Shock Tube Simulation of the Transient Surge Phase Inside an Axial Compressor

Abstract

This paper is a continuing work from one author on the same topic of the transient aerodynamics during compressor stall/surge using a shock tube analogy by Huang [1, 2]. As observed by Mazzawy [3] for the high-speed high-pressure (HSHP) ratio compressors of the modern aero-engines, surge is an event characterized with the stoppage and reversal of engine flow within a matter of milliseconds. This large flow transient is accomplished through a pair of internally generated shock waves and expansion waves of high strength. The final results are often dramatic with a loud bang followed by the spewing out of flames from both the engine intake and exhaust, potentially damaging to the engine structure [3]. It has been demonstrated in the previous investigations by Marshall [4] and Huang [2] that the transient flow reversal phase of a surge cycle can be approximated by the shock tube analogy in understanding its generation mechanism and correlating the shock wave strength as a function of the pre-surge compressor pressure ratio. Kurkov [5] and Evans [8] used a guillotine analogy to estimate the inlet overpressure associated with the sudden flow stoppage associated with surge. This paper will expand the progressive surge model established by the shock tube analogy in [2] by including the dynamic effect of airflow stoppage using an “integrated-flow” sequential guillotine/shock tube model. It further investigates the surge formation (characterized by flow reversal) and propagation patterns (characterized by surge shock and expansion waves) after its generation at different locations inside a compressor. Calculations are conducted for a 12-stage compressor using this model under various surge onset stages and compared with previous experimental data [3]. The results demonstrate that the “integrated-flow” model closely replicates the fast moving surge shock wave overpressure from the stall initiation site to the compressor inlet.