Session: 24-02 Additive Manufacturing Applications in Engines

Paper Number: 151261

Leveraging Additive Manufacturing Design Strategies to Understand Vaned Diffuser Off-Design Performance 

High-speed compressors for aircraft engines are required to maintain stable and stall-free operation across a wide range of operating conditions. As the operating point changes, the mass flow rate through the compressor changes and alters the flow structures in the blade passages. To design high efficiency compressors with the required stability margin, it is imperative to understand the unsteady flow physics through the blade rows. Non-intrusive measurement techniques enable characterization of the flow without influencing it. In small blade passages, like centrifugal compressors, the use of non-intrusive techniques, such as high-frequency response pressure transducers and laser Doppler velocimetry, are critically important because traditional measurement techniques can cause larger flow disruptions.

This investigation characterized the performance of an aeroengine centrifugal compressor vaned diffuser across the 100% design corrected speedline from the choke operating condition to a near-stall operating condition. Additive manufacturing was leveraged to implement instrumentation throughout the entire diffuser passage. A modular fixture for pressure transducers was manufactured via stereolithography to enable static pressure measurements on the diffuser case and vane surfaces. For the first time in the open literature, AM-enabled steady-state and unsteady static pressures were measured on the diffuser vane surface to generate aerodynamic loading diagrams and to study the streamwise progression of the diffusion process. Additionally, unsteady velocity vector data were acquired in the vaneless space of the compressor via three-component laser Doppler velocimetry to measure diffuser vane incidence. The diffuser incidence data were then correlated to aerodynamic vane loading, static pressure recovery, and diffuser effectiveness to understand the effect of the inlet flow on component performance across the compressor speedline. These experimental results were juxtaposed with URANS analyses to understand the ability of the BSL-EARSM turbulence model to predict the unsteady diffuser flow field.

Presenting Author: Matthew Meier The Pennsylvania State University

Presenting Author Biography: Dr. Matthew Meier is an Assistant Research Professor at The Pennsylvania State University in the Steady Thermal Aero Research Turbine (START) Laboratory. His work focuses on the heat transfer and unsteady aerodynamics associated with high pressure turbines. Previously, he supported the design and technology development of next-generation fans & compressors at GE Aerospace. Dr. Meier earned his PhD at Purdue University where he focused on the aerodynamics of centrifugal compressors for aircraft engines.

Authors:

Matthew Meier Purdue University
Nicole Key Purdue University