Tip Clearance Vortex Oscillation, Vortex Shedding and Rotating Instabilities in an Axial Transonic Compressor Rotor

Unsteady flow characteristics in a modern transonic axial compressor operating near stall are studied in detail. Measured data from high-response pressure probes show that the tip clearance vortex oscillates substantially near stall. Instantaneous flow structure varies substantially among different blade passages even with uniform inlet flow. Fast Fourier transformation of measured wall pressure shows a dominant frequency component that is between 30% and 40% of the rotor speed. To identify and analyze this phenomenon, computational studies based on a single passage and full annulus were carried out. The flow field in a transonic compressor near stall is heavily influenced by the unsteady motion of tip clearance vortices. Therefore, a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) was carried out to capture transient characteristics of the tip clearance vortex more realistically. The wall pressure spectrum from the current full annulus analysis also shows a dominant frequency when the rotor operates near stall. The calculated peak frequency is about 30% of the rotor frequency. The dominant frequency, which is non-synchronous with the rotor blade, is due to rotating flow instabilities. Flow interactions across blade passages due to synchronized tip clearance vortex oscillation seem to be the main cause.