Aerodynamic performance of bowed compressor cascades with different camber angles

Abstract

The effects of a positively bowed blade on the aerodynamic performance of annular compressor cascades with different camber angles were experimentally investigated. The distributions of the exit total pressure loss and secondary flow vectors of the compressor cascades were analyzed. The static pressure was measured by tapping on the cascade surfaces, and the ink-trace flow visualizations were conducted. The results show that the value of the optimum bowed angle and optimum bowed height decrease because of the increased losses at the midspan with the increase of the camber angle. The C-shape static pressure distribution along the radial direction exists on the suction surface of the straight cascade with larger camber angles. When bowed blade is applied, the larger bowed angle and larger bowed height will further enhance the accumulation of the low-energy fluid at the mid-span, thus causing the flow behavior to deteriorate. Under 60° camber angle, flow behavior near the end-wall region of some bowed cascades even deteriorates instead of improving because the blockage of the separated flow near the mid-span keeps the low-energy fluid near the endwalls from moving towards the mid-span region. As a result, a rapid augmentation of the total loss can easily take place under a large bowed angle.