Abstract

There are currently many methods to overcome axial compressor stall. This phenomenon affects the compressor rotor at a great level and hence is of much concern. One method is to control the rotor tip clearance by certain criteria. No rotor tip clearance is ideal, but the general clearance is two millimeters. But modifying the rotor tip clearance requires changes at the design level and is difficult if planned to implement on an already functional model. Hence, a new method is being proposed to improve the stage efficiency and to increase the performance under adverse conditions. This research proposes to give selected stator vanes the capability to rotate by 360 degrees. This rotation shall be normal to the direction of incoming airflow, i.e., axial. The concept of variable stator vanes is currently being used in axial compressors to delay the stall onset and to streamline the flow direction. The mechanism mentioned here will follow a similar purpose with similar principles. The research provides computational results of the same. First, using moving reference frame, the rotation is simulated, and the velocity profile is found to increase. Next, using transient state with moving mesh, the entire stator is designed and selected blades from that are rotated to prove the effectiveness of the method. The velocity and pressure variations are analyzed to identify the effectiveness of this method. The materials’ reaction to these modifications in the operation procedure is also determined. Hence, it is found that the rotation of the stator vanes will provide the necessary momentum for the air to not stall and to maintain the airflow at a speed that is not ideal with a lower mass flow rate, but enough to prevent the air from stalling.

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