A laser-doppler anemometer was used to obtain flow-field velocity measurements in a 4:1 pressure ratio, 4.54 kg/s (10 lbm/s), centrifugal impeller, with splitter blades and backsweep, which was configured with a vaneless diffuser. Measured through-flow velocities are reported for ten quasi-orthogonal survey planes at locations ranging from 1% to 99% of main blade chord. Measured through-flow velocities are compared to those predicted by a 3-D viscous steady flow analysis (Dawes) code.The measurements show the development and progression through the impeller and vaneless diffuser of a through-flow velocity deficit which results from the tip clearance flow and accumulation of low momentum fluid centrifuged from the blade and hub surfaces. Flow traces from the CFD analysis show the origin of this deficit which begins to grow in the inlet region of the impeller where it is first detected near the suction surface side of the passage. It then moves toward the pressure side of the channel, due to the movement of tip clearance flow across the impeller passage, where it is cut by the splitter blade leading edge. As blade loading increases toward the rear of the channel the deficit region is driven back toward the suction surface by the cross-passage pressure gradient. There is no evidence of a large wake region that might result from flow separation and the impeller efficiency is relatively high. The flow field in this impeller is quite similar to that documented previously by NASA Lewis in a large low-speed backswept impeller.

An experimental and computational investigation of the NASA Low-Speed Centrifugal Compressor (LSCC) flow field has been conducted using laser anemometry and Dawes’ three dimensional viscous code. The experimental configuration consists of a backswept impeller followed by a vaneless diffuser. Measurements of the three-dimensional velocity field were acquired at several measurement planes through the compressor. The measurements describe both the throughflow and secondary velocity field along each measurement plane. In several cases the measurements provide details of the flow within the blade boundary layers. Insight into the complex flow physics within centrifugal compressors is provided by the computational analysis, and assessment of the CFD predictions is provided by comparison with the measurements. Five-hole probe and hot-wire surveys at the inlet and exit to the rotor as well as surface flow visualization along the impeller blade surfaces provide independent confirmation of the laser measurement technique. The results clearly document the development of the throughflow velocity wake, which is characteristic of unshrouded centrifugal compressors.

The tip clearance flows of transonic compressor rotors are important because they have a significant impact on rotor and stage performance. While numerical simulations of these flows are quite sophisticated, they are seldom verified through rigorous comparisons of numerical and measured data because these kinds of measurements are rare in the detail necessary to be useful in high-speed machines. In this paper we compare measured tip-clearance flow details (e.g. trajectory and radial extent) with corresponding data obtained from a numerical simulation. Recommendations for achieving accurate numerical simulation of tip clearance flows are presented based on this comparison. Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV) measurements acquired in a transonic compressor rotor, NASA Rotor 35, are used. The tip clearance flow field of this transonic rotor was simulated using a Navier-Stokes turbomachinery solver that incorporates an advanced k-ε turbulence model derived for flows that are not in local equilibrium. Comparison between measured and simulated results indicates that simulation accuracy is primarily dependent upon the ability of the numerical code to resolve important details of a wall-bounded shear layer formed by the relative motion between the over-tip leakage flow and the shroud wall. A simple method is presented for determining the strength of this shear layer.

An experimental and computational investigation of the NASA Low-Speed Centrifugal Compressor (LSCC) flow field has been conducted using laser anemometry and Dawes' 3D viscous code. The experimental configuration consists of a backswept impeller followed by a vaneless diffuser. Measurements of the three-dimensional velocity field were acquired at several measurement planes through the compressor. The measurements describe both the throughflow and secondary velocity field along each measurement plane. In several cases the measurements provide details of the flow within the blade boundary layers. Insight into the complex flow physics within centrifugal compressors is provided by the computational analysis, and assessment of the CFD predictions is provided by comparison with the measurements. Five-hole probe and hot-wire surveys at the inlet and exit to the rotor as well as surface flow visualization along the impeller blade surfaces provide independent confirmation of the laser measurement technique. NOMENCLATUREUnit vector in the measured velocity component direction J Streamwise measurement grid indice Local streamwise grid direction vector ,,, Unit vector in local meridional grid direction gy Unit vector in local pitchwise grid direction gs Unit vector in local spanwise grid direction m/m 9 Non-dimensional shroud meridional distance N,pp Number of encoder counts per blade pitch Np Number of impeller blade passages PS Pressure surface r/r t Radius non-dimensionalized by exit tip radius SS Suction surface Ut Impeller tip speed, m/sec V Absolute total velocity vector, m/sec V, Mean velocity component measured in direction c, m/sec V. Meridional velocity component, m/sec Vp Pitchwise secondary velocity component, m/sec VQ"r Quasi-meridional velocity component, m/sec Vr Radial velocity component, m/sec V, Spanwise secondary velocity component, positive towards the shroud, m/sec Vst Velocity component tangent to the shroud meridional direction, m/sec VT Total relative velocity, m/sec Vx Axial velocity component, m/sec V0 Relative tangential velocity component, m/sec a Flow pitch angle, deg., a = tan -t (Vr /V= ) /^ Absolute flow angle, deg., 3 = tan -t (V9/Vqm ) 0 Tangential coordinate, radians Superscripts -Passage average

The tip clearance flows of transonic compressor rotors are important because they have a significant impact on rotor and stage performance. A wall-bounded shear layer formed by the relative motion between the overtip leakage flow and the shroud wall is found to have a major influence on the development of the tip clearance flow field. This shear layer, which has not been recognized by earlier investigators, impacts the stable operating range of the rotor. Simulation accuracy is dependent on the ability of the numerical code to resolve this layer. While numerical simulations of these flows are quite sophisticated, they are seldom verified through rigorous comparisons of numerical and measured data because these kinds of measurements are rare in the detail necessary to be useful in high-speed machines. In this paper we compare measured tip-clearance flow details (e.g., trajectory and radial extent) with corresponding data obtained from a numerical simulation. Laser-Doppler Velocimeter (LDV) measurements acquired in a transonic compressor rotor, NASA Rotor 35, are used. The tip clearance flow field of this transonic rotor is simulated using a Navier–Stokes turbomachinery solver that incorporates an advanced k–ε turbulence model derived for flows that are not in local equilibrium. A simple method is presented for determining when the wall-bounded shear layer is an important component of the tip clearance flow field. [S0889-504X(00)02504-6]