Numerical investigation of the unsteady flow in a transonic compressor with curved rotors

The unsteady 3D flow fields in a single-stage transonic compressor under designed conditions are simulated numerically to investigate the effects of the curved rotors on the stage performance and the aerodynamic interaction between the blade rows. The results show that, compared to the compressor with un-curved rotors, the compressor under scrutiny acquires remarkable increases in efficiency with significantly reduced amplitudes of the time-dependent fluctuation. The amplitude of the pressure fluctuation around the stator leading edge decreases at both endwalls, but increases at the mid-span in the curved rotors. The pressure fluctuation near the stator leading edge, therefore, becomes more uniform in the radial direction of this compressor. Except for the leading edge area, the pressure fluctuation amplitude declines remarkably in the tip region of stator surface downstream of the curved rotor, but hardly changes in the middle and at the hub.