Analysis of effect of basic design variables on subsonic axial-flow-compressor performance

A blade-element theory for axial-flow compressors has been developed and applied to the analysis of the effects of basic design variables such as Mach number, blade loading, and velocity distribution on compressor performance. A graphical method that is useful for approximate design calculations is presented. The relations among several efficiencies useful in compressor design are derived and discussed. The possible gains in useful operating range obtainable by the use of adjustable stator blades are discussed and a rapid approximate method of calculating blade-angle resettings is shown by an example. The relative Mach number is shown to be a dominant factor in determining the pressure ratio

Extension of Useful Operating Range of Axial-Flow Compressors by Use of Adjustable Stator Blades

A theory has been developed for resetting the blade angles of an axial-flow compressor in order to improve the performance at speeds and flows other than the design and thus extend the useful operating range of the compressor. The theory is readily applicable to the resetting of both rotor and stator blades or to the resetting of only the stator blades and is based on adjustment of the blade angles to obtain lift coefficients at which the blades will operate efficiently. Calculations were made for resetting the stator blades of the NACA eight-stage axial-flow compressor for 75 percent of design speed and a series of load coefficients ranging from 0.28 to 0.70 with rotor blades left at the design setting. The NACA compressor was investigated with three different blade settings: (1) the design blade setting, (2) the stator blades reset for 75 percent of design speed and a load coefficient of 0.48, and (3) the stator blades reset for 75 percent of design speed and a load coefficient of 0.65

Detailed computational procedure for design of cascade blades with prescribed velocity distributions in compressible potential flows

A detailed step-by-step computational outline is presented for the design of two-dimensional cascade blades having a prescribed velocity distribution on the blade in a potential flow of the usual compressible fluid. The outline is based on the assumption that the magnitude of the velocity in the flow of the usual compressible nonviscous fluid is proportional to the magnitude of the velocity in the flow of a compressible nonviscous fluid with linear pressure-volume relation

Performance of NACA Eight-stage Axial-flow Compressor Designed on the Basis of Airfoil Theory

The NACA has conducted an investigation to determine the performance that can be obtained from a multistage axial-flow compressor based on airfoil research. A theory was developed; an eight-stage axial-flow compressor was designed, constructed, and tested. The performance of the compressor was determined for speeds from 5000 to 14,000 r.p.m with varying air flow at each speed. Most of the tests were made with air at room temperature. The performance was determined in accordance with the Committee's recommended procedure for testing superchargers. The expected performance was obtained, showing that a multistage compressor of high efficiency can be designed by the application of airfoil theory

NACA Technical Reports

From Summary: "A blade-element theory for axial-flow compressors has been developed and applied to the analysis of the effects of basic design variables such as Mach number, blade loading, and velocity distribution on compressor performance. The relations among several efficiencies useful in compressor design are derived and discussed. The possible gains in useful operating range obtainable by the use of adjustable stator blades are discussed and a rapid approximate method of calculating blade-angle resettings is shown by an example.

NACA Technical Notes

"A theoretical discussion of the application of blade boundary-layer control to increase the efficiency and the stage pressure ratio and to improve off-design performance of turbomachines is presented. A method based on the potential flow of a compressible fluid is developed for designing suction, or ejection, slotted blades having a prescribed velocity distribution along the blade and in the slot. The effect of the boundary layer on the design of the slot and the effect of ejecting gas at stagnation pressures and temperatures different from free-stream values are discussed" (p. 1)