The Effect of Tip Clearance on the Performance of Contra-Rotating Compressor

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Limin Gao ◽  
Xiaojun Li ◽  
Xudong Feng ◽  
Bo Liu
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Aircraft Engine ◽  
Back Pressure ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Operating Range ◽  
Important Approach ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Wide Operating

Contra-rotating technology has been considered as an important approach to further improve the thrust-weight ratio of aircraft engine because of its structure and aerodynamic superiority. In the present work, the impact of tip clearance on the performance of a CRAC which consist of two counter-rotating rotors is investigated numerically. To detect the stall margin of CRAC exactly, the back pressure dichotomy method is developed, the grid indepence is verified and the performance is measured. A large number computation is carried out to explore the influence of tip clearance on the operating range of contra-rotating compressor. Finally the flow filed near the tip clearance is analyzed to find the relation between the tip clearance and the first stall rotor. The result shows: (1) Efficiency and pressure ratio decrease with the tip clearance size increased, but there is an optimal tip clearance size corresponding to a relative wide operating range. (2) The first stall stage of contra-rotating compressor varies with the tip clearance size increases. For the present CRAC, ROT2 is the first stall stage with the tip clearance size no greater than 0.5mm, while the ROT1 is the first stall stage if the tip clearance size greater than 0.5mm.

The Impact of Forward Swept Rotors on Tip-Limited Low-Speed Axial Compressors

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Scott McNulty ◽  
John J. Decker ◽  
Brent F. Beacher ◽  
S. Arif Khalid
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Pressure Coefficient ◽  
Aircraft Engine ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Flow Measurements ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Tip Clearance Flow ◽  
Low Speed ◽  
Axial Compressors ◽  
The Impact

This paper presents an experimental and analytical study of the impact of forward swept rotors on tip-limited, low-speed, multi-stage axial compressors. Two different configurations were examined, one with strong tip-clearance flows and the other with more moderate levels. Evaluations were done at multiple rotor tip clearance levels to assess differences in clearance sensitivity. Both configurations are low-speed models of the rear stages of modern aircraft engine high pressure ratio compressors. Compared to conventionally stacked (radial) rotors, the forward swept blades demonstrated improvements in stall margin, efficiency and clearance sensitivity. The benefits were more pronounced for the configuration with stronger tip-clearance flows. Detailed flow measurements and 3-D viscous CFD analyses are used to investigate the responsible flow mechanisms. Forward sweep causes a spanwise redistribution of flow toward the blade tip and reduces the tip loading in terms of static pressure coefficient. This results in reduced tip-clearance flow blockage, a shallower (more axial) leakage/freestream interface angle and a smaller region of reversed flow in the clearance gap.

The Effect of Speed Ratio on the First Rotating Stall Stage in Contra-Rotating Compressor

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Limin Gao ◽  
Xiaojun Li ◽  
Jian Xie ◽  
Bo Liu
Keyword(s):  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Aircraft Engine ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Speed Ratio ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Rotating Speed ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Important Approach ◽  
The Impact

Since the structure and aerodynamic advantages of contra-rotating technology, it has been considered as an important approach to further improve the thrust-weight ratio of aircraft engine. In the present work, the impact of rotating speed ratio on the first rotating stall stage of a CRAC which consist of two counter-rotating rotors is investigated numerically. To detect the stall margin of CRAC exactly, the back pressure dichotomy method is developed, the grid indepence is verified and the performance is measured. A large number computation is carried out to explore the influence of rotating speed ratio on the performance of contra-rotating compressor. Finally the flow filed near blade tip is analyzed to find the relation between the rotating speed ratio and the first stall rotor. The result shows: (1) The work conditions of ROT1 have a significant impact on the aerodynamic performance of ROT2, while ROT2 play a little impact on the performance of ROT1. (2) At the condition of rotating speed ratio R2:R1≥0.9, the second rotor will be the first stall stage as the mass flow is decreased. (3) When the ROT2 rotating speed is slower than the ROT1, the intensity of tip leakage in ROT2 declines obviously with decreasing the rotating speed ratio, but the intensity of tip leakage in ROT1 has little changes. At the condition of R2:R1<0.9, the first rotor will be the first stall stage.

Impact of Main and Splitter Blade Leading Edge Contour on the Performance of High Pressure Ratio Centrifugal Compressors

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo R. Erdmenger ◽  
Vittorio Michelassi
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Flow Coefficient ◽  
Centrifugal Compressors ◽  
Operating Range ◽  
High Pressure Ratio ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Blade Leading Edge

The impact of leading edge sweep in an attempt to reduce shock losses and extend the stall margin on axial compressors has been extensively studied, however only a few studies have looked at understanding the impact of leading edge contouring on the performance of centrifugal compressors. The present work studies the impact of forward and aft sweep on the main and splitter blade leading edge of a generic high flow coefficient and high pressure ratio centrifugal compressor design and the impact on its overall peak efficiency, pressure ratio and operating range. The usage of aft sweep on the main blade led to an increase of the pressure ratio and efficiency, however it also led to a reduction of the stable operating range of the impeller analyzed. The forward sweep cases analyzed where the tip leading edge was displaced axially forward showed a slight increase in pressure ratio, and a significant increase on operating range. The impact of leading edge sweep on the sensitivity of the impeller performance to tip clearance was also studied. The impeller efficiency was found to be less sensitive to an increase of tip clearance for both aft and forward sweep cases studied. The forward sweep cases studied also showed a reduced sensitivity from operating range to tip clearance. The studies conducted on the splitter leading edge profile indicate that aft sweep may help to increase the operating range of the impeller analyzed by up to 16% while maintaining similar pressure ratio and efficiency characteristics of the impeller. The improvement of operating range obtained with the leading edge forward sweep and splitter aft sweep was caused by a reduction of the interaction of the tip vortex of the main blade with the splitter tip, and a reduction of the blockage caused by this interaction.

scholarly journals Design and Development of a Nine Stage Axial Flow Compressor for Industrial Gas Turbines

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. D. Stringham ◽  
B. N. Cassem ◽  
T. C. Prince ◽  
P. F. Yeung
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Aircraft Engine ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Axial Flow Compressor ◽  
Flow Compressor ◽  
The Impact

A nine stage industrial axial flow compressor with a pressure ratio of 9.1:1 was designed, built and rig tested. The modern technology and design tools developed by government/aircraft engine compressor technologists were used for an industrial gas turbine application. The compressor was designed with “arbitrary” airfoil blading including CFD analysis in all blade rows. Flowpath contouring in the hub region of the rotors was used to decrease losses. The compressor rig was tested at the Compressor Research Facility at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Extensive testing included determining the impact of stator leading edge instrumentation on performance. The compressor demonstrated excellent efficiency and stall margin in its first build. This paper describes the aerodynamic design, test instrumentation and test results.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of a Circumferential Groove Casing Treatment in a Low Speed Axial Research Compressor at Different Tip Clearances

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Rolfes ◽  
Martin Lange ◽  
Konrad Vogeler ◽  
Ronald Mailach
Keyword(s):  
Total Pressure ◽  
Solid Wall ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Chord Length ◽  
Single Stage ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Low Speed ◽  
Operating Range ◽  
Circumferential Groove

The demand of increasing pressure ratios for modern high pressure compressors leads to decreasing blade heights in the last stages. As tip clearances cannot be reduced to any amount and minimum values might be necessary for safety reasons, the tip clearance ratios of the last stages can reach values notably higher than current norms. This can be intensified by a compressor running in transient operations where thermal differences can lead to further growing clearances. For decades, the detrimental effects of large clearances on an axial compressor’s operating range and efficiency are known and investigated. The ability of circumferential casing grooves in the rotor casing to improve the compressor’s operating range has also been in the focus of research for many years. Their simplicity and ease of installation are one reason for their continuing popularity nowadays, where advanced methods to increase the operating range of an axial compressor are known. In a previous paper [1], three different circumferential groove casing treatments were investigated in a single stage environment in the Low Speed Axial Research Compressor at TU Dresden. One of these grooves was able to notably improve the operating range and the efficiency of the single stage compressor at very large rotor tip clearances (5% of chord length). In this paper, the results of tests with this particular groove type in a three stage environment in the Low Speed Axial Research Compressor are presented. Two different rotor tip clearance sizes of 1.2% and 5% of tip chord length were investigated. At the small tip clearance, the grooves are almost neutral. Only small reductions in total pressure ratio and efficiency compared to the solid wall can be observed. If the compressor runs with large tip clearances it notably benefits from the casing grooves. Both, total pressure and efficiency can be improved by the grooves in a similar extent as in single stage tests. Five-hole probe measurements and unsteady wall pressure measurements show the influence of the groove on the flow field. With the help of numerical investigations the different behavior of the grooves at the two tip clearance sizes will be discussed.

Design and Test of a Novel Highly-Loaded Compressor

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengwu Yang ◽  
Ge Han ◽  
Shengfeng Zhao ◽  
Xingen Lu ◽  
Yanfeng Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
High Pressure Ratio ◽  
Numerical Predictions ◽  
Highly Loaded

Abstract The blades of rear stages in small size core compressors are reduced to shorter than 20 mm or even less due to overall high pressure ratio. The growing of tip clearance-to-blade height ratio of the rear stages enhance the leakage flow and increase the possibility of a strong clearance sensitivity, thus limiting the compressor efficiency and stability. A new concept of compressor, namely diffuser passage compressor (DP), for small size core compressors was introduced. The design aims at making the compressors robust to tip clearance leakage flow by reducing pressure difference between pressure and suction surfaces. To validate the concept, the second stage of a two-stage highly loaded axial compressor was designed with DP rotor according to a diffuser map. The diffuser passage stage has the same inlet condition and loading as the conventional compressor (CNV) stage, of which the work coefficient is around 0.37. The predicted performance and flow field of the DP were compared with the conventional axial compressor in detail. The rig testing was supplemented with the numerical predictions. Results reveal that the throttle characteristic of DP indicates higher pressure rise and the loss reduction in tip clearance is mainly responsible for the performance improvement. For the compressor with DP, the pressure and flow angle are more uniform on exit plane. What’s more, the rotor with diffused passage reveals more robust than the conventional rotor at double clearance gap. Furthermore, the experimental data indicate that DP presents higher pressure rise at design and part speeds. At design speed, the stall margin was extended by 7.25%. Moreover, peak adiabatic efficiency of DP is also higher than that of CNV by about 0.7%.

Experimental Investigation of the Diffuser Vane Clearance Effect in a Centrifugal Compressor Stage With Adjustable Diffuser Geometry: Part II—Detailed Flow Analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 137 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Ubben ◽  
Reinhard Niehuis
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Diffuser Flow ◽  
Radial Gap ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Vane Angle

Adjustable diffuser vanes offer an attractive design option for centrifugal compressors applied in industrial applications. However, the knowledge about the impact on compressor performance of a diffuser vane clearance between vane and diffuser wall is still not satisfying. This two-part paper summarizes results of experimental investigations performed with an industrial-like centrifugal compressor. Particular attention was directed toward the influence of the diffuser clearance on the operating behavior of the entire stage, the pressure recovery in the diffuser, and on the diffuser flow by a systematic variation of the parameters diffuser clearance height, diffuser vane angle, radial gap between impeller exit and diffuser inlet, and rotor speed. In Part I it was shown that an one-sided diffuser clearance is able to contribute to an increase in flow range, stall margin, pressure ratio, and efficiency. In order to reveal the relevant flow phenomena, in Part II the results of detailed measurements of the pressure distribution at diffuser exit and particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements inside the diffuser channel performed at three clearance configurations and three diffuser angles at a fixed radial gap are discussed. It was found that, for defined diffuser configurations, the clearance flow amplifies the diffuser throat vortex capable to reduce the loading of the highly loaded vane pressure side and to support a more homogenous diffuser flow. It turned out that the co-action of the geometry parameter diffuser vane angle and diffuser clearance height is of particular importance. The experimental results are published as an open computational fluid dynamics (CFD) testcase “Radiver 2.”

scholarly journals Inner Workings of Aerodynamic Sweep

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Wadia ◽  
P. N. Szucs ◽  
D. W. Crall
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Surface Boundary Layer ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Design Speed ◽  
The Impact

The recent trend in using aerodynamic sweep to improve the performance of transonic blading has been one of the more significant technological evolutions for compression components in turbomachinery. This paper reports on the experimental and analytical assessment of the pay-off derived from both aft and forward sweep technology with respect to aerodynamic performance and stability. The single stage experimental investigation includes two aft-swept rotors with varying degree and type of aerodynamic sweep and one swept forward rotor. On a back-to-back test basis, the results are compared with an unswept rotor with excellent performance and adequate stall margin. Although designed to satisfy identical design speed requirements as the unswept rotor, the experimental results reveal significant variations in efficiency and stall margin with the swept rotors. At design speed, all the swept rotors demonstrated a peak stage efficiency level that was equal to that of the unswept rotor. However, the forward-swept rotor achieved the highest rotor-alone peak efficiency. At the same time, the forward-swept rotor demonstrated a significant improvement in stall margin relative to the already satisfactory level achieved by the unswept rotor. Increasing the level of aft sweep adversely affected the stall margin. A three-dimensional viscous flow analysis was used to assist in the interpretation of the data. The reduced shock/boundary layer interaction, resulting from reduced axial flow diffusion and less accumulation of centrifuged blade surface boundary layer at the up, was identified as the prime contributor to the enhanced performance with forward sweep. The impact of tip clearance on the performance and stability for one of the aft-swept rotors was also assessed.

The Impact of Forward Swept Rotors on Tip Clearance Flows in Subsonic Axial Compressors

2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 445-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Scott McNulty ◽  
John J. Decker ◽  
Brent F. Beacher ◽  
S. Arif Khalid
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Coefficient ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Flow Measurements ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Tip Clearance Flow ◽  
Axial Compressors ◽  
Flow Mechanisms ◽  
Cfd Analyses ◽  
The Impact

This paper presents an experimental and analytical study of the impact of forward swept rotors on tip-limited, low-speed, multistage axial compressors. Two different configurations were examined, one with strong tip-clearance flows and the other with more moderate levels. Evaluations were done at multiple rotor tip clearances to assess differences in clearance sensitivity. Compared to conventionally stacked radial rotors, the forward swept blades demonstrated improvements in stall margin, efficiency and clearance sensitivity. The benefits were more pronounced for the configuration with stronger tip-clearance flows. Detailed flow measurements and three-dimensional viscous CFD analyses were used to investigate the responsible flow mechanisms. Forward sweep causes a spanwise redistribution of flow toward the blade tip and reduces the tip loading in terms of static pressure coefficient. This results in reduced tip-clearance flow blockage, a shallower (more axial) vortex trajectory and a smaller region of reversed flow in the clearance gap.

scholarly journals A Navier-Stokes Analysis of the Effect of Tip Clearance on Compressor Stall Margin

1995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Dring ◽  
William D. Sprout ◽  
Harris D. Weingold
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
High Pressure Compressor ◽  
Practical Tool ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Pressure Compressor

A three-dimensional Navier-Stokes calculation was used to analyze the impact of rotor tip clearance on the stall margin of a multi-stage axial compressor. This paper presents a summary of: (1) a study of the sensitivity of the results to grid refinement, (2) an assessment of the calculation’s ability to predict stall margin when the stalling row was the first rotor in a multi-stage rig environment, (3) an analysis of the impact of including the effects of the downstream stator through body force effects on the upstream rotor, and (4) the ability of the calculation to predict the impact of tip clearance on stall margin through a calculation of the rear seven airfoil rows of an eleven stage high pressure compressor rig. The result of these studies was that a practical tool is available which can predict stall margin, and the impact of tip clearance, with reasonable accuracy.

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