Preliminary Investigation of Flow Fluctuations During Surge and Blade Row Stall in Axial-flow Compressors / c Merle C. Huppert

Abstract

A preliminary investigation of the flow fluctuations of surge and blade row stall was conducted with three single-stage axial-flow compressors with hub-tip ratios of 0.9,0.8, and 0.5 and with a multistage axial-flow compressor. Flow fluctuations of large amplitude associated with stall were detected in all compressors investigated. The fluctuations were caused by low flow regions affecting 25 to 40 percent of the annulus area and propagating in the direction of compressor rotation, but at a lower speed. Mild audible surge was obtained with the single-stage compressors with hub-tip ratios of 0.9 and 0.8. No audible surge was detected with the 0.5 hub-tip ratio stage. A severe audible surge was obtained with the multistage axial-flow compressor. The surge point was coincident with the sharp drop in pressure ratio due to stall