Viscous Throughflow Modeling for Multistage Compressor Design

An existing throughflow method for axial compressors, which accounts for the effects of spanwise mixing using a turbulent diffusion model, has been extended to include the viscous shear force on the endwall. The use of a shear force, consistent with a no-slip condition, on the annulus walls in the throughflow calculations allows realistic predictions of the velocity and flow angle profiles near the endwalls. The annulus wall boundary layers are therefore incorporated directly into the throughflow prediction. This eliminates the need for empirical blockage factors or independent annulus boundary layer calculations. The axisymmetric prediction can be further refined by specifying realistic spanwise variations of loss coefficient and deviation to model the three-dimensional endwall effects. The resulting throughflow calculation gives realistic predictions of flow properties across the whole span of a compressor. This is confirmed by comparison with measured data from both low and high-speed multistage machines. The viscous throughflow method has been incorporated into an axial compressor design system. The method predicts the meridional velocity defects in the endwall region and consequently blading can be designed that allows for the increased incidence, and low dynamic head, near the annulus walls.