Evaluation of Flow Field Approximations for Transonic Compressor Stages

The flow through gas turbine compressors is often characterized by unsteady, transonic, and viscous phenomena. Accurately predicting the behavior of these complex multi-blade-row flows with unsteady rotor–stator interacting Navier–Stokes analyses can require enormous computer resources. In this investigation, several methods for predicting the flow field, losses, and performance quantities associated with axial compressor stages are presented. The methods studied include: (1) the unsteady fully coupled blade row technique, (2) the steady coupled blade row method, (3) the steady single blade row technique, and (4) the loosely coupled blade row method. The analyses have been evaluated in terms of accuracy and efficiency.