Performance Of Axial Compressor Research Articles

Effect of open crack on axial compressor performance

To investigate the effects and mechanisms of rotor open crack on axial compressor performance, a steady 3D single-passage numerical simulation is used on NASA Stage 35. The results show that the crack leakage flow can affect the compressor performance, and the crack at the middle span has the most serious effect. At 100% rotating speed, there is a 1.2% decrease in peak total pressure ratio and a 0.36% decrease in peak efficiency. Besides, the stability margin is reduced by 26.9% relatively. The effect of crack is not only limited to the span range near it, and the main phenomena of cracks at different spans are various, concentrating in the aspects of vortex structure and stator passage flow. From peak efficiency to near stall condition, the effect of crack leakage flow is gradually strengthened, which leads to the flow blockage and reduces the working flow range of compressor. With the decrement of rotating speed, the reduction of stability margin increases gradually, but the influence span range of crack at low-speed narrows.

Influence of bleeding positions in self-recirculating casing treatments on the stability of a subsonic axial compressor

Influence of bleeding positions in self-recirculating casing treatments on the stability of a subsonic axial compressor

Axial Compressor Map Generation Leveraging Autonomous Self-Training Artificial Intelligence. Phase 2

Abstract This paper discusses a study performed by SoftInWay as part of a Phase II SBIR project funded by NASA. In contrast with the Phase I project (Burlaka and Moroz, 2023, “Axial Compressor Map Generation Leveraging Autonomous Self-Training Artificial Intelligence,” ASME J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power, 145(1), p. 011001) where three discrete compressors were considered, the Phase II study was focused on addressing the problem of axial compressor long development time and cost with the use of AI models capable of predicting the geometry and performance of various multistage axial compressors with multiple variable vanes. The applicability of the AI models to various compressors enables the opportunity to avoid iterations between engine cycle analysis and compressor design. In this paper, automated compressor design and performance generation workflows are described. The approach for autonomous selection of the architectures and hyperparameters of Machine Learning (ML) models is explained. The uncertainty quantification techniques are considered. The developed ML-powered methods for compressor geometry prediction are discussed. The ML models' accuracy values and representations of typical geometry and performance predictions are given. The utilization of the ML models in engine cycle analysis is discussed.

Effect of rotor blade tip clearance on aerodynamic performance of high-speed multi-stage axial compressor

Effect of rotor blade tip clearance on aerodynamic performance of high-speed multi-stage axial compressor

Effect of wire mesh casing treatment on axial compressor performance and stability

In this paper, a kind of Wire Mesh Casing Treatment (WMCT) is proposed to improve the stable operating range of the compressor. In contrast to the traditional circumferential groove, as for WMCT, a layer of wire mesh is laid on the surface of the circumferential groove. Parametric studies were conducted on the low-speed axial flow compressor, including the groove width, axial location, and mesh count. The optimum axial location for WMCT is related to its groove width. A higher wire mesh count results in a smaller compressor stall margin improvement. Steady simulations were carried out to study the effect of WMCT on the flow structure of the compressor. The wire mesh in the WMCT has a certain flow resistance, which restricts the flow into and out of the groove. Due to the WMCT, the flow parameter in the tip region of the rotor is less sensitive to changes in the operating conditions of the compressor. The WMCT causes the rotor tip blade loading to shift backward, inhibiting the formation of spill forward of the leakage flow, and thus improving the stability of the compressor. The flow resistance on the groove surface is a new degree-of-freedom for the casing treatment designer.

Power generation gas turbine performance enhancement in hot ambient temperature conditions through axial compressor design optimization

The output power and efficiency of gas turbines are profoundly influenced by ambient temperatures, with higher temperatures resulting in a notable decline in power output. This issue becomes particularly critical during periods of heightened power demand in hot climates. There are two common ways to solve this problem: incorporating auxiliary systems, such as inlet air cooling, or undertaking a comprehensive redesign of the gas turbine core engine. However, these methods sometimes are costly and unfeasible, particularly in regions characterized by arid conditions or constrained budgets for engine modifications. An alternative strategy has been developed to optimize axial compressor performance in order to improve gas turbine power in high-temperature environments, through an innovative approach. This approach centers on the concept of “re-staggering” the stator blades as a retrofit upgrade for existing gas turbines, enabling an increase in compressor inlet mass flow rate while maintaining peak efficiency at 45 °C. An in-house optimization tool was developed, incorporating a genetic algorithm and artificial neural network, to ascertain the optimal configuration of the re-stagger angles. This optimization process was initially coupled with a mean-line solver and subsequently refined using a through-flow model to enhance the preliminary design. The refined compressor design was then subjected to a comprehensive 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis. Additionally, “end-bend” and “elliptical leading edge” techniques were employed to sustain compressor efficiency and ensure stability across various design and off-design operating conditions. Following a thorough structural analysis, the newly designed compressors were manufactured and tested at two distinct sites in Iran (Yazd and Bampur). The measured data demonstrated the commendable performance and stability of the redesigned compressors, aligning closely with numerical predictions. Notably, the results showcased a substantial increase in gas turbine power output ranging from 7.0% to 8.0% at hot ambient conditions, all while preserving efficiency and stability. Encouragingly, the upgraded compressor also exhibited superior performance even at lower temperatures, such as 15 °C. Consequently, this uprating concept presents a practical and cost-effective solution for power plant operators seeking a significant boost in power output, especially during hot weather conditions or in arid regions prone to drought.

Interaction mechanism between incoming vortex and tip leakage vortex breakdown of a compressor cascade

Tip leakage vortex breakdown (TVB) is an important flow character that affects the performance of axial compressors. In this study, the interaction mechanism between incoming vortex (IV) and TVB is investigated to improve the performance of compressor cascade. First, the pitchwise location effect, swirling direction effect, and intensity effect are investigated under steady condition; then, an unsteady investigation is conducted based on the steady results. Under steady condition, TVB can be completely removed by the incoming vortex near the suction surface with different swirling directions, and the normalized circulation at the edge of incoming vortex is 0.7. The loss coefficient caused by TVB is also reduced; however, a new loss is induced by IV. The flow mechanism is that the interaction between the incoming vortex and tip leakage vortex (TLV) can increase the chordwise momentum at the vortex core and the stability of the TLV. For TLV and IV, the two vortices have a tendency to combine downstream of the compressor cascade if they have the same swirling directions. However, when the swirling directions are different, TLV and IV propagate separately, and the intensity and stability of TLV are much higher. The loss of TLV is higher for the anticlockwise IV scheme because the intensity of the TLV is greater due to the interaction between TLV and IV. By utilizing the incoming vortex under unsteady condition, the TVB can also be reduced. The unsteadiness of the compressor cascade with the incoming vortex is significantly reduced by reducing the TVB.

Cfd Analysis to Investigate the Effect of Leaned Rotor On the Performance of Transonic Axial Flow Compressor Stage

This paper describes the numerical study carried out to understand the impact of combination of forward and backward leaned rotor on the overall performance of a transonic axial flow research compressor of CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bangalore. The analyses were carried out using commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solver Ansys-CFX. Initially CFD analysis was carried out for the baseline rotor configuration and validated the results with the experimental data. Then, three new configurations of combined Leaned rotors were modeled from the radially stacked baseline rotor by changing the circumferential curvature of original stacking line using three control points located at 0%, 50% and 100% of the blade span. Analyses were carried out for all the three configurations of modified geometries and the results were compared with the baseline configuration. The results revealed many interesting aspects which will be very useful for better understanding of the blade curvature effects on the shock and secondary losses within the transonic rotor. The discussions on the effect of combination of forward and backward leaned rotor and the consequent developments on the overall performance of the compressor are presented in detail in this paper.

Full Stage Axial Compressor Performance Modeling Incorporating the Effects of Blade Damage Due to Particle Ingestion

Abstract The damage due to particulate matter ingestion by propulsion gas turbine engines can be significant, impacting the operability and performance of plant components. Here, we focus on the axial compressor whose blades become damaged when operated in dusty/sandy environments, resulting in significant performance degradation. In this work, CFD studies are performed to model the effects of airfoil damage on the first-stage rotor blading of a GE T700–401C compressor. We use thermoplastic additive manufacturing to construct representative physical models of three damage morphologies—ballistically bent/curved leading edges, cragged erosion of leading edges, and eroded leading/tailing edges at outer span locations. The resultant damaged plastic geometries, and a baseline undamaged configuration are then optically scanned and incorporated into sublayer resolved full stage, unsteady RANS analyses. Boundary conditions are imposed that conform to damaged compressor operation protocols, and this iterative process for accommodating corrected mass flow and off-design powering is presented. The results for the three damaged and one undamaged configuration are studied in terms of compressible wave field and secondary/tip flows, spanwise performance parameter distributions and efficiency. A method to estimate the effect of rotor damage on engine SFC is presented. The code, modeling, and meshing strategies pursued here are consistent with a validation study carried out for NASA Rotor 37 — these results are briefly included, and provide confidence in the predictions of the T700 geometry studied. The results provide quantitative comparisons of, and insight into, the physical mechanisms associated with damaged compressor performance degradation.

Detailed Simulations of a Three-Stage Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Axial Compressor with a Focus on the Shrouded Stator Cavities Flow

This paper describes the findings of detailed simulations performed to investigate the impact of seal teeth cavity leakage flow on the aerodynamic and thermal performance of a three-stage supercritical CO2 axial compressor. The study compares a shrouded stator configuration (with cavities) to a cantilevered stator configuration (without cavities) to highlight their differences. High-fidelity computational fluid dynamics simulations were performed using non-linear harmonic (NLH) and mixing plane assumptions, considering various possible rotor/stator interface configurations for mixing plane calculations. The key performance parameters for each case were compared, and the best-performing configuration selected for further analysis. The individual stage performance parameters are also examined and compared between the cantilevered and shrouded configurations. It was observed that in the shrouded case, the leakage flow enters the cavity downstream of the stator trailing edge and gets entrained into the primary flow upstream of the stator, leading to boundary layer changes at the hub and degradation of stator and downstream rotor performance. Vortical flow structures were also observed in the stator wells, which tended to change the flow angles around the region, thereby affecting mixing and velocity distribution, resulting in a slight deterioration of compressor performance. Additionally, the study examines windage heating due to shear work from rotating walls, including the seal teeth surface. The amount of shear work done on the leakage flow and the corresponding rise in fluid temperature were quantified, tabulated, and further compared with a simple analytical model, showing good agreement between them and, hence, validating the numerical approach used.

Effect of different axial deflected angles of reversed blade-angle slots on the axial flow compressor performance and stability

The aim of the paper is to explore the influence of the reversed blade-angle slot casing treatment (RBSCT) and its axial deflected angle (ADA) on the compressor performance and stability, and to reveal the mechanism that the change in ADA of the RBSCT influences the effect to broaden the compressor stable working range. The NASA Rotor 35 is used as the object of the investigation, and four RBSCTs with ADA of −15°, −30°, −45° and −60° are designed and investigated by unsteady numerical simulation. The results show that as the absolute value of the axial deflected angle increases, the capacity to improve the compressor stability of the RBSCT increases and then decreases. The unsteadiness of the injection and suction flows formed by the reversed blade angle slot plays an important role in the removal of the low-velocity zone. When ADA is −30°, the unsteadiness amplitude of the injection and suction flows is significantly higher than those of the other three. Consequently, the RBSCT with −30° ADA obtains the maximum stall margin improvement of 17.41% and the maximum design point efficiency improvement of 1.06% among the four RBSCTs.

Effect of blade surface cooling on a micro transonic axial compressor performance at low Reynolds number

Due to the high ratio of surface area to volume and the limitations of manufacturing precision, the impact of wall temperature and heat transfer on the aerodynamic performance of micro gas turbines is greater than that of traditional larger counterparts. Therefore, this study numerically investigates the effect of rotor wall cooling on the aerodynamic and thermal performance of a 1.5-stage transonic compressor at a low Reynolds number using a three-dimensional Reynolds averaged Navier-stokes (RANS) simulation.In this study, we use a volume model that takes into account the actual shaft work, and the main findings can be summarized as follows: At the optimal wall temperature, wall cooling could potentially raise the compressor performance, with the peak efficiency increasing by about 3.7% and the pressure ratio increasing by about 1.8%. Wall cooling reduces the dynamic viscosity and increases the wall shear stress, which delays the laminar separation transition process, promotes the reattachment, and shortens the laminar separation bubble, substantially decreasing separation losses. Meanwhile, the loss caused by vortex dissipation decreases. Wall cooling slightly improves the matching relationship between the rotor and the aft stator, and also reduces the flow separation losses of the stator. Wall cooling introduces additional thermal and viscous dissipation to the blade passages, which prevents the compressor’s aerodynamic performance from increasing continuously. The present study analyzes the separation transition process, the entropy production mechanism, and deeply explores the effect of wall cooling, which is meaningful for the aerodynamic and thermal design of advanced micro-compressors.

Effect and Mechanism of Roughness on the Performance of a Five-Stage Axial Flow Compressor

In order to prolong the service life of multistage axial compressors, it is increasingly important to study the influence of blade surface roughness on the compressor performance. In this paper, a five-stage axial compressor of a real aero-engine was selected as the research object, and an equivalent gravel roughness model was used to model the roughness based on measured blade surface roughness data. Furthermore, the impact of blade surface roughness on the performance at design rotational speed was studied by full three-dimensional numerical simulation, and the mechanism of performance variation caused by the roughness was discussed combined with quantitative and flow field analyses. The results show that, when the blade surface roughness of all blades increases, the peak total efficiency decreases by approximately 0.4%, the blocking mass-flow decreases by approximately 0.3%, and the stable working range changes little. When the surface roughness of all rotor blades increases, the performance decline is close to that of all rotor and stator blades, and the variation in stator blade roughness has little effect on the compressor performance. Regarding the variation in roughness, the performance of the latter stage is more sensitive than that of the previous stage, and the decline in the performance of the fifth stage contributes the most to the total performance degradation of the compressor. Once the surface roughness of the fifth-stage rotor blade increases, the flow in the middle of the rotor blade deteriorates and the stage performance decreases obviously, which is the main reason for the decline in the overall performance.

Improved Body Force Model for Estimating Off-Design Axial Compressor Performance

Based on the COMSOL software, body forces substituted into the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations as the source terms instead of the actual blade rows were improved to better predict the compressor performance. Improvements in parallel body force modeling were implemented, central to which were the local flow quantities. This ensured accurate and reliable off-design performance prediction. The parallel force magnitude mainly depended on the meridional entropy gradient extracted from three-dimensional (3D) steady single-passage RANS solutions. The COMSOL software could easily and accurately translate the pitchwise-averaged entropy into the grid points of the body force domain. A NASA Rotor 37 was used to quantify the improved body force model to represent the compressor. Compared with the previous model, the improved body force model was more efficient for the numerical calculations, and it agreed well with the experimental data and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results. The results indicate that the improved body force model could quickly and efficiently capture the flow field through a turbomachinery blade row.

AERODYNAMIC PERFORMANCES OF A SINGLE-STAGE TRANSONIC AXIAL COMPRESSOR USING AN INCLINED CASING GROOVE

ABSTRACT This paper presents the effect of an inclined casing groove on the aerodynamic performance of a single-stage transonic axial compressor, NASA Stage 38, using three-dimensional Reynold-averaged-Navier-Stokes equations with the k-ε turbulence model. The research was carried out to examine the effects of four casing groove parameters: angle, width, depth, and location. Validation of a numerical model for a single-stage transonic axial compressor was conducted to evaluate the computational fluid dynamics method. Most of the simulations showed positive results with an increase in stall margin, adiabatic efficiency, and total pressure ratio, in which the maximum stall margin, adiabatic efficiency, and total pressure ratio can be raised by 87.09%, 0.13%, and 1.57%, respectively, as compared to the smooth casing case.

Effect of vorticity transport on flow structure in the tip region of axial compressors

Numerical simulations are carried out to investigate the flow structure in the blade tip region of axial compressors. Various tip clearance heights and end wall motion conditions in a linear compressor cascade are studied to assess the effect of vorticity transport on the tip leakage flow (TLF). Moreover, the effect of vorticity transport on the TLF in a compressor rotor at different operating conditions is studied using delayed detached eddy simulation. The results show that the vorticity transport at both the blade tip and the end wall plays an important role in the roll-up and evolution of the tip leakage vortex (TLV), resulting in great impacts on the loss and stability of the TLV. It is found that the TLV is composed of a two-layer structure. The inner vortex core region formed by the vorticity transport from the blade tip shear layer to the TLV has a great effect on the strength and loss of the vortex, and the structure of the outer shear layer is altered by the secondary vortex formed by the vorticity transport from the end wall shear layer and thus affects the stability of the TLV. By the mechanism of the vorticity transport, the effects of the clearance height, the end wall motion, and the non-uniform clearance as a control method can be explained uniformly. The new understanding of the TLF structure and the vorticity transport mechanism helps to improve the performance of axial compressors by controlling the vorticity transport of the TLF.

Numerical study on the influence of mist-air mixtures on axial compressor performance

To study the influence of mist-air mixtures on the performance of an axial-flow compressor, based on the Euler-Lagrange multiphase flow model coupled with compressor aerodynamic calculation, droplet motion, and wall film model, we establish a numerical method for compressor multiphase flow, which is used to study the performance change law of a low-pressure axial compressor with mist-air injection. The results indicate that the compressor inlet fogging will produce a wall film on the blade surface and the casing wall, resulting in a decrease in the total pressure coefficient and mechanical efficiency of the compressor under full operating conditions, and this decrease is more significant with the increase of spray water-air ratio and spray particle size. With the change of compressor mass flow, the wall film on the blade surface presents the following migration law: the thickness of wall film on the pressure surface and on the suction surface decreases and increases respectively with the increase of mass flow, and the specific distribution law of wall film on the blade surface does not change obviously. Meanwhile, a compressor inlet fogging test is carried out in this study to verify the accuracy of the multiphase flow numerical method for compressor performance prediction. The experimental results show that the numerical method can effectively and quantitatively analyze the effect of mist-air mixture injection on compressor performance, and can be further improved by more detailed experimental research to achieve a more accurate numerical method for compressor multiphase flow.

Numerical and experimental study of bleed impact in multistage axial compressors

In this study, the influence of inter-stage bleeding on the compressor performance and inter-stage flow field of a multistage axial compressor is investigated by both experimental and numerical methods. The experiment is conducted on a four-stage low-speed axial compressor, and a specific computational model is built to simulate the experiment environment accurately. To illuminate the fluid mechanisms of bleeding effect in detail, both the experiment and the simulation are carried out twice, i.e., in the first time, the mass flow rate upstream the bleed location is constant under different bleed rate conditions; while in the second time, the mass flow rate downstream the bleed location is constant under different bleed rate conditions. The results demonstrate that inter-stage bleeding has little influence on upstream compressor characteristics, and affects the upstream flow field only in the rear half of the stator. The bleed effect on the downstream flow field is embodied in the variation of an incoming flow profile, an increase as the compressor inlet flow coefficient decreases. Therefore, such an effect is only significant on compressor characteristics at small flow coefficient conditions. In multistage compressors, the variation of compressor characteristics and flow field caused by inter-stage bleeding is the comprehensive result of the bleeding and the variation of the upstream working condition. In addition, the comparison between numerical and experimental results shows that the flow moves towards top half of span through the downstream rotor passage in the numerical simulation, whereas the trend of flow field variation with different bleed rates at the outlet of the downstream rotor and stator is the same with that at the inlet of the downstream rotor in the experiment, which means that the numerical method has overestimated the radial mixing intensity of the flow.

Numerical study of the effect of Inlet paired Swirl on Performance and Stability of Axial compressor

In order to study the effect of inlet paired swirl distortion on the performance and stability of compressor, a full-annulus unsteady numerical simulation of the effects of swirl distortion on performance and stability of transonic rotor Rotor 37 is carried out in this paper. The result shows that: the rotor performance deteriorates and the stable working range decreases under the effect of vortex flow distortion; the circumferential side flow caused by vortex swirl distortion leads to the uneven circumferential distribution of flow parameters at the inlet and the outlet of the compressor; the rotor blade has a very significant attenuation effect on the swirl distortion, and the swirl distortion intensity decreases along the axial direction; the circumferentially inhomogeneous distribution of rotor angle causes excessive local aerodynamic load on the rotor, and high intensity leakage vortices and excitation vortices are generated at the blade tip. The circumferentially unevenly distributed swirl angle causes excessive local aerodynamic load of the rotor, resulting in high-intensity leakage vortex and shock wave interference in the blade tip area, which severely blocks the flow path and eventually leads to unstable flow in the Rotor37.

Design Optimization of a Dual-Bleeding Recirculation Channel to Enhance Operating Stability of a Transonic Axial Compressor

The present work performed a comprehensive investigation to find the effects of a dual-bleeding port recirculation channel on the aerodynamic performance of a single-stage transonic axial compressor, NASA Stage 37, and optimized the channel’s configuration to enhance the operating stability of the compressor. The compressor’s performance was examined using three parameters: The stall margin, adiabatic efficiency, and pressure ratio. Steady-state three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes analyses were performed to find the flow field and aerodynamic performance. The results showed that the addition of a bleeding channel increased the recirculation channel’s stabilizing effect compared to the single-bleeding channel. Three design variables were selected for optimization through a parametric study, which was carried out to examine the influences of six geometric parameters on the channel’s effectiveness. Surrogate-based design optimization was performed using the particle swarm optimization algorithm coupled with a surrogate model based on the radial basis neural network. The optimal design was found to increase the stall margin by 51.36% compared to the case without the recirculation channel with only 0.55% and 0.28% reductions in the peak adiabatic efficiency and maximum pressure ratio, respectively.