The aerodynamic design of multi-stage transonic axial-flow compressors plays a critical role in the overall performance of aeronautical engine, gas turbine power plant and industry compression unit. As the key component of preliminary design of axial-flow compressors, the one-dimensional mean-line method is almost always required to achieve a rapid, accurate and robust prediction of aerodynamic performance of a number of axial-flow compressor configurations, only a few of which will be performed to achieve the detailed and final blade design using even more accurate but expensive two- and three-dimensional methods. The accuracy and robustness of the mean-line method are heavily dependent on the empirical prediction models such as deviation angle model and loss model. Despite a lot of prediction models were developed in the both academic and industry communities, few efforts have been devoted to the accuracy and sensitivity analysis of such models in the aerodynamic performance prediction of multi-stage transonic axial-flow compressors.

To carry out the accuracy and sensitivity analysis of aerodynamic performance prediction models suitable for the transonic axial-flow compressors, the one-dimensional mean-line method was firstly developed for a rapid prediction of both design and off-design performance. Several widely used deviation angle models and loss models were embedded in the aerodynamic performance prediction modules of the mean-line method. Then, the developed mean-line method was applied to obtain several speed-lines of aerodynamic performance of three transonic axial-flow compressors, i.e., NASA Rotor 35, NASA Stage 35 and NASA 74A first front three-stage. Finally, the parallel coordinates method was applied to analyze the accuracy of model combination by comparing the model prediction with the available experimental data. From the prescribed threshold of prediction accuracy of peak efficiency point and surge margin of each speed-line, 2% and 10% respectively in this work, the models with the overall best prediction accuracy were obtained and used as the baseline for the further sensitivity analysis of the available empirical models.

The results show that the combination of models with the prescribed prediction accuracy can be easily screened using the parallel coordinates under different speed-lines of all the three transonic axial-flow compressors. The accuracy of aerodynamic performance prediction models depends mainly on the model combinations rather than the specific models. The sensitivity analysis of these empirical prediction models, measured with the variance from the baseline models, shows that some models appear to be accurate and robust enough for the prediction of both design and off-design performance while others are inaccurate and even divergent especially in the off-design performance prediction of transonic axial-flow compressors.

This work is of important reference value to provide the design engineers with prediction model selection, and the model developers with prediction improvement direction in the field of multi-stage axial-flow compressors.


Accuracy and Sensitivity Analysis of Aerodynamic Performance Prediction Models for Transonic Axial-Flow Compressors

Division / Sponsor:
International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI)

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/GT/GT2020/volume/84058

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