropy production method into flow losses analysis for turbodrill, presenting a new approach for studying flow losses and providing a reference for improving turbodrill design.

Numerical investigation of elliptical trailing edge on cascade loss of transonic turbine airfoils

Abstract The shape and thickness of the trailing edge are important factors in the supersonic loss in transonic cascades. To investigate the influence of trailing edge shape, a prismatic turbine cascade and a three-dimensional cascade with an elliptic trailing edge were analyzed with numerical simulation by changing different elliptic axis ratios ER. It was indicated that the shock wave and its mixing with the wake were the important sources of loss in the transonic prismatic cascade. With the increase of exit Mach number, shock waves are generated rapidly and migrate downstream, and the shock loss and the total loss of the prismatic cascade are both accrescent. Increasing the elliptical axis ratio could weaken shock waves and delay shock waves. In the loss state region 3, the cascade loss of the ER3 blade is reduced by 8% compared with the round trailing edge cascade. As the elliptical axis ratio of the three-dimensional cascade is increasing, the profile loss and secondary loss are reduced. However, an excessive elliptical axis ratio could lead to an increase in tip leakage loss. Within the range of ER values from 0 to 3, the total loss of the transonic three-dimensional cascade reached minimization when ER was 3.0.

A parametric approach to flow loss with incidence and tip clearance variables for a compressor linear cascade

A study was conducted using theoretical and numerical calculations to analyze the flow losses of a compressor linear cascade called SMU37-RL02. Its main goal is to determine the parametric expressions for vortex structure weight loss at the 103% axial chord position on the quasi-S3 section of the cascade. A flow loss distribution band delineation extraction method is proposed to improve data acquisition efficiency. The method expands the database by single-parameter variable expressions, and the simulated annealing algorithm solves the full-condition optimized tip clearance range for the cascade. The results show that the dominant flow loss weight of the vortex structures is transferred from the passage vortex to the tip leakage vortex following the increased tip clearance. Making the tip clearance Ct = 0.19%H as the optimization objective has the most stable and best performance at the full incoming flow conditions compared to the cascade with an equidistant tip clearance. The maximum loss reduction is 13.16% relative to the original cascade loss at the i = +1.9° incoming flow condition. The optimal cascade achieves relatively stable optimization over the full range of incoming flow conditions.

Non-negligible cascading impacts of global urban expansion on net primary productivity

Abstract Accelerated global urban expansion not only directly occupies surrounding ecosystems, but also induces cascading losses of natural vegetation elsewhere through cropland displacement. Yet how such effects alter the net primary productivity (NPP) worldwide remains unclear. Here, we quantified the direct and cascading impacts of global urban expansion on terrestrial NPP from 1992 to 2020, and projected the impacts under the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) framework by 2100. We found that global urban expansion caused a cascading loss of 7.2 to 44.6 Tg C/year of terrestrial NPP in the historical period (1992-2020), accounting for 3-20% of the total direct NPP loss. Instead, our projections indicate that during 2020-2100, mainly due to the increased relocation of displaced croplands to low-productive ecosystems, the cascading impacts gradually change from negative to positive, leading to a net NPP increase. Such an increase may offset up to 7% of the total direct NPP loss, better balancing crop compensation with NPP maintenance. Our findings highlight the unexpected large cascading impacts of urban expansion on the carbon cycle and stress the importance of regulating land transitions to curtail land use emissions.

Cascading oxygen loss shoreward in the oceans: Insights from the Cambrian SPICE event

Cascading oxygen loss shoreward in the oceans: Insights from the Cambrian SPICE event

Research on the Flow Mechanism of a High-Loading Biomimetic Low-Pressure Turbine Cascade

The biomimetic turbine has an excellent flow drag reduction ability and wide incidence adaptability, so it has the potential to achieve high efficiency within a wide working range of high-performance variable cycle engines. A biomimetic cascade that can broaden the effective working incidence angles was designed based on a high-loading low-pressure turbine cascade, and its flow mechanism and aerodynamic performance were studied using experimental and numerical methods under the incidences angle (i) of 0° to 15° and Reynolds number of 1.0 × 105. A series of counter rotating vortex pairs induced by the biomimetic cascade bring additional dissipation losses, but it accelerates the energy exchange between the boundary layer and mainstream, enhancing the dissipation of the pressure side leg of horseshoe vortex, and thus suppressing the flow separation and passage vortices. The undulating surface of biomimetic cascades can suppress the expansion of secondary flow in a spanwise direction in the end region, especially for large-scale separation under high incidence conditions. When i < 5°, the loss of biomimetic cascades is slightly higher than that of the original cascades, but the increase is only 0.5%; when i > 5°, the losses of biomimetic cascades are significantly reduced, with a maximum reduction of 70% at i = 15°.

Experimental study on multi-angle pulsed jet actuators for controlling corner separation flow in a compressor cascade

Three-dimensional corner separation caused by the aerodynamic design of high-load compressor cascades is the main factor that limits their performance enhancement. Because of the unsteady characteristics of large-scale flow separation, injecting unsteady jets into the flow field has become a new flow control method. In this study, the essential flow characteristics of a compressor cascade were obtained through numerical simulations. Subsequently, the effect of pulsed jet angle on the aerodynamic performance of the cascade was experimentally investigated under different operating conditions using pulsed jet actuators. The results showed that at the design incidence angle of 0° and near-stall incidence angle of +4°, the starting point of the corner separation is located at 21 % and 9 % of the axial blade chord, respectively. The pulsation frequency downstream of the cascade trailing edge is 1454.5 Hz. Under the design conditions, the 20° pulsed jet exhibits the best control effect, reducing the total pressure loss coefficient by 13.4 % compared with that of the original cascade. Moreover, pulsed jets demonstrate strong applicability under variable operating conditions. At near-stall incidence angles, when the jet angle is 30°, the loss-reduction ability of the pulsed jet is maximized, decreasing the loss by 25.2 %. Pulsed jets reduce the cascade loss primarily by suppressing the secondary flow at the endwall and discretizing the vortex structures in the channel.

Experimental investigation of secondary flow losses in a variable geometry linear turbine cascade with winglet tip

Variable geometry turbines (VGT) hold a crucial role in gas turbines and variable cycle engines (VCE) by allowing adjustments to different operational conditions. In order to realize the adjustable function of the VGT stator blade, there will be partial gap structure at both ends of the stator blade, which will lead to partial leakage flow and serious secondary flow loss at the blade end that cannot be ignored, especially in a large angle adjustment range. At present, there are few researches on turbine cascades considering the real partial gap structure and winglet tip, and the numerical simulation calculation is mainly used, while the in-depth study using wind tunnel test is rarely seen. Therefore, this study attempts to analyze the internal flow characteristics of variable geometry turbine cascade by using five-hole pneumatic probe scanning and surface oil flow visualization, and discusses the mechanism of controlling partial clearance leakage flow and reducing secondary flow loss in the cascade by using winglet tip flow control technology. The winglet offset distance and the change of the relationship between the pivot and the clearance position on the flow field and flow loss is studied experimentally for the first time. The results show that the influence mechanism of winglet tip applied in VGT partial gap is quite different from that of typical blade tip clearance application, and more consideration should be given to the influence of pivot structure. Reasonable parameter selection can achieve a maximum loss reduction of 13.4 % and 20.2 % with and without pivot, respectively, while the unreasonable flow control scheme may lead to the loss or even increase with pivot. The interaction between the new secondary flow structure induced by pivot in the gap and other gap leakage flows is analyzed to explore the new mechanism of using winglet tip to reduce the loss of gap leakage flow.

Investigation of non-axisymmetric endwall contouring in a high loaded turbine stator cascade

The intensity and structure of the secondary flows have significant influences on the turbine cascade losses. Combining with the extension method of Non-linear Programming by Quadratic Lagrangian (NLPQLP), two endwall parametric methods respectively based on the B-spline surface and Fourier series are used to optimize the aerodynamic losses of a turbine cascade. The optimization processes are based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis and two final designs are obtained by different methods. The endwall profile generated by the B-spline surface method (EW-B1) appears to relatively reduce the total pressure loss by 16.58% and the secondary kinetic energy coefficient ( C SKE) by 27.08%, while the endwall profile generated by the Fourier series method (EW-F1) relatively reduces the loss by 16.18% but increases C SKE by 8.99%. The radial movement of upper Passage Vortex (PV) and the weakening of the pressure branch of the Horseshoe Vortex (HVps) are confirmed to be the reasons of loss reduction in EW-B1, while the movement of PV is the main reason for EW-F1 to decrease the total pressure loss. In EW-B1, the weakening of HVps has a much more significant effect on the decrease in loss, which is affected by the non-axisymmetric shapes upstream of the vortex trajectory and the drop in C SKE generation near the throat.

Urbanisation and agricultural intensification modulate plant–pollinator network structure and robustness

Abstract Land use change is a major pressure on pollinator abundance, diversity and plant–pollinator interactions. Far less is known about how land‐use alters the structure of plant–pollinator networks and their robustness to plant–pollinator coextinctions. We analysed the structure of plant–pollinator networks sampled in 12 landscapes along an urbanisation and agricultural intensity gradient, from early spring to late summer 2021, and used a stochastic coextinction model to correlate plant–pollinator coextinction risk with network structure (species and network‐level metrics) and landscape context. Networks in intensively managed (i.e., agricultural and urban) landscapes had a lower risk of initiating a coextinction cascade, while networks in less intensively managed landscapes may be less robust. Network structure modulated the frequency and severity of coextinctions and species loss, while the strength of species interactions increased robustness. Urban networks were more species rich and symmetrical due to the high diversity of ornamental plants, while intensively managed agricultural landscapes had smaller, more tightly connected and nested networks. Network structure modulated the frequency of extinctions, which was decreased by greater linkage density, interaction asymmetry and interaction dependence in the networks, while once an extinction occurred, nestedness and linkage density propagated the degree of the coextinction cascade and species loss. At the species level, species strength was inversely correlated with extinction risk, implying that generalist species with a high number of interactions with specialists had the lowest extinction risk. An interplay between land‐use and network structure affects community robustness to coextinctions with implications for pollination services and plant reproduction. Land‐use change or other global change pressures by reorganising species interactions can alter communities and their potential functioning. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Triaging for Severe Illness amongst Adults with Tuberculosis Followed by Referral and Inpatient Care: A Statewide Pilot in Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract Background: This research paper reports on the first statewide implementation of differentiated Tuberculosis (TB) care in routine health system settings in India and possibly globally. This pilot aimed to assess the feasibility in routine health system settings and to identify the predictors of triaging and the burden of triage positive. Methods/Design: An observational study involving cross-sectional and longitudinal descriptive design. This differentiated TB care was implemented amongst all public notified adults (≥15 years) with TB (not known to be drug resistant at diagnosis) in routine health system settings involving the existing workforce in Tamil Nadu, India (except Chennai). Results: Of 2,382 adults with TB notified during 14-27 March 2022, 1,636 (69%) were triaged for severe illness and 290 (18%) were triage positive. Of these 298, a total of 160 (55%) were comprehensively assessed after referral. Of 136 confirmed as severely ill, 116 (85%) were admitted and 103 were discharged. The median admission duration was 4 days. From diagnosis, the median time interval to admit a severely ill patient was 1 day. Adults diagnosed by rapid molecular test, with extrapulmonary TB and transferred out of district, were less likely to be triaged. Conclusion: To reduce TB deaths, the losses in the care cascade should be reduced and the admission duration increased. The findings of this pilot exercise guided the eventual implementation starting 01 April 2022.

Effect of a Bionic Blade Rib on the Loss Characteristics of a Highly Loaded Compressor Cascade

To effectively reduce cascade loss and further improve compressor performance, spanning bionic blade ribs are built and positioned on the suction surface of a highly loaded compressor cascade based on the flow separation control mechanism of a peregrine falcon in high-speed flight. The effect of several kinds of bionic blade ribs on the loss of the cascade as well as the mechanism of their action are studied using numerical approaches with experimental calibration. The investigation shows that the bionic blade rib structure can lower the corner loss of the cascade to varying degrees in the range of a −9° to +6° attack angle, with the T-shaped cross-section blade rib having the best overall loss reduction impact. The open trapped vortices generated inside the blade rib suck the energy of the corner region wall boundary layer into the low-energy fluid in the corner region. Consequently, the size and intensity of the passage vortices decrease, while losses are reduced by up to 9.87%. Within the mid-range of the blade, a closed trapped vortex forms within the bionic blade-rib structure. The kinetic energy of the near-wall flow is continually consumed by closed trapped vortices along the flow passage, leading to a greater velocity differential between the suction and pressure surface flows as they converge at the trailing edge. Thus, the mixing scale increases, and the loss rises. Finally, the blade rib structure also increases the accumulation of low-energy fluid in the near-end wall region of the blade and increases the end wall loss.

Experimental test of a compressor cascade with non-axisymmetric end-wall contouring at off-design conditions

End-wall losses in axial flow turbomachinery, particularly in compressors, constitute a significant challenge due to their adverse impact on overall efficiency. Pioneering works in this field have demonstrated the potential for end-wall loss reduction by improving end-wall profiles. However, many previous efforts have concentrated solely on design conditions, largely disregarding the behavior of these contoured end-walls under off-design conditions—where compressors often operate. This study investigates the adaptability of a non-axisymmetric end-wall contour, performing well under design conditions, to off-design scenarios, focusing particularly on the influence of Mach numbers on its ability to control corner separation effects. Experimental research was conducted using a combination of surface static pressure taps and aerodynamic probes to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the effect of the non-axisymmetric end-wall contour on reducing losses. Quantitative outcomes demonstrate a notable decrease in overall losses in the blade cascade due to this end-wall contour. For all tested Mach numbers, the average loss reduces by 4% at 0 degrees of incidence, with a 0.9° decrease in deviation angle, and an 8% average loss reduction at 5 degrees of incidence, accompanied by a 1.5° decrease in deviation angle. Qualitative findings suggest that the mechanism by which the non-axisymmetric end-wall contour reduces blade cascade losses involves the enhancement of pitchwise pressure gradients. This enhancement redirects low-momentum fluid toward the blade's suction surface, diminishing its reach in the pitchwise direction. However, it also intensifies loss in the low-momentum fluid core. Additionally, the presence of a convex feature in the rear section of the blade passage mitigates pitchwise static-pressure gradients, effectively ameliorating secondary flows and preventing their further decline. Moreover, it was observed that the control effectiveness of the end-wall contour on corner separation increases with higher Mach numbers.