Three-dimensional Navier-Stokes simulations of turbine rotor-stator interaction. Part I - Methodology

Fluid flows within turbomachinery tend to be extremely complex. Understanding such flows is crucial to efforts to improve current turbomachinery designs, and the computational approach can be used to great advantage in this regard. This study presents a finite-difference, unsteady, thin-layer Navier-Stokes approach to calculating the flow within an axial turbine stage. The relative motion between the stator and rotor airfoils is made possible with the use of patched grids that move relative to each other. The calculation includes end-wall and tip-leakage effects. The numerical methodology is presented in detail in the present paper (Part I). The computed results and comparisons of these results with experimental data are presented in a companion paper (Part II).