Aerodynamic Modeling of Multistage Compressor Flowfields: Part 2 — Modeling Deterministic Stresses

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate improved numerical techniques for predicting flows through multistage compressors. The vehicle chosen for this study was the Pennsylvania State University Research Compressor (PSRC). The PSRC facility consists of a 3-1/2 stage axial flow compressor which shares design features which are consistent with embedded stages of modern gas turbine engine axial flow compressors. In Part 2 of this two part paper, time-dependent predictions of rotor/stator/rotor aerodynamic interactions were employed to quantify the levels and distribution of deterministic stresses resulting from the average-passage flowfield description. Details of the spanwise and blade-to-blade distributions of the velocity correlations are examined and compared with results based on physical deterministic flow structures such as blade wakes and clearance flows. The predicted “apparent” wake profile decay resulting from the interaction of the wake through a downstream blade row is presented and compared with test data. This “apparent” wake profile decay is employed to define a simplified model for deterministic stress correlations in a steady state flowfield prediction scheme which retains the “mixing plane” methodology. Calculations based on this proposed model are described and predicted results are compared with both time-dependent predictions and test data. The resulting prediction strategy is both computational efficient and contains sufficient physical realism to permit its use in design studies.