Session: 31-03 Compressor Inlet Distortion

Paper Number: 152989

Experimental and Numerical Characterization of the Performance of a Transonic Axial Compressor Subject to Inlet Distortion 

The results of an experimental and numerical investigation of a transonic axial compressor subjected to a 120° circumferential inlet distortion are presented in this work. In the experiment, highly-resolved measurements around the annulus were collected by rotating the upstream distortion generation screen relative to the fixed instrumentation. The performance characteristics of the rotor subjected to inlet distortion were significantly different from the performance characteristics when subjected to uniform inlet conditions for both 70% and 100% corrected speeds. The compressor subjected to inlet distortion stably operated with higher local inlet Mach numbers than choking Mach number of the uniform characteristic. Additionally, the compressor stably operated with higher local stagnation pressure ratios than the maximum value of the uniform characteristic Finally, the compressor stably operated with lower local inlet Mach numbers than the stalling Mach number of the uniform characteristic. 

Two dimensional, full wheel, unsteady CFD simulations of a rotor subject to circumferential inlet distortion at 50% span were conducted. The numerical results agreed qualitatively and quantitatively with the experimental results at 50% span. The numerical results were used to characterize the upstream influence of the rotor on the inlet boundary condition. Significant changes in circumferential profiles of static and stagnation pressure, axial Mach number, and absolute and relative flow angles were observed as the flow approached the rotor leading edge. Passage unsteadiness was quantified by comparison between the flow field of the distorted case and uniform inlet case near the rotor leading and trailing edges.

Presenting Author: Vincent Difilippo University of Notre Dame

Presenting Author Biography: Vince DiFilippo is a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

Authors:

Vincent Difilippo University of Notre Dame
Andrew Oliva University of Notre Dame
Aleksandar Jemcov University of Notre Dame
Scott Morris University of Notre Dame