The Effect of Wake Induced Structures on Compressor Boundary-Layers

Abstract

The interaction of a convected wake with a compressor blade boundary layer was investigated. Measurements within a single-stage compressor were made using an endoscopic PIV system, a surface mounted pressure transducer, hotfilms and hotwire traverses, along with CFD simulations. The wake/leading-edge interaction was shown to lead to the formation of a thickened laminar boundary-layer, within which turbulent spots formed close to the leading edge. The thickened boundary-layer became turbulent and propagated down the blade surface, giving rise to pressure perturbations of 7% of the inlet dynamic head in magnitude. The results indicate that wake/leading-edge interactions have a crucial role to play in the performance of compressor blades in the presence of wakes.