Suction Side Research Articles

Flow control treatment for shock wave/boundary layer interaction of transonic shrouded rotors

The shock wave/boundary layer interaction at the tip of transonic shrouded rotor blades usually leads to severe flow separation, which seriously affects aerodynamic performance. In this paper, the effect of part-shroud treatment on the shock wave/boundary layer interaction was numerically investigated. The part-shroud treatment suppresses the shock wave/boundary layer interaction-induced flow separation by introducing the tip leakage vortex at an optimal location. Parametric studies reveal that positioning the tip leakage vortex onset upstream the shock wave effectively reduces flow separation on the suction side, with the best outcomes achieved when the onset is slightly upstream of the shock wave. Based on these findings, the optimal shroud range extends from the leading edge to just upstream of the shock wave under a near stall condition. In National Aeronautics and Space Administration Rotor 35, the 30% shrouded rotors demonstrate a 2.4% improvement in the stall margin over 100% shrouded rotors with little reduction in peak efficiency.

Spectral proper orthogonal decomposition of turbine tip clearance flow under low-Reynolds number conditions

Spectral proper orthogonal decomposition, a data-based decomposition technique, was performed to extract key spatiotemporal coherent structures from large-eddy simulation data. Both velocity and vorticity were decomposed to identify the dominant unsteady features around the near-tip region. Four operating conditions for two different Reynolds numbers, with and without tip clearance were investigated, i.e., low_Re TC, low_Re, high_Re TC and high_Re. The energy spectra (eigenvalues) and their accumulation at each frequency exhibited the low-rank behavior, indicating the presence of a physically dominating mechanism. The velocity mode shapes (eigenvectors) revealed three typical coherent structures for the low_Re TC condition: vortex shedding from the blade wake and the tip leakage vortex, Kelvin-Helmholtz instability induced by the leakage jet, and complex interactions among the boundary layer separation, the tip leakage vortex and the horseshoe vortex. For the condition without tip clearance, the dominant structure was the vortex shedding from the wake only. The vorticity mode shapes indicated that high dissipation of the vorticity field occurred close to the suction side, where strong secondary vortices existed. The present research could develop a better understanding of turbine tip clearance flow and loss mechanisms at low Reynolds numbers.

Flow disturbance by intrusive instrumentation located on the surface of a compressor blade

In this paper, we present an experimental and numerical investigation into the flow disturbance by intrusive instrumentation in the form of spanwise pressure tubes mounted on the pressure and suction side of a compressor blade in a linear cascade wind tunnel at a moderate subsonic Mach number of 0.5 and a Reynolds number of 790,000. The pressure tubes were modelled as simplified bumps extending over the entire span with a width of 24% of the chord length and a height of 67% of the maximum blade thickness. The leading edge of the bumps is located at 30% of the streamwise surface length. We found that the total pressure losses generated by these pressure tubes are considerably larger when they are placed on the suction side of the blade. The suction-sided bump increases the total pressure loss coefficient by a factor of four, while the pressure-sided bump approximately doubles it. CFD simulations reveal that the suction-sided bump causes the flow to form a large, open recirculation zone, while for the pressure-sided bump, the flow reattaches near the trailing edge. In conclusion, we provide insights into the effects of pressure tubes on the losses generated by compressor blades. The mounted tubes significantly impact the flow and should be carefully considered during instrumentation design.

Assessing the Effect of Uneven Inlet Velocity on the 24 ft Diameter MinwaterCSP Fan Using a Unique Pressure Sensing System

An industrial-grade pressure sensing system was designed for installation on the surface of the 24 ft (7.315 m) diameter M-fan that is installed on the MinwaterCSP test facility. The facility has significant cross draft effects due to the proximity of a canal that runs underneath the centre of the facility. This canal causes disturbance of the inlet air flow distribution. Due to the constant rapid change in air velocity and direction with blade rotation, the pressure on the blade fluctuates. The velocity distribution was measured experimentally using the installed anemometers. The uneven inlet velocity distribution led to fluctuations in blade surface pressures, which were measured using the uniquely designed pressure sensing system. The measured results were compared to the results of a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model of the MinwaterCSP test facility. The CFD simulations consisted of two parts. Firstly a 3-dimensional representation of the facility, which was used to get the velocity distribution data and secondly a 2-dimensional airfoil simulation which was used to obtain the surface pressure distribution on the blade surface. The 3-dimensional CFD model made use of an actuator disk model to represent the effect of the fan. The experimental results showed a higher velocity and relative surface pressure distribution at locations correlating to the location of the canal. The simulation was able to replicate these distribution fluctuations. The results of the experimentally measured fan blade surface pressure at the fan suction side correlated within 9% to those of the simulation results.

Film-Cooling Performance Comparison of Blade Tips With a Trailing Edge, Pressure Side Cutback, or a Suction Side Squealer in a Transonic Linear Cascade

Abstract Film-cooling effectiveness and leakage flow play crucial roles in turbine blade heat transfer. In contrast to the conventional trailing edge cutback squealer blade tip (CB tip), this study aims to compare the film-cooling effectiveness of a suction side squealer tip (SS tip) under different blowing ratios and density ratios. This experiment is conducted in a three-blade cascade wind tunnel under transonic conditions. While applying the pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) technique for film-cooling effectiveness measurements, both top-view and side-view perspectives were employed to illustrate the distribution of local cooling effectiveness across various regions of the blade. Furthermore, PSP can be used to estimate the leakage flow across the blade tip by analyzing the local static pressure distribution. For the CB tip, the film-cooling effectiveness within the cavity increases as both the blowing ratio and density ratio increase. The PSP technique clearly captures the accumulation of coolant within the cavity and the coolant discharge near the trailing edge in the vicinity of the squealer cutback. When the blade tip is outfitted with only a suction side squealer, the film-cooling effectiveness on the blade tip is comparable to that of the full squealer with the trailing edge cutback. This similarity is achieved as the CB tip design requires 14–20% more coolant to achieve the same blowing ratios as the SS tip. The advantage of the SS tip is further demonstrated as leakage flow across the tip is reduced compared to the CB tip.

Flow Separation Control and Aeroacoustic Effects of a Leading-Edge Slat over a Wind Turbine Blade

To enable wind energy to surpass fossil fuels, the power-to-cost ratio of wind turbines must be competitive. Increasing installation capacities and wind turbine sizes indicates a strong trend toward clean energy. However, larger rotor diameters, reaching up to 170 m, introduce stability and aeroelasticity concerns and aerodynamic phenomena that cause noise disturbances. These issues hinder performance enhancement and social acceptance of wind turbines. A critical aerodynamic challenge is flow separation on the blade’s suction side, leading to a loss of lift and increased drag, ultimately stalling the blade and reducing turbine performance. Various active and passive flow control techniques have been studied to address these issues, with passive techniques offering the advantage of no external energy requirement. High-lift devices, such as leading-edge slats, are promising in improving aerodynamic performance by controlling flow separation. This study explores the geometric parameters of slats and their effects on wind turbine blades’ aerodynamic and acoustic performance. Using an adequate turbulence model at Re = 106 for angles of attack from 14° to 24°, 77 slat configurations were evaluated. Symmetric slats showed superior performance at high angles of attack, while slat chord length was inversely proportional to aerodynamic improvement. A hybrid method was employed to predict noise, revealing slat-induced modifications in eddy topology and increased low- and high-frequency noise. This study’s main contribution is correlating slat-induced aerodynamic improvements with their acoustic effects. The directivity reveals a 10–15 dB reduction induced by the slat at 1 kHz, while the slat induces higher noise at higher frequencies.

Investigation of the transient characteristics of the Francis turbine during runaway process

Transient hydraulic phenomena, including flow separation, vortex structure and high amplitude pressure fluctuation, occur in the turbine during runaway process, significantly affecting the safe and stable operation. To clarify the unsteady flow characteristics in the runaway process, this paper focus on a low head model Francis turbine, examining the transient flow dynamics from rated speed to runaway speed. Numerical simulations show good agreement with experimental test results for the runaway speed and discharge. Results identify that two typical cavitation vortex structures within the runner: A cloud cavitation vortex near the hub on the pressure side and a columnar cavitation vortex on the suction side. Further analysis reveals that the pressure fluctuation induced by the former are low-frequency (0.08fn and harmonics), whereas those induced by the latter are high-frequency (1.16fn and harmonics). Entropy production analysis in homogeneous flow indicates that energy dissipation mainly occurs in the runner and draft tube during the runaway process. Turbulent entropy production within the turbine comprises a significant portion of the total entropy production. Additionally, areas around the recirculation zone exhibit considerable high entropy production, indicating that the energy of the fluid is dissipated by cavitation vortex structures generated in these areas. Additionally, the analysis indicates that the entropy production rate correlates with vapor generation, underscoring the cavitation vortex as the primary cause of energy dissipation. This investigation can provide valuable insights into the energy dissipation mechanisms during the runaway process.

Investigation of aerodynamic performance and noise of tip shape clearance in a diagonal flow fan

Unlike centrifugal fans, diagonal flow fans have an air inflow direction at a certain angle to the axis, with tip clearance (TC) significantly affecting aerodynamic performance and noise. This study focuses on investigating the effects of four different TC shapes based on blade height (BH) ratios. Large Eddy Simulation (LES) was used to capture the structure and development of tip leakage flow (TLF) and tip leakage vortex (TLV) accurately. Diagonal flow fan casings with different TC shapes were 3D-printed for aerodynamic performance experiments. The results from both numerical simulations and experiments show that diagonal flow fans with Tapering or Parallel TC shapes achieve superior aerodynamic performance compared to other geometries, with a 24.1% variance in flow rate. The study further indicates that different TC shapes significantly influence the flow field, altering the mechanisms governing turbulence transition on the suction side. Compared to the Diverging shape, reducing the TC width decreases the amplitude of the TLV, which in turn reduces the turbulence-affected area while increasing dominant mode frequencies. Experimental results also confirm that the Tapering-Diverging TC shape yields the lowest noise levels, with a 3.6 dB reduction in Sound Pressure Level (SPL).

Study on the Spatio-temporal Evolutionary Properties of Gas-liquid Two-phase Flow in Centrifugal Pump as Turbine (PAT)

With the increasing complexity of the industrial production process, the transmission medium of the hydraulic turbine is no longer satisfied, and the gas-liquid two-phase mixed medium has to be considered. The presence of gas in the transmission medium will alters the internal flow structure of the hydraulic turbine and affect its operational stability. Therefore, for the purpose of clarifying the influence of inlet gas content on the internal flow of PAT, the unsteady flow of the PAT is simulated in this paper using numerical simulation. Based on the numerical simulation results, the influence of inlet gas content on the internal flow characteristics, characteristics of pressure fluctuation in impeller and volute, and vortex evolution of flow field are analyzed. The accumulation of gas phase leads to the emergence of vortices, and regions with low pressure values appear at the vortex generation. The major factor of the periodic variation of pressure fluctuation between volute and cut-water is the dynamic and static interference of impeller. The increase of gas content causes more flow disorder in the cut-water region and the volute contraction section. Since the gas in the flow channel is predominantly on the suction side of blades, the flow field on the suction side is more complex than that on the pressure side, and the amplitude of pressure fluctuation increases appropriately. The vortex structure is mainly distributed on balance hole, inlet area of impeller and suction side of blade. As the blade rotates, there are new shedding and growth of vortices, and finally attached to the volute wall. Increasing gas content enhances the influence of blade rotation on the vortex evolution characteristics in the volute and impeller.

Highly separated transitional shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions: A spatial modal study

At cruise altitudes, the Reynolds number may become sufficiently low to allow a laminar boundary layer to persist on the suction side of a transonic fan blade up to the shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction (SBLI). In such a transitional SBLI with sufficiently large shock-induced separation, a shock oscillation mechanism occurs, with the source at the upstream growth (until a critical length) and natural suppression (through shear layer instabilities) of the separation bubble. The oscillation cycle is characterized by a temporarily vanishing upstream laminar part of the separation bubble. The suppression of this laminar part is accompanied by downstream advection of turbulence and subsequent entrainment into the bulk separation bubble, affecting the reflected shock movement. In order to study the spatial behavior of the mechanism, particle image velocimetry of a highly separated transitional oblique SBLI at Mach 2.3 is conducted in the high speed aerodynamics laboratory of Delft University of Technology. Statistical quantities, including root mean square velocity fluctuations, phase averages, and spatial modes from proper orthogonal decomposition, are investigated. The entrainment strength varies depending on the phase of the oscillation, and the turbulent shear layer is not fully developed. The main growth and shrinking mode of the separation bubble were extracted, which affects the slip line region size and shock position. Secondary modes that affect the shear layer undulation and upstream effects were also extracted. The study provides quantitative analyses of an important shock oscillation type, with the focus on capturing the separation bubble size variation and upstream effects.

Enhancing Bulb Turbine Performance Assessing Air Injection for Vibration Mitigation and Hydrofoil Cavitation

Small hydro technology is playing a crucial role in advancing sustainable, clean energy policies as part of the global hydro development strategy. Its contribution to social and economic development is becoming more prominent, particularly in ensuring electricity access for rural communities and supporting industrial expansion. The main causes of bulb turbine failures under high operating conditions are frequently attributed to variations in pressure in the draft tubes, which are aggravated when a spinning vortex rope is formed under load operation. Different fluid injection techniques, namely compressed air and water jet injection, address these issues and reduce the negative results of cavitation. The investigation covers the flow visualization on the suction side of a single hydrofoil utilizing a cavitation tunnel and a bulb turbine. This study assesses the effectiveness of compressed air injection in reducing vibration generated by cavitation in bulb turbines. Positive results of the experimental studies suggest a decrease in noise and vibration by air injection that prevents oscillations of the vortex rope. This research also considers how the hydrofoil design of bulb runner blades influences flow characteristics. Hence, it provides knowledge on cavitation structures in diverse cavitation numbers. Different studies that compare the original and modified hydrofoil designs reveal remarkable improvements that may be due to changes in the key parameters of the hydrofoil, such as later cavitation initiation and reduced intensity. To obtain the optimal output of a bulb turbine by considering air injection for vibration reduction and hydrofoil design changes to limit the negative effect of cavitation, the Reynolds number and cavitation number are to be defined. This multidisciplinary approach possesses enormous potential to increase the reliability and efficiency of bulb turbines in challenging operating conditions.

Shock Oscillation Mechanism of Highly Separated Transitional Shock-Wave/Boundary-Layer Interactions

Reynolds numbers at cruise altitude can be such that a laminar boundary layer persists on the suction side of a transonic fan blade up to the shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction (SBLI). In a transitional SBLI which exhibits sufficiently large shock-induced separation, a shock oscillation mechanism characterized by growth and natural suppression of the upstream laminar section of the separation bubble occurs. To validate the shock oscillation mechanism observed in large eddy simulations (LES), the shock oscillation mechanism is studied experimentally using high-speed Schlieren and spark-light shadowgraphy. A characteristic length based on the distance of laminar separation shock travel is proposed. Strouhal numbers from LES and the experiment collapse at around 0.075. A strong dependency of the oscillation mechanism on free-stream turbulence and boundary-layer state is shown. Dominant oscillation frequencies are an order of magnitude lower for the turbulent interaction as opposed to the laminar case. For the laminar case, dynamic mode decomposition showed a strong relationship of the laminar separation shock with the separation bubble and reflected shock movement. The turbulent interaction shows a significantly lower reflected shock travel distance. The findings experimentally confirm that stabilization of the shock is achieved by tripping the boundary layer.

Large eddy simulation of a marine propeller with leading edge tubercles

The results of large eddy simulations on a cylindrical grid consisting of 5.8 × 109 points are reported, dealing with marine propellers with leading edge tubercles (LETs). They are compared with the performance and flow fields of the baseline geometry without tubercles. In general, the efficiency of propulsion is not improved, but a substantial effect is produced on the development of the flow across the propeller blades. The minima of pressure on the suction side of the blades are confined in the troughs of the leading edge, with the potential of reducing the overall extent of the area of cavitation (cavitation funneling effect). In addition, local maxima of turbulence are produced on the suction side of the blades by the onset of streamwise vortices at the troughs of the LETs. Although the wake development is slightly modified across blade geometries, no obvious influence of the LETs on the major wake structures is observed. Due to their early breakup, the vortices developing across the span of the propeller blades, including those originating at the LETs, are able to affect indeed a very short extent of the propeller wake. Its dynamics is still dominated by the tip and hub vortices, as for the conventional design of the propeller. Meanwhile, the intensity of the root vortices shed by the conventional propeller is substantially reduced in the wake of the tubercled propellers, thanks to the modified geometry of the blades at their root, resulting also in a slightly slower instability of the hub vortex.

Comprehensive Experimental Assessment Of Unsteady Pressure And Heat Flux In A Small-Core Turbine Over-Tip Shroud

Abstract For novel high-speed small core turbines, with tip clearance below 0.5mm, even small blade-to-blade tip clearance variation is significant. The assessment of these complex flows is pertinent to the design of the next generation of small-core turbines. This manuscript provides a thorough experimental analysis of the shroud?s unsteady heat flux and static pressure in a small-core squealer-tip blade turbine. Atomic Layer Thermopile sensors and fast response pressure transducers were used to perform high-frequency acquisition at 2MHz around the 51% axial blade chord on the shroud. Measurements were taken at engine-representative conditions at several operational conditions and tip clearances. The signals were phase-locked averaged over the revolution period and synchronized to identify individual blade and row signatures. The linear relationship between the rotational tip Reynolds and the static pressure ratio across the blade tip reveals the transition point to reverse over-tip flows. Total heat flux is decomposed into different steady and unsteady heat flux contributions. It is demonstrated that the adiabatic wall temperature governs the unsteady heat flux and contributes to one third of the total surface heat flux. A linear trend was observed between the unsteady heat flux and the tip clearance measured at the pressure and suction side rims. Similar trends were observed between the local heat flux and the pressure ratio across the tip. A comparison with CFD predictions highlights some limitations on resolving the detached and secondary flows, evidencing the necessity of complementary experimental data.

Dynamic strain distribution monitoring and fatigue damage analysis on a 100 kW wind turbine blade based on field aerodynamic measurements

Abstract Operation and maintenance (O&M) costs can account for 10%–20% of the total costs of electricity for a wind project. Structural health monitoring method is a form of preventive maintenance consisting of regular monitoring of the wind turbine components to detect potential faults. The strain measurements on the blades are typically used for load monitoring and damage detection, but only obtain a small amount of concentrated load information. In this work, a strain distribution monitoring method was proposed and validated based on aerodynamic measurements in the field. Then the contribution and evolution of the strain distribution from the aerodynamic load, gravity load, inertial load, and centrifugal load in the complex start-up process of the wind turbine were analyzed. The results shows that the mean value of the synthetic strain is mainly determined by the aerodynamic load and the centrifugal load, while the fluctuation amplitude is mainly determined by the gravity and the aerodynamic load. Furthermore, the fatigue damage of the blade root was evaluated based on strain extrapolation, rainflow cycle-counting algorithm, Goodman diagram and Miner’s linear superposition principle. It is found that the fatigue damage is generally greatest near the pressure side and suction side, and least near the leading edge and trailing edge. The strain distribution monitoring method can capture the location of maximum stress and the most severe fatigue damage on the blade, which are helpful for damage detection and load control, and further reduces O&M costs.

Performance characteristics of a contra-rotating pump-turbine in turbine and pump modes under cavitating flow conditions

Recent studies have indicated the potential of a contra-rotating pump-turbine (CRPT) as a low-head design that enables pumped hydro storage in regions with flat topography. However, the effects of cavitation have scarcely been investigated for the CRPT. The current paper utilises computational fluid dynamics simulations to study a model scale CRPT subjected to cavitating flow conditions to determine how cavitation affects the machine’s operating performance in both pump and turbine modes. In total, eight operating conditions have been evaluated for each mode. The inlet flow rate is considered fixed at 0.27 m3/s, while the outlet pressure is gradually changed to induce cavitating conditions. The study demonstrates that the pump mode operation of the CRPT is more sensitive to cavitation compared to the turbine mode. The pump mode operation shows a steady decline in efficiency with decreasing inlet pressure, whereas in turbine mode the efficiency settles at a lower level. The 3% head drop occurs at a Thoma number of 1.0 in pump mode and at 0.6 in turbine mode. At the 3% head drop, a large cavitating region is already present at the runner blades’ suction side of the runner closest to the lower reservoir in both modes. The large cavitating region causes the flow to separate from the runner blade surfaces, which explains the reduced operating performance. To ensure an almost cavitating-free operating condition and unaffected performance, the Thoma number needs to be above 1.0 in turbine mode and at least 1.5 in pump mode. A frequency analysis reveals that the presence of cavitation affects the dominant pressure pulsations in the system. A dynamic mode decomposition analysis is carried out, demonstrating that the non-trivial pressure pulsations are connected to the support struts.

Study of transient pressure and fluctuation characteristics in a centrifugal pump using the delayed detached-eddy simulation method

This study employed OpenFOAM, the delayed detached-eddy simulation (DDES) turbulence model, and structured grids to develop numerical models for three centrifugal pumps with twisted blades. The internal pressure field, velocity field, forces, and fluctuation characteristics of the centrifugal pumps are comprehensively analyzed under various operating conditions. The findings indicate that the pressure is relatively higher in the flow passages near the volute tongue and the outlet within the impeller. Regions of high relative velocity (slip velocity) are mainly found on the suction side of the blades, indicating that the design of the blade suction side affects the fluid outward slip performance. As the flow rate increases, the forces and force fluctuation amplitudes of each pump component also rise. Conversely, as the rotational speed increases, the force on the blades or impeller gradually increases while the fluctuation amplitude decreases. In the stationary domain, the force on the volute gradually decreases while the fluctuation amplitude of this force increases. The shape of the volute tongue influences the rate at which pressure inside the volute is converted to outlet pressure. The power spectral density (PSD) of pressure fluctuations is smallest at the nominal flow rate, displaying a clear and distinct axial frequency pattern without complex low-frequency fluctuations. Under low flow and high-speed conditions, the PSD at the axial frequency is relatively small, whereas the pressure PSD at other low frequencies is relatively large. This indicates instability in the flow under these conditions.

Experimental Optimization of the SG6043 Airfoil for Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines Using Schmitz Equations

This study presents the experimental optimization of the SG6043 airfoil for horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) using the Schmitz equation, focusing on enhancing power output and elucidating the surface flow structure. Two blade models, M1 (conventional) and M2 (optimized), were designed and tested at rotational speeds of 400 rpm and 600 rpm across a range of tip speed ratios (TSR). The M2 model, optimized using Schmitz equations, demonstrated significantly improved performance compared to the M1 model at both rotational speeds. At 400 rpm, the maximum power coefficient (CP) for M1 was 0.274, while M2 reached 0.419, indicating a 52.91% improvement. At 600 rpm, M1 achieved a maximum CP of 0.293, whereas M2 attained 0.458, representing a 56.31% enhancement. The M2 model also showed superior performance at higher TSRs, with the highest percentage increase in CP recorded at 4.9 TSR, reaching 574.54%. Additionally, dynamic surface oil-flow visualization experiments were conducted to examine flow behavior on the blade surfaces. Results indicated better flow attachment in the M2 blade due to its optimized twist angle and chord length, particularly in the mid-section, leading to delayed flow separation. The reattachment observed on the suction side of the M2 model, following the laminar separation bubble (LSB), which was absent in the M1, contributed to its higher aerodynamic efficiency and overall power performance. These findings confirm that the optimized SG6043 airfoil design, guided by Schmitz equations, offers significant improvements in HAWT performance, particularly under varying operational conditions.

Blade Designs For Improved Multi-Phase Performance In sCO2 Compressors; Part II - Optical Diagnostics In sCO2 And Experimental Evaluation With Particle Image Velocimetry

Abstract This paper presents the second part of a study in which the leading-edge and suction surface of a compressor blade was modified to delay onset of phase change for sCO2 compressors operating near the critical point. Using a first-of-its-kind apparatus for the measurement of sCO2 flow fields, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is used for local flow field measurements of two compressor blade geometries: the modified “biased-wedge,” and a conventional constant thickness blade. Utilizing the developed hardware, the feasibility of a simple, laser-based diagnostic for qualitatively measuring liquid phase regions, is also presented. The design of the optical diagnostics rig, a discussion of numerous challenges, and necessary considerations involved in performing optical-based measurements like PIV, in sCO2, are discussed. Velocity field measurements for the modified compressor profile show a much lower suction peak compared to a conventional blade. These results validate numerical results at the tested conditions, where the suction side profile of the biased wedge works to minimize the local pressure gradient.

Shock waves characteristics and losses estimation of non-equilibrium condensation flow in nozzle and steam turbine cascade

The investigation of transonic non-equilibrium condensation is paramount due to its profound influence on the shock patterns and the distribution of losses. This study numerically investigates the shock wave morphology, evolution, and quantitative loss calculation under the influence of non-equilibrium condensation within the Moses-Stein nozzle and Dykas cascade. The results indicate that the vapor near the nozzle wall undergoes phase transition first and forms “X-shaped” condensation shock, which impervious to back pressure variations. Conversely, the “λ-shaped” aerodynamic shock moves towards the throat with increasing back pressure, triggering boundary layer separation. The entropy generation of “λ-shocks” accounts for over 98% and represents the primary source of shock losses. Strong pressure side shock induces shock wave-boundary layer interactions with the blade suction wall, resulting in reflected shocks. However, the latent heat released by non-equilibrium condensation mitigates this effect, increasing the total pressure loss coefficient by 0.188. The decrease in Mach number under high back pressure causes a notable increase in the trailing edge shock angle, with the wave foot shifting upstream. Notably, the proportion of shock losses attributed to the suction side of trailing edge exceeds 80%, significantly surpassing other regions, which progressively increases with rising back pressure. Therefore, it is crucial for cascade optimization. The findings can provide references for the optimization design of low-pressure steam turbine blade profiles. The results can serve as a guide for optimizing the blade profiles of low-pressure steam turbine.