Unsteady Boundary Layer Development Due to Wake Passing Effects on a Highly Loaded Linear Compressor Cascade

The effects of wake passing on boundary layer development on a highly loaded linear compressor cascade were investigated in detail on the suction side of a compressor blade. The experiments were performed in the High Speed Cascade Wind Tunnel of the Institut fuer Strahlantriebe at Mach and Reynolds numbers representative for real turbomachinery conditions. The experimental data were acquired using different measurement techniques, such as fast-response Kulite sensors, hot-film array and hot-wire measurements. The incoming wakes clearly influence the unsteady boundary layer development. Early forced transition in the boundary layer is followed in time by calmed regions. Large pressure fluctuations detectable in the ensemble averaged Kulite data reveal the existence of coherent structures in the boundary layer. Distinct velocity variations inside the boundary layer are amplified when approaching the blade surface. The time–mean momentum thickness values are reduced compared to the steady ones and therefore clarify the potential for a loss reduction due to wake passing effects.