The Measurement and Interpretation of Flow within Rotating Stall Cells in Axial Compressors

Abstract

Detailed flow measurements obtained by a new measuring technique are presented for the flow in a stalled axial-flow compressor. Results were obtained from a wide range of compressor builds, including multi-stage and single-stage configurations of various design flow rates and degrees of reaction. Instantaneous recordings of absolute velocity, flow direction and total and static pressures have been included for both full-span and part-span stall. With the aid of these results, it has been shown that the conventional model of the flow in a stall cell is erroneous. An alternative model is proposed, based on the observation that the fluid must cross from one side of the cell to the other in order to preserve continuity in the tangential direction. An investigation of the experimental results also reveals the finer details of the flow in the cell and shows how these details are related to the design flow rate of the compressor. The influence of these cell details on the power absorbed by a stalled compressor are investigated, and consideration is given to the complex pressure patterns encountered in the compressor.