Endwall Boundary Layer Development in a Multistage Low-Speed Compressor With Tandem Stator Vanes

Abstract

The development of viscous endwall flow is of major importance when considering highly-loaded compressor stages. Essentially, all losses occurring in a subsonic compressor are caused by viscous shear stresses building up boundary layers on individual aerofoils and endwall surfaces. These boundary layers cause significant aerodynamic blockage and cause a reduction in effective flow area, depending on the specifics of the stage design. The presented work describes the numerical investigation of blockage development in a 3.5-stage low-speed compressor with tandem stator vanes. The research is aimed at understanding the mechanism of blockage generation and growth in tandem vane rows and across the entire compressor. Therefore, the blockage generation is investigated as a function of the operating point, the rotational speed and the inlet boundary layer thickness.