3.

Axial compressor
– 3.2 Pressure rise principle
Rotor ： Add work in, Wu  P  , V 
Stator ：V  P  ， Change air
direction for next stage.

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 3.2 Pressure rise principle (Cont'd)

– Airstreams go thru mobile

cascade, in triangles, we see w1
to w2, and v1 to v2.
– Bernoulli equations
2 2
2 dp v  v
Wu    2 1
 W fR
1  2
2 2
2 dp w  w
1   2  W fR 0
2 1

2
 3.2 Pressure rise principle (Cont'd)
• Then get
2 2 2 2
v v w  w
Wu  2
1 1 2
2 2
where Wu uvu uwu

• First term—kinetic energy obtained

thru blades;
• Second term—how much relative
kinetic energy changes to pressure
3 rise and losses.
 3.2 Pressure rise principle (Cont'd)

• Thru stator cascade, pressure rises

again and v2  to v3. If v3=v1,
Bernoulli equation:
3 dp v12  v 22
2   2  W fS 0
• For whole stage
2 dp 3 dp 3 dp
Wu     W fR  W fS   W f
1  2  1 
where Wu uvu uwu
4
 3.2 Pressure rise principle (Cont'd)

• Subsonic flow pressure rises thru

divergent duct by turning an angle in
cascade. The most axial compressors
are arranged such way.
• Subsonic compressors are
more efficient and more
stable. But single stage
pressure ratio is low.

5
 3.2 Pressure rise principle (Cont'd)

• In compressor design, stage pressure ratio (SPR) is

important. Higher SPR means less number of stages and
lighter.
• From Euler equation Wu=u(v2u-v1u) =uvu, to increase SPR,
we can increase
–u blade speed,
–Angle difference form inlet to outlet——wu=vu.

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 3.2 Pressure rise principle (Cont'd)

• Increasing u may cause

strength problem, also
shockwave may appear even
w1 is supersonic.
• Increasing vu (blade
deflection too big) may cause
separation in blades.
• Result in separation in suction
side of the blade, efficiency
7 and unstable.
 3.2 Pressure rise principle (Cont'd)

– We want: u and v1a to make engine smaller.

This results in w1 Mw>1.
– If w1 is supersonic in whole
blade, then we called
supersonic stage.
– If w1 is supersonic in blade
tip and subsonic in hub,
we called transonic stage.
– Transonic is often seen in first stages of
8
compressors.
 3.2 Pressure rise principle (Cont'd)

– Supersonic cascade
• Pressure rise principle: Airstream flows
thru the shockwave, w1 reduced w2', then
turned an angle to w2.

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 3.2 Pressure rise principle (Cont'd)

– Supersonic cascade
• As computation results, when M is less
than 1.3~1.5, flow thru a shock can get
pressure ratio 1.8~2.2, and total pressure
recovery 0.97~0.94.
• If Mw1≤1.3~1.5, it’s doable.

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 Supersonic cascade (Cont'd)

• CFD computation resualts

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 3. Axial compressor
– 3.3 Incidence and deviation, stall and
surge
• IncidenceDifference between
geometrical angle and flow angle in
leading edge
v1a
i   1K   1 i   1K  arctg
u

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 Incidence
v1a
i   1K   1 i   1K  arctg
u
• Incidence varies with v1a and u.

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 3.3 Incidence and deviation (Cont’d)

• DeviationDifference between
geometrical angle and flow angle in
trailing edge    
2K 2

一般落后角变化不大，不出现分离情况下对发动机性能影响
不大。

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 3.3 Stall and surge (Cont'd)
• Windmilli<0. Efficiency, qm and
influence at other stages.
• Stalli too big. Separation on suction
side, efficiency, even unstable.

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 3.3 Stall and surge (Cont'd)

• Rotating stall——Stall in one or

several sectors of the ring and it
rotates in the same direction as
the compressor but slower.

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 3.3 Stall and surge (Cont'd)
• The mechanism of movement is that the
blade passage circumferentially ahead of a
stalled one receives additional flow and
moves away from stall. The passage
behind the stalled one receives less flow
and it stalls, deflecting more flow into the
first passage which then recovers.

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 3.3 Stall and surge (Cont'd)

• 2 types of rotating stall: Smooth

(performance down smoothly (a));
Sudden (degradation suddenly (c)).

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 3.3 Stall and surge (Cont'd)
• Surge——A phenomenon of flow
oscillating in axial direction with low
frequency and high amplitude.
• May cause flameout and vibration.
• It is very dangerous so that we must
prevent from.

19
 3.3 Stall and surge (Cont'd)

• Rotating stall may change to surge, especially

for sudden stall.
• When stall occurs, the air passage is blocked.
Pressure increases in rear stages but front
stages can’t work properly in this moment. So
air flows reversely. After that, the passage
become fluid. The compressor blades push air
going but flow is not enough and incidence
increases. Stall occurs again, and so on so
forth.

20
 3.3 Stall and surge (Cont'd)
• Experiments prove that surge is
more sensible for rear stages. Often
one rear stage stall can cause whole
compressor surge.
• Rear stage stall is in general sudden
mode because of small dimension.

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 §3.2 Compressor

• 4. Centrifugal compressor
– The same principle as axial
compressor
• Equations
• Stall and surge problems
– Different air passage and
pressure rise principle

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 4. Centrifugal compressor

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 4. Centrifugal compressor (Cont'd)

– 4.1. Air flow in intake

• Single or double side
intake
• Swirl vanes accelerate
air because of
convergent passage,
and lead air to the
impeller inlet uniformly.
– Less separation losses
when compression

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 4. Centrifugal compressor
(Cont'd)
– 4.2. Air flow in impeller
• Fig (a): meridian view
• Fig (b): circumferential cut at
diameter D and expanded to a
plane

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 4.2. Air flow in impeller (Cont'd)

• Air enters axially, v1u =0, but the

impeller rotates.
• Angle 1 is needed to align air.
• u1 varies with radius. To keep this v1 v1 1
tg1   
alignment, the angle 1 follows: u1 r r

w1  v12  u12  v12  (r ) 2

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 4. Centrifugal compressor
(Cont'd)

27
 4. Centrifugal compressor
(Cont'd)
• Let note 1 as inlet of the impeller and 2 as outlet.
• Based on Bernoulli equation (mobile coordinate
system and neglecting losses
2 2 2 2
2 dp w  w u  u
1 
1 2 2 1
 
2 2
we can see that pressure rise is due to
– Centrifugal effect: u  because radius 
– Relative velocity change: w. In general, it has no big
change.
Pressure rise mainly due to centrifugal effect

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 4. Centrifugal compressor
(Cont'd)
• When air flows in a
rotating passage, exit
velocity w2 is not radial
and it has a latency
angle  due to inertia.
• Because of existence of
, v2u(Air tangent
speed)<u2(Rotating
speed).
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 4. Centrifugal compressor
(Cont'd)
=v2u ／ u2 called “power
coefficient”
• If number of blades, .
When number of
blades, 1, w2  w2,
v2  v2 , v2u =0, and 
=0.

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 4. Centrifugal compressor
(Cont'd)
– 4.3. Air in diffuser
• When air leaves from
the impeller, w2 is not
fast, but v2 is
(Mv2=1.1~1.2). Need
diffuser to change
kinetic energy to
pressure. The diffuser
has 2 parts: clearance
31 and vanes.
 4.3. Air in diffuser (Cont'd)

– 4.3. Air in diffuser

• 2-2 to 2'-2' is a tip clearance ring.
If neglecting loss, according to
conservation of angular
momentum we have:
v2’ur2’=v2ur2=uur
v2u  with radius.

32
 4.3. Air in diffuser (Cont'd)

• For radial speed, we have

(conservation of mass flow):
qm=2r2b2v2r2=2r2’b2’v2’r2’=2rbvr
here b is width. If b is constant, then
v2’rr2’=v2rr2=vrr

v2r  with radius.

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 4.3. Air in diffuser (Cont'd)

• In the ring, the absolute speed

decreases. Usually, supersonic flow
becomes subsonic, then flow enters
diffuser vanes.

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 4.3. Air in diffuser (Cont'd)

• 2‘-2’ to 3-3 is vane

passage which is
divergent.
When a subsonic
flow goes thru a
divergent passage,
speed decreases and
pressure increases.

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 4. Centrifugal compressor
(Cont'd)
– 4.4. Air in outlet
• The outlet is connected to
a combustion chamber. It
is divergent so that
speed and pressure.

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 Assignment 3
• 1. Draw a compressor velocity triangle, and
explain the principle of pressure rise (subsonic).
• 2. As shown in figure, W1 is aligned and
supersonic. Can this cascade (flat blades) rise
the pressure? Justify your answer. W1

• 3. In an axial compressor stage, air entrance is

axial V1a=V2a, Wu 91m / s,  1 30 o
and
U1=U2=270m/s, Find work WC, and V2, 2.
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