Overview of Unsteady Phenomena Emerging in a Stalled 1.5-Stage Transonic Compressor

Abstract

A new transonic compressor test rig for gas turbine front stages was commissioned at the Technical University of Darmstadt in 2018. In the first measurement campaign numerous transient stall maneuvers were conducted by throttling the compressor beyond its stability limit. Several distinct phenomena can be observed during in-stall operation. This work gives an overview of those different manifestations of stall with focus on classification and characterization. For this purpose, detailed post-processing and unsteady data analysis are conducted providing information in terms of operating points, propagation speeds of disturbances, structural behavior of the rotor as well as unsteady wall pressure fields. The authors propose explanations for the different phenomena and possible influences of the rig on the in-stall behavior are discussed. Finally, an overview of the occurrence of the detected phenomena is given.