A Coupling Model of Ice Crystal Icing in a Three-Stage Compressor

The occurrence of engine power loss due to ice crystal accretion has been recorded since 1990s. Ice crystals at high altitudes can pose a threat to aircraft engine compression, including the degradation of compressor performance, engine rollback, compressor surge and flame out. The ice crystal accretion is attributed to ice crystals partially melting and sticking on the static components of the compression system. An ice crystal icing model in a whole three-stage compressor, consisting of the flowfield simulation module, the ice crystal tracking in three dimensions and phase change, and interactions of particle and surface. The performance of the compressor is simulated by S2 relative stream surface with a circumferential average, providing the flowfield condition for ice crystal simulation. The particle trace of ice crystals with different sizes and initial positions at the inlet are obtained by Lagrangian method. Ice crystals will bounce, fragment or stick when impacting the blade surface. The ice crystals simulation module is coupled with the compressor performance module by the heat transfer between air and particles. The possible icing position can be predicted by the model and the influence of ice crystals on the flowfield is also discussed in this research. Heat transfer to ice crystals has effects of decreasing the pressure ratio and the outlet temperature on the compressor performance.