Investigation of Pre-stall Mode and Pip Inception in High-Speed Compressors Through the Use of Correlation Integral

1999 ◽  
Vol 121 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle M. Bright ◽  
Helen K. Qammar ◽  
Leizhen Wang

Five high-speed compressor configurations are used to identify pre-stall pressure signal activity under clean and distorted inlet conditions, and under steady injection and controlled injection conditions. Through the use of a nonlinear statistic called correlation integral, variations in the compressor dynamics are identified from the pre-stall pressure activity far before variations (modal or pip) are observed visually in the wall static pressure measurements. The correlation integral not only discerns changing dynamics of these compressors prior to stall, but is now used to measure the strength of the tip flow field for these five high-speed compressors. Results show that correlation integral value changes dramatically when the stall inception is modal; and it changes less severely when the stall inception is through pip disturbances. This algorithm can therefore distinguish from the pre-stall pressure traces when a machine is more likely to stall due to pips versus modes. When used in this manner, the correlation integral thus provides a measure of tip flow strength. The algorithm requires no predisposition about the expected behavior of the data in order to detect changing dynamics in the compressor; thus, no pre-filtering is necessary. However, by band-pass filtering the data, one can monitor changing dynamics in the tip flow field for various frequency regimes. An outcome of this is to associate changes in correlation integral value directly with frequency specific events occurring in the compressor, i.e., blade length scale events versus long length scale acoustic events. The correlation integral provides a potential advantage over linear spectral techniques because a single sensor is used for detection and analysis of the instabilities.

Author(s):  
Michelle M. Bright ◽  
Helen K. Qammar ◽  
Leizhen Wang

Five high speed compressor configurations are used to identify pre-stall pressure signal activity under clean and distorted inlet conditions, and under steady injection and controlled injection conditions. Through the use of a nonlinear statistic called correlation integral, variations in the compressor dynamics are identified from the pre-stall pressure activity far before variations (modal or pip) are observed visually in the wall static pressure measurements. The correlation integral not only discerns changing dynamics of these compressors prior to stall, but is now used to measure the strength of the tip flow field for these five high speed compressors. Results show that correlation integral value changes dramatically when the stall inception is modal; and it changes less severely when the stall inception is through pip disturbances. This algorithm can therefore distinguish from the pre-stall pressure traces when a machine is more likely to stall due to pips versus modes. When used in this manner, the correlation integral thus provides a measure of tip flow strength. The algorithm requires no predisposition about the expected behavior of the data in order to detect changing dynamics in the compressor, thus no pre-filtering is necessary. However, by band-pass filtering the data, one can monitor changing dynamics in the tip flow field for various frequency regimes. An outcome of this is to associate changes in correlation integral value directly to frequency specific events occurring in the compressor, i.e. blade length scale events versus long length scale acoustic events. The correlation integral provides a potential advantage over linear spectral techniques because a single sensor is used for detection and analysis of the instabilities.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Fangyuan Lou ◽  
John Charles Fabian ◽  
Nicole Leanne Key

This paper investigates the aerodynamics of a transonic impeller using static pressure measurements. The impeller is a high-speed, high-pressure-ratio wheel used in small gas turbine engines. The experiment was conducted on the single stage centrifugal compressor facility in the compressor research laboratory at Purdue University. Data were acquired from choke to near-surge at four different corrected speeds (Nc) from 80% to 100% design speed, which covers both subsonic and supersonic inlet conditions. Details of the impeller flow field are discussed using data acquired from both steady and time-resolved static pressure measurements along the impeller shroud. The flow field is compared at different loading conditions, from subsonic to supersonic inlet conditions. The impeller performance was strongly dependent on the inducer, where the majority of relative diffusion occurs. The inducer diffuses flow more efficiently for inlet tip relative Mach numbers close to unity, and the performance diminishes at other Mach numbers. Shock waves emerging upstream of the impeller leading edge were observed from 90% to 100% corrected speed, and they move towards the impeller trailing edge as the inlet tip relative Mach number increases. There is no shock wave present in the inducer at 80% corrected speed. However, a high-loss region near the inducer throat was observed at 80% corrected speed resulting in a lower impeller efficiency at subsonic inlet conditions.


1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Camp ◽  
I. J. Day

This paper presents a study of stall inception mechanisms in a low-speed axial compressor. Previous work has identified two common flow breakdown sequences, the first associated with a short length-scale disturbance known as a “spike,” and the second with a longer length-scale disturbance known as a “modal oscillation.” In this paper the physical differences between these two mechanisms are illustrated with detailed measurements. Experimental results are also presented that relate the occurrence of the two stalling mechanisms to the operating conditions of the compressor. It is shown that the stability criteria for the two disturbances are different: Long length-scale disturbances are related to a two-dimensional instability of the whole compression system, while short length-scale disturbances indicate a three-dimensional breakdown of the flow-field associated with high rotor incidence angles. Based on the experimental measurements, a simple model is proposed that explains the type of stall inception pattern observed in a particular compressor. Measurements from a single-stage low-speed compressor and from a multistage high-speed compressor are presented in support of the model.


Author(s):  
Ce Yang ◽  
Wenli Wang ◽  
Hanzhi Zhang ◽  
Yanzhao Li ◽  
Ding Tong ◽  
...  

Abstract In a centrifugal compressor with a volute, the internal flow field is circumferentially nonuniform owing to the asymmetric structure of the volute. Currently, the mechanisms by which the volute influences the stall inception circumferential position and the stall process in a transonic centrifugal compressor are not clear. In this study, the stall process in the centrifugal compressor with a volute is investigated under transonic inlet conditions. Obtained by experimental and simulation results, the static pressure distributions around the casing wall are compared with each other. Thereafter, an unsteady simulation is conducted on the stall process under transonic inlet conditions. By analyzing the stall cell evolution pattern at the impeller inlet, the stall process can be divided into three stages: stall onset, stall development, and stall maturation. The spike-type stall inceptions occur twice at the tip in the circumferential 135° position of the impeller inlet. This circumferential position is also the affected position of the high static pressure region induced by the volute tongue. Because of the circumferentially nonuniform flow field, there is a stall cell decay zone and a stall cell formation/growth zone at the impeller inlet. For the compressor under study, the approximate circumferential range of 135° to 270° is the decay zone, and the circumferential range of 270° to 360° is the formation/growth zone. The stall inception cannot occur in the decay zone. However, the stall cells can pass through the decay zone when the stall cell size is large enough. The first stall inception cannot propagate circumferentially, while the second one can. The propagation speed of stall cells in the circumferential direction is at approximately 70% of the rotational speed of impeller.


Author(s):  
J. F. Escuret ◽  
V. Garnier

This paper presents unsteady measurements taken in a high-speed four-stage aero-engine compressor prior to the onset of aerodynamic flow instabilities. In this experiment, forty fast-response pressure transducers have been located at various axial and circumferential positions throughout the machine in order to give a very detailed picture of stall inception. At all the compressor speeds investigated, the stall pattern observed is initiated by a very short length-scale finite-amplitude disturbance which propagates at a fast rate around the annulus. This initial stall cell leads to a large-amplitude system instability in less than five rotor revolutions. Varying the IGV setting angle is found to have a strong influence on the axial location of the first disturbance detected. In particular, transferring the aerodynamic loading from front to downstream stages moves the first disturbance detected from the first to the last stage of the compressor. Other repeatable features of the stall inception pattern in this compressor have been identified using a simple analysis technique particularly appropriate to the study of short length-scale disturbances. It is found that the origins of instabilities are tied to particular tangential positions in both the stationary and rotating frames of reference. These measurements lead to the conclusion that the stall inception process in high-speed multi-stage compressors can be characterised by some very local and organised flow phenomena. Moreover, there is no evidence of pre-stall waves in this compressor.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 226-237
Author(s):  
Tim Williams ◽  
Cesare Hall ◽  
Mark Wilson

Numerical methods that can predict stall behaviour with non-uniform inlet conditions allow assessment of the stable operating range across flight conditions during the design of fan stages for civil aircraft. To extend the application of methods validated with clean inflow, the effect of a tip low radial distortion on the stall behaviour of a low pressure ratio transonic fan has been investigated using both high speed experiments and 3D URANS computations. The distortion is generated in the experiment using a perforated plate and this is fully represented within the computational mesh. This enables computations to reproduce the full range of flow conditions accurately without adjusting the inlet boundary condition. Both the calculations and measurements show that the presence of the distortion decreases the stall cell rotational speed and increases the cell circumferential extent. In the calculations, the cell speed reduced from 87% to 67% of shaft speed, compared to a change of 82% to 58% in the experiment. With and without distortion, the computations show how stall inception stems from blockage formed by flow separation from the tip-section suction surface, behind the shock. In the distorted case, the more forward shock position produces the blockage further upstream, causing a greater reduction of flow to adjacent passages. This leads to a stall cell in the distorted case that is around 80% larger.


1996 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 690-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Escuret ◽  
V. Garnier

This paper presents unsteady measurements taken in a high-speed four-stage aeroengine compressor prior to the onset of aerodynamic flow instabilities. In this experiment, 40 fast-response pressure transducers have been located at various axial and circumferential positions throughout the machine in order to give a very detailed picture of stall inception. At all the compressor speeds investigated, the stall pattern observed is initiated by a very short length-scale finite-amplitude disturbance, which propagates at a fast rate around the annulus. This initial stall cell leads to a large-amplitude system instability in less than five rotor revolutions. Varying the IGV setting angle is found to have a strong influence on the axial location of the first disturbance detected. In particular, transferring the aerodynamic loading from front to downstream stages moves the first disturbance detected from the first to the last stage of the compressor. Other repeatable features of the stall inception pattern in this compressor have been identified using a simple analysis technique particularly appropriate to the study of short length-scale disturbances. It is found that the origins of instabilities are tied to particular tangential positions in both the stationary and rotating frames of reference. These measurements lead to the conclusion that the stall inception process in high-speed multistage compressors can be characterized by some very local and organized flow phenomena. Moreover, there is no evidence of prestall waves in this compressor.


Author(s):  
Scott C. Morris ◽  
Joshua D. Cameron ◽  
Matthew A. Bennington ◽  
G. Scott McNulty ◽  
Aspi Wadia

The performance, efficiency, and stall inception of an axial compressor was investigated experimentally with small levels of rotor centerline offset. The measurements were acquired using a high-speed, single-stage compressor. The rotor was levitated magnetically during operation which allowed precise positioning of the rotor centerline within the circular casing. The offset magnitude used in this study was 0.23% of the rotor tip chord, equivalent to approximately 24% of the nominal gap value. The resulting asymmetry in the tip gap resulted in circumferential and radial variations in the measured stagnation pressure and stagnation temperature downstream of the stage. However, the spatially averaged performance of the compressor was not measurably different from that obtained with a concentric rotor. An array of unsteady (Kulite) pressure transducers was used to investigate the flow field during stall inception. These measurements were recorded during transient throttle movements which quickly decreased the mass flow in the compressor until the onset of rotating stall. A second set of measurements was acquired during quasi-transient throttling starting from a mass flow about 1% larger than the stalling mass flow. In both the symmetric and offset cases the flow breakdown was consistent with spike type inception. The measurements with offset indicated that the asymmetries in the local compressor flow field produced significant changes in the number of short-length scale rotating disturbances observed during throttling to stall. These disturbances appeared in the region of the annulus where the local flow coefficient was lowest and usually decayed upon rotating to the higher flow region. In this way, the addition of very small amounts of rotor offset tended to fix the disturbance generation location in the stationary reference frame. This was in contrast to the symmetric tip clearance case where the location of spike generation appeared stochastic.


Author(s):  
Johannes Schreiber ◽  
Xavier Ottavy ◽  
Ghislaine Ngo Boum ◽  
Nicolas Gourdain

In this work, unsteady numerical results and high-frequency measurements are investigated from nominal to loaded operating points with the objective to contribute to the understanding of pre-stall rotating disturbances. A 3.5 stages high speed axial multistage compressor is investigated on a 2 MW test rig in the laboratory of fluid mechanics (LMFA) at Ecole Centrale de Lyon, France. The compressor has been built by Snecma, and is representative of modern high-pressure rear blocks of a modern aircraft engine. The unsteady numerical results predict a rotating disturbance in the tip flow field of the rotor 2 at the loaded operating point. It causes a frequency which is not a multiple of the periodicity of the compressor, and is rotating at about 72% of the shaft speed. The mesh independency of this disturbance is ensured. The analysis of the circumferential and axial propagation of the disturbance reveals a rotating instability like phenomenon. Most characteristic is the very important periodic oscillation of the tip leakage vortex trajectory, leading to a modulation of the leakage flow in the neighboring tip gap. The influence of the neighboring blade rows is investigated by filtering their unsteady contribution by means of mixing planes up and/or downstream of the rotor 2. In either case, the rotating disturbance is found to be still present. There are no traces of this rotating disturbance in the high-frequency measurements investigated at a near surge operating point. A spike like stall inception and almost instantaneous surge inception is identified. The mis-prediction of the tip region flow field in the rotors 2 and 3 is believed to cause the mis-prediction of the pre-stall disturbance.


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