Commissioning of a transonic compressor test rig for the investigation of vigv-induced asymmetric inflow conditions

Abstract

This paper describes the setup, planned measurements and commissioning results of an experimental investigation on asymmetric inflow conditions in a transonic compressor. The test vehicle is the Transonic Compressor Darmstadt 2 at Technical University of Darmstadt. Its 1.5-stage configuration is representative of a modern gas turbine compressor front stage. The inhomogeneities are caused by a variation of the inlet guide vane stagger angle in circumferential direction. All vanes can be positioned individually during operation. This allows for a fine granular quantification of the effects of different asymmetric VIGV patterns or single vane mis-stagger on compressor performance, forced response, stall margin and behavior beyond the stability limit. Research objectives, measurement procedures and initial results are presented within the framework of this paper.