An important consideration for fan and compressor design is quantifying distortion transfer and generation blade row by blade row. Detailed information about the magnitude of distortion and the shape of the distortion profile and how it changes through blade rows increases the understanding of flow physics and helps predict aerodynamic performance. Using full annulus URANS simulations, this paper analyzes what happens to distortion as it passes through the rotor and stator blade rows at 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 90% span. Fourier distortion descriptors are used in this study to quantitatively describe distortion transfer and generation. With these descriptors, evidence of pressure-induced swirl is shown at the fan inlet. It is also shown that although there is very little distortion at the 10% span of the inlet, after passing through the rotor blade row the 10% span has the greatest amount of total pressure and total temperature distortion. This radial migration of distortion is attributed to the high hade angle of the hub. The total pressure and total temperature profiles have significant circumferential phase shifts after passing through the rotor and slight phase shifts after passing through the stator. In general, the calculated phase shifts are greatest at the 10% and 90% spans, the nearest locations to the hub and the tip clearance gap, respectively.
Understanding distortion transfer and generation through fan and compressor blade rows is able to assist in blade design and performance prediction. Using full annulus URANS simulations, the effects of distortion as it passes through the rotor of a transonic fan at five radial locations (10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 90% span) are analyzed. The inlet distortion profile is a 90-degree sector with a 15% total pressure deficit. Fourier distortion descriptors are used in this study to quantitatively describe distortion transfer and generation. Results are presented and compared for three operating points (near-stall, design, and choke). These results are used to explain the relationship between inlet total pressure distortion, pressure-induced swirl, total pressure distortion transfer, total temperature distortion generation, and circumferential rotor power variation. It is shown that very large changes in pressure-induced swirl and distortion transfer and generation occur between near-stall and design, but only small changes are seen between design and choke. The greatest changes are shown to be near the tip. Local power variations are shown to correlate with total pressure distortion transfer and total temperature distortion generation.
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