ELSEVIER

Experimental Investigations on Tandem

Compressor Cascade Performance at
Low Speeds
U. K. Saha
B. Roy
Department of Aerospace Engineering,
Indian Institute of Technology,
Bombay, India
Minimizing the number of axial flow compressor stages for a specific
work output, and thereby lowering the engine size and weight, has always
been the designer' s goal. Recently, with the emergence of low aspect ratio
blades, there has been a renewed interest in tandem blading for maximizing
the blade loading further besides improving its off-design performance
characteristics.
This paper presents aerodynamic performance evaluations of three as-
sorted cascades of single (CDA 43), tandem (CDA 21-21), and a newly
developed tandem (CDA 32-21) blading. Fundamental investigation has
been attempted in a low speed cascade wind tunnel to find the high
deflection capability of tandem cascades. Although limited performance of
tandem CDA 21-21 has been affected by certain grey areas covering both
geometric and aerodynamic shortfall, tandem CDA 32-21 derived from
CDA 43 and CDA 21-21 has shown high flow deflection characteristics and
hence high loading over a wide range of angle of attack. Elsevier
Science Inc., 1997
Keywor ds: aspect ratio, axial compressor, boundary layer, cascade,
controlled diffusion, airfoil, di f f usi on factor, loss coefficient, t andem
blade
I NTRODUCTI ON
For mor e t han a decade, the quest for i mproved aero
engine gas t urbi ne power and fuel economy has stimu-
lated much research interest in the design of high perfor-
mance compr essor airfoils. Thi s has hel ped the evolution
of the moder n aircraft gas t urbi ne engine into an attrac-
tive power pl ant in a small package. Axial flow-compres-
sors of compact design are obt ai ned by increasing the
suction capacity and the stage pressure ratio. Aerody-
nami c opt i mi zat i on with such a design is ai med at increas-
ing loading to a maxi mum, with mi ni mum penal t y of total
pressure losses, leading to a mi ni mum number of stages in
a multistage ar r angement and a mi ni mum number of
blades per stage [1-4].
Int ensi ve research to obt ai n compr essor bl ade sections
conformi ng to prescri bed velocity distributions on com-
pressor bl ades has resulted in the devel opment of con-
trolled diffusion of airfoils [5-7] to meet the r equi r ement s
of high efficiency and high bl ade loading capability, thus
leading to reduced devel opment al cost. Current stage
designs are, t herefore, very efficient (90%) with relatively
high pressure rat i os ( > 1.6). However, increasing pressure
Address correspondence to Dr. Bhaskar Roy, Department of Aerospace
Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science 1997; 14:263-276
Elsevier Science Inc., 1997
655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010
ratios beyond the present limits with a mi ni mum number
of bl ades forces higher aerodynami c loading and even the
controlled diffusion airfoil shows its limitation due to the
presence of incipient flow separat i on [8].
This has brought a renewed interest in t andem blading
[9-12] where boundary layer growth is expect ed to be
effectively controlled for the prevent i on of flow separat i on
and subsequent stall. This has been possible with the
inception of wide chord, low aspect ratio blades [13, 14]
for higher Mach number flow regi me with the intention of
raising bl ade loading and improving off-design perfor-
mance characteristics.
Benefits of low aspect ratio blades, controlled diffusion
airfoil, and t andem blading have been appreci at ed in
t erms of structural lifetime, high loading, and off-design
flow control; however, these individual effects are to be
unified t oget her into an efficient design.
An innovative design of a high pressure ratio axial flow
compressor, however, requires systematic study, and to
begin with low speed testing provides qualitative i nforma-
tion with which to constitute a f r amewor k for high speed
analysis. An underst andi ng of the two-dimensional linear
Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay 400 076, India.
0894-1777/97/$17.00
PII S0894-1777(96)00125-2
264 U. K. Saha and B. Roy
cascade model may pr ovi de qual i t at i ve i nf or mat i on f or
pr el i mi nar y gui dance in t he desi gn of t hr ee- di mensi onal
compr es s or bl ades. Thes e st udi es may al so hel p t o devel op
and val i dat e comput at i onal codes [15-18].
The wor k r epor t ed her e was ai med at finding high
defl ect i on capabi l i t y of a devel oped t andem cascade ( CDA
32-21), c ompa r e d wi t h t hat of a single ( CDA 43) and an
existing t andem ( CDA 21-21) cascade. The mot i vat i on
behi nd this i nvest i gat i on was t o find a bl ade profi l e t o
achi eve an at t ached flow behavi or on t he r ear hal f of t he
bl ade under varyi ng oper at i ng condi t i ons (design and
off-desi gn) ei t her by cont r ol l ed di ffusi on charact eri st i cs of
t he airfoil or by set t i ng t wo bl ades in t andem, keepi ng
similar aspect ratios.
The aut hor s ' earl i er exper i ment al st udi es [10, 12] with
single and t andem cascades ( CDA 43 and CDA 21-21)
showed i nt erest i ng capabi l i t i es of t he l at t er within a lim-
i t ed oper at i ng range. Thi s mot i vat ed us t o devel op a new
t andem conf i gur at i on so as t o have a wi de oper at i ng r ange
wi t h good l oadi ng capability. The devel oped t andem cas-
cade was conf i gur ed out of a thick CDA bl ade profi l e at
t he f r ont (for wi der oper at i ng range), fol l owed by a scal ed
down bl ade profi l e at t he rear, as shown in Fig. 1. The
gap- nozzl e geomet r y was given a cusp shape t o pr omot e
necessar y and sufficient flow gui dance f or efficient mo-
me nt um t r ansf er on t he r ear bl ade suct i on over a wi de
r ange of angl e of at t ack. CDA 32-21 t andem cascade was
cut out f r om an existing CDA bl ade profi l e (43 camber )
t r uncat ed at t he mi ddl e, fol l owed by an existing, CDA 21
camber bl ade profile. Det ai l ed bl ade coor di nat es of CDA
32-21 ar e pr es ent ed in t he Appendi ces. Bl ade coor di nat es
of CDA 43 and CDA 21 profi l es have al r eady been
r epor t ed [7, 19].
I n bot h cases, t a nde m cascades wer e set and t est ed at
48 camber (overal l ) t o find an ext ra flow defl ect i on of 5
c ompa r e d wi t h t he single cascade wi t h 43 camber . I n t he
pr esent i nvest i gat i ons, at t ent i on was f ocused onl y upon
t he bl ade surface and wake flow behavi or t o eval uat e t he
cascade per f or mance charact eri st i cs. A di rect cascade per-
f or mance assessment was made f or all t hr ee confi gura-
t i ons on t he basis of static pr essur e coeffi ci ent ( Cp) distri-
but i on, di ffusi on fact or, static pr essur e rise coefficient,
loss coeffi ci ent , and wake vel oci t y profiles, as well as t ot al
pr essur e loss profiles. Det ai l ed cascade bl ade geomet r y as
given in Tabl e 1, and t he cascade not at i ons showi ng
vari ous geomet r i c and flow par amet er s are depi ct ed in
Fig. 2.
CDA 3 2 - 2 1
Figure 1. Blade profiles under present investigations.
E XP E RI ME NT AL ME T HODS
Tes t Faci l i t y
The pr esent i nvest i gat i on was carri ed out in a low speed
cascade wi nd t unnel (Tabl e 2). Essentially, t he flow envi-
r onme nt under consi der at i on is i ncompressi bl e. Thi s open
circuit facility (Fig. 3) is dri ven by a cent ri fugal bl ower
l ocat ed at t he ups t r eam end, fol l owed by a diffuser, a
header cont ai ni ng a honeycomb and f our mesh screens,
and t hen a 12-to-1 cont r act i on rat i o nozzle. The nozzl e
l eads t o t he t est sect i on of a r ect angul ar duct equi pped
with end-wal l movabl e flaps. The cascade al ong with t he
ci rcul ar disks coul d be r ot at ed in t he test sect i on about a
c o mmo n axis t o vary t he angl e of at t ack. Suct i on slits were
made on ei t her side of t he side walls 0.25 t i mes bl ade
chor d ups t r eam f or bounda r y l ayer removal . Addi t i onal
suct i on was cr eat ed by empl oyi ng two cent ri fugal blowers,
each dri ven by a 0. 75-kW mot or , on ei t her side of t he side
walls. End-wal l movabl e flaps wer e used t o i mpr ove t he
desi red flow uni f or mi t y and peri odi ci t y.
Measurement Procedure
Al l t he meas ur ement s in t he pr esent st udy wer e made
with st andar d pi t ot static pr obes and static pr essur e t ap-
pings. Whi l e t he ups t r eam pi t ot static pr obe was used t o
r ecor d t he inlet flow condi t i ons and check flow uni formi t y,
t he downs t r eam pr obe was used t o r ecor d wake total
pr essur e and vel oci t y cover i ng two bl ade passages. Static
pr essur e t appi ngs made on t he bl ade surfaces wer e used
t o r ecor d static pr essur es and velocities (with respect t o
Table 1. Single and Tandem Cascade Geomet r y
Bl ade Single Tandem New Tandem
Variables Not at i ons CDA 43 CDA 21-21 CDA 32-21
Camber angle (degrees) q~, ~p,, 43 48 (overall) 48 (overall)
Stagger angle (degrees) 7, "Ye 22 220 (effective) 22 (effective)
Blade chord (mm) c 100 60 (FB) 60 (FB)
c - - 40 (RB) 40 (RB)
Blade pitch (mm) s 50 50 50
Blade span (mm) b 150 150 150
Solidity ( c / s ) tr 2 1.9 1.9
Aspect ratio ( b / c ) AR 1.5 1.56 1.56
No. of blades N 10 2 10 = 20 2 10 = 20
Experimental Investigations on Tandem Compressor Cascade 265
I
7 . I
~ p l o n e
/ / ' ~ t , I
/ ~ I KI / ~ A x i o l d i r e c l i o n , x l
Y
z
X
Figure 2. Cascade nomenclature.
inlet total pressure) at various chordwise positions to find
Cp distributions, the diffusion factor, and the static pres-
sure rise coefficient. The mass averaged loss coefficient
was evaluated by traversing the downstream total pressure
probe over a length of 150 mm covering the two blade
passages. Wake total velocity over the same length was
also recorded by the same probe.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Low speed studies were attempted in the present investi-
gation to find qualitative information on the tested cas-
cades on the basis of fundamental aerodynamic perfor-
mance parameters.
Static Pressure Coefficient
Single Cascade (CDA 43) Static pressure coefficient
(Cp) distributions of the single cascade (CDA 43) at
various angles of attack are presented in Fig. 4. At a = 0 ,
after an initial acceleration on the suction surface (up to
30% of the chord from the leading edge), flow starts
diffusing toward the trailing edge (Fig. 4a). This accelera-
tion and deceleration effect diminishes at a = 5 , showing
a flatter Cp distribution (Fig. 4b). At a = 10 , steep
acceleration around the leading edge (LE) is followed by a
diffusion process at 6% of the chord from the LE, and
thereafter Cp remains constant (Fig. 4c). Between a = 0
WAKE PROBE r'-CASCADE 2 0 x 2 0 M E S H SCREEN "-~
TRAVERSE PLANE UPSTREAM WALL TAPS
/ - 2 5 x 2 5 HONEY COMB
-.,,..FOR F L O W U N I F O R M I T Y ~ -
, h . - - \ ~ . E C . u ~ , , ~ , , ,~ow . . . - ~ , , , , ~ - t - . _ A S P L ' ' . ~ , o ~ L f l E~
I I I I I B ' " -
, i a i
I * - - / : S E C T I O N ', x , . . J I ! 1 1 I l l . L - - ~ ', !
. . . . . . . . . . . . I , , o _ 1 . , o o i J t l , 2 s o i = , w L , s o , , . V = s o l .
B
S L I T S l S O e A C .
( A L L D I M I E N S l O N 5 A R E I N r a m)
Figure 3. Low speed cascade wind tunnel.
266 U. K. Saha and B. Roy
Table 2. Cascade Wind Tunnel Data
Wi nd Tunne l Dri ve Suct i on Syst em Dri ve Test Sect i on Dat a
Blower type: radial Blower type: radial Size: rectangular
I)': 3.30 m3 / s 12:0.056 m3/ s Air velocity: 20.0 m/ s
Pressure rise: 9.96 kPa Pressure rise: 2.98 kPa Mach No.: 0.06
Motor power: 55 kW Motor power: 0.75 kW Reynolds No. 1.369 105
C p
~ - 3 . 0
~ - 2 . 0
- I . 0
m - 0 . 0
o~
o 1.0.
co 2 . 0
- S u c t i o n S u r f a c e
- - - - P r e s s u r e Sur f a c e
20 4O flO 80 100
Pe r c e nt a ge of Chor d
( a ) A n g l e o f a t t a c k = 0
Cp vs. c~ Pl o t s
S u c t i o n Sur f a c e
~ , A P r e s s u r e S u r f a c e
~E TE
20 40 60 80 I 0 0
Pe r c e nt a ge o f Chor d
( b) Angl e of a t t a c k = 50
" " " S u c t i o n Sur f a c e
- , - Pr e s s ur e Sur f a c e
I
. . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . r . . . . . ~
0 20 40 60 BO 100
Pe r c e nt a ge of Chor d
( c ) Angl e of a t t a c k = l O
C p
~- 3. 0
v S u c t i o n Sur f a c e
"U " ' ' " P r e s s u r e S u r f a c e
~ - 2 , 0
~ - I . 0
m - 0. 0
1.0 L E T E
2 . o ....... '2'd ...... i'd ...... 'd'd ...... "gd ...... f 0 o
P e r c e n t a g e o f C h o r d
( d ) A n g l e o f a t t a c k = 1 5
S u c t i o n S u r f a c e
A. . , P r e s s u r e S u r f a c e
0 20 40 60 80 100
Pe r c e nt a ge of Chor d
( e ) Angl e of a t t a c k : 180
= = S u c t i o n S u r f a c e
" . 4 . . . P r e s s u r e S u r f a c e
1
o . . . . . . . ' 2 ' d . . . . . . ' i ' o . . . . . . ' g ' d . . . . . . . g d ' " ' T o o
P e r c e n t a g e o f C h o r d
( f ) A n g l e o f a t t a c k = 2 0
C p
~- 3. 0
I D
~- 2. 0
- 1. 1)
- 0. 0
P
1 . 0
o~ 2 . 0
~ Suc t i on Sur f a c e
E TE
........ 2~ ....... 4~ ....... d'd ....... e~ ...... f0o
P e r c e n t a g e o f C h o r d
(g) Angle of at t ack = 220
= = S u c t i o n S u r f a c e
AAA.APressure S u r f a c e
t ......... i ......... , ......... . ......... , .........
0 20 40 60 80 100
P e r c e n t a g e of C h o r d
( h) Angl e of a t t a c k = 25 o
Suc t i on Sur f a c e
I & . . A p r e s s u r e S u r f a c e
~ LE TE
1
. . . . . . . . . r . . . . . . . . . v . . . . . . . . . w . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . ~
0 20 40 60 80 100
P e r c e n t a g e o f C h o r d
(i) A n g l e o f a t t a c k = 3 0 o
Figure 4. Static pressure coefficient ( Cp) distributions of single cascade (CDA 43) at varying angles of
attack.
Experimental Investigations on Tandem Compressor Cascade 267
and a = 10 , t he cascade is oper at i ng at hi gh negat i ve
i nci dences. As a result, shar p accel er at i on and di ffusi on
pr ocesses wer e been obs er ved anywher e on t he bl ade
surfaces. At a = 15 t o 22 , this initial st eep accel er at i on
is f ol l owed by a shar p di ffusi on process, whi ch is com-
pl et ed wi t hi n 10% of t he chor d f r om t he l eadi ng edge
(Figs. 4 d - 4 g ) . Thi s shar p accel er at i on and decel er at i on
evi dent l y cr eat ed a separ at i on bubbl e. The separ at i on
bubbl e caus ed a l ocal flow accel er at i on ( bet ween 10% and
35% of t he chord), f ol l owed by a st eady di ffusi on on t he
rest of t he bl ade suct i on surface. The l ocal separ at i on
bubbl e, while al t er i ng t he Cp di st ri but i on, may have in-
duced an earl y t ransi t i on, whi ch in t urn, ef f ect ed r eat t ach-
ment . A separ at i on bubbl e was al so cr eat ed in past experi-
ment s wi t h CDA [20, 21]. The suct i on surface pr essur e
gr adi ent starts leveling of f wi t h an i ncrease in t he angl e of
at t ack ( a = 25 and 30), whi ch is a pr ecur sor t o flow
separ at i on (Figs. 4h and 4i). Evi dence of t he onset of
t rai l i ng edge separ at i on is cl earl y obser ved in this range.
At a = 30 , t he Cp pl ot still shows t he exi st ence of a
separ at i on bubbl e. At this angl e of at t ack, t he separ at i on
poi nt has moved t owar d t he LE and mer ged wi t h t he
decayi ng separ at i on bubbl e. The pr essur e surface Cp dis-
t r i but i on r emai ns consi st ent at all angl es of at t ack. Thi s
may be due t o t he cont r ol l ed di ffusi on charact eri st i cs of
t he cascade profile.
C p vs. (x P t o t s
Cp
~ - 3.0
..~
~ - ~ . 0
- 1. 0
- 0 . 0
~ 1. 0.
m. Z.O
Suction Surface
- - . . 6 Pressure Surface
LE
FRONT BLADE
~
TE
20 40 60
P e r c e n t a g e o f Ch o r d
R E A R BLADE
80 I t
( a ) A n g l e of a t t a c k = 0
S u c t i o n Surface
4A4~A4 Presaure Surface
FRONT BLADE DE
. . . . . . . . . l . . . . . . . . . i . . . . . . . . . I . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . .
2 0 40 60 80 1 0 0
Percentage of C h o r d
(b) A n g l e o f a t t a c k = 5 0
I = ~ = = Suction Surface
- - * - - Pressure S u r f a c e
~LE
FRONT BLADE JREAR BIREAR BLADE
0 20 40 60 80 100
P e r c e n t a g e of Ch o r d
( c ) An g l e o f a t t a c k = 1 0
Cp
- ~- 3. 0
..~
O
~ - 2 . 0
- 1. 0
m - 0 . 0
o 1 . 0
~o 2. 0
S u c t i o n S u r f a c e
- * * - - P r e s s u r e S u r f a c e
. . . .
2 0 40 60 80 100
P e r c e n t a g e o f C h o r d
( d ) An g l e o f a t t a c k = 1 5 0
I ~ S u c t i o n S u r f a c e
- ~ * , Pressure Surface
DE
o ........ 2~ ....... i'o ....... 66 ....... g'o ...... foo
P e r c e n t a g e o f Ch o r d
( e ) An g l e o f a t t a c k --- 1 8 0
_ ~ = ~ S u c t i o n S u r f a c e
P r e s s u r e S u r f a c e
P e r c e n t a g e o f Ch o r d
( f ) An g l e o f a t t a c k = 2 0 o
"~- 3.0 . = = S u c t i o n S u r f a c e S u c t i o n S u r f a c e S u c t i o n S u r f a c e
~.'~-2.0 - - * P r e s s u r e S u r f a c e ~ . . . A. P r e s s u r e S u r f a c e - - ~ - - P r e s s u r e S u r f a c e
LE ] L ~ LE
TE TE E
C p ~
m - 0 . 0
c~ FRONT BLADE REAR BLADE --~'0" I'O FRONT BLADE [RII.:.,I..i~.,DE ] FRONT BLADE R E A R B L A D E ~ .F:I,N.I I,.I~.I.E. P I ~ : . , B. ~
Z.O ....... , ......... , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20 40 60 80 100 0 Z0 40 60 80 100 20 40 60 80 100
P e r c e n t a g e o f C h o r d P e r c e n t a g e of Ch o r d P e r c e n t a g e o f Ch o r d
( g ) An g l e o f a t t a c k = 2 2 0 ( h ) An g l e o f a t t a c k = 2 5 0 ( i ) An g l e o f a t t a c k = 300
F i g u r e 5. S t a t i c p r e s s u r e c o e f f i c i e n t ( C p ) d i s t r i b u t i o n s o f t a n d e m c a s c a d e ( C DA 2 1 - 2 1 ) a t v a r y i n g a n g l e s o f
a t t a c k .
2 6 8 U . K . S a h a a n d B. R o y
Tandem C a s c a d e ( C D A 21-21) S t a t i c p r e s s u r e coeffi-
cient distributions o f t h e t a n d e m c a s c a d e ( C D A 21-21) a r c
s h o w n in F i g . 5. A t a = 0 , s t e a d y acceleration is notice-
a b l e o n t h e front b l a d e suction surface u p to 3 0 % o f t h e
c h o r d (total) f r o m t h e L E (Fig 5 a ) . T h e acceleration z o n e
d i m i n i s h e s gradually w i t h a n increase in c~ (Figs. 5 a - 5 c ) .
W i t h i n t h e r a n g e o f a = 0 to I 0 , t h e front b l a d e pres-
s u r e surface s h o w s a l m o s t a c o n s t a n t C p distribution; h i g h
deflection o v e r t h e r e a r b l a d e suction surface d o e s n o t
s c c m t o b c effective in t h i s r a n g e o w i n g to inefficient
m o m e n t u m t r a n s f e r b y t h e g a p - n o z z l e f l o w f o r m e d b e -
t w e e n t h e blades. A t l o w e r angles o f attack, o w i n g to
mi n i ma l s t at i c p r e s s u r e d i f f e r e n c e n e a r t he t r ai l i ng e d g e
( TE) o f t he f r o n t b l a d e s uc t i on a nd p r e s s u r e s ur f aces , a
we a k e r mo me n t u m t r a n s f e r by t he g a p - n o z z l e f l ow was
e f f e c t e d.
T h e mi n i ma l d i f f e r e n c e o f s t at i c p r e s s u r e at l ow a ngl e s
o f a t t a c k was c a u s e d by t he i n c o mi n g fl ow, whi c h is
i n c i d e n t wel l o n t o t he b l a d e s uc t i on s ur f a c e r a t h e r t ha n
o n t o t he LE. Th e f l ow s e p a r a t i o n t e n d e n c y t o wa r d t he T E
of t h e f r o n t b l a d e s uc t i on s ur f a c e o b s e r v e d e a r l i e r is
p r e v e n t e d by t he g a p - n o z z l e f l ow at c~ = 15 ( Fi g. 5d) ,
f or c i ng r e a t t a c h i n g o n t he r e a r b l a d e s uc t i on s ur f ace. Thi s
f u r t h e r ai ds t he d e c e l e r a t i o n pr oc e s s a l mos t t o t he r e a r
Cp
~- 3. 0
o
~_. -2.0
o
- l . 0
P
~ - 0 . 0
1.0,
w 2.0
S u c t i o n S u r f a c e
* * - P r e s s u r e S u r f a c e
F R O N T BLADE
~ T E
. . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . ,
2 0 4 0 8 0
P e r c e n t a g e o f C h o r d
R E A R BLAD[
flO tO0
( a ) A n g l e o f a t t a c k = 0
Cp vs. G Pl o' t s
[ i I i I ~ u c ~ o n S u r f a c e
- - - - - P r e s s u r e S u r f a c e
F R O N T BLADE REAR BLADE
. . . . . . . . 2 ~ . . . . . . . . f i i . . . . . . . 6 d . . . . . . . 6 ~ . . . . . . i o o
P e r c e n t a g e o f C h o r d
( b ) A n g l e o f a t t a c k = 50
, , a . . S u c t i o n Surface
- - P r e s s u r e S u r f a c e
~HE
1 ~ % ' ~ % TE
F R O N T B L A D E R E A R ~ B ~ D E
0 2 0 4 0 6 0 80 I00
P e r c e n t a g e o f C h o r d
( C ) A n g l e o f a t t a c k = l O
Cp
J
~ . - 2 . 0 -
~J
- I . 0
~
- 0 , 0
e,
1.o
r . ~ 2 . 0
" ~ - 3 . 0 . , - , , = S u c t i o n S u r f a c e
* - - - - P r e s s u r e S u r f a c e
H E
F R O N T B L A D E
. . . . . . . . . l . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . .
R E A R B L A D E
2 0 40 60 80 I00
P e r c e n t a g e o f C h o r d
( d ) Angl e of a t t a c k = 15 o
i l i l l Suction Surface
- - - - P r e s s u r e S u r f a c e
I RONT BLADE REAR BLADE
t . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . .
0 20 40 8 0 80 100
Percentage of Chor d
( e ) A n g l e o f a t t a c k = 1 8
F R O N T B L A D E R E A R B L A D
......... . ......... , . . . . . . . . . ~ . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . ,
20 40 80 6 0 I00
Percentage of Chor d
( f ) A n g l e o f a t t a c k = 2 0 0
Cp
~ - 3 . 0 ~ ' S u c U o n Surface
~ s s u r e S u r f a c e
~ 1 2 . o
v LE
~-L.O ~ ~ T
~ E
~ - 0 . 0
e~
o l . O . F R O N T B L A D E R E A R B L A D E
oq 2.0 ......... , ............................ , .........
0 20 40 60 O0 tO0
Percentage of Chord
( g ) Angl e of a t t a c k = 22 o
" ' " S u c t i o n Surface
- - - * , P r e s s u r e S u r a f c e
F R O N T BLADE
~
E
REAR B L A D E
........ ~'6 ....... gd ....... 8d ....... go ...... i'oo
Percentage of Chor d
( h ) A n g l e o f a t t a c k : 2 5 0
t l O , , o S u c t i o n S u r f a c e
, 8 * * , P r e s s u r e S u r f a c e
FRONT BLADE REAR BLADE
0" ....... ~'6 ....... ~'6 ....... 8d ....... S'0 ...... i'00
P e r c e n t a g e of Chor d
( i ) A n g l e o f a t t a c k : 300
Fi gur e 6. St at i c pr es s ur e coef f i ci ent ( C p ) di st r i but i ons of new t a nde m cascade ( CDA 32-21) at var yi ng
angl es of at t ack.
Experimental Investigations on Tandem Compressor Cascade 269
bl ade TE. Pr essur e surface Cp di st ri but i on at t he same
angl e of at t ack i ndi cat es cont i nued flow at t achment . Di f-
fusi on charact eri st i cs on t he f r ont bl ade suct i on surface
i mpr ove significantly at at = 18 and 20 (Figs. 5e and 5f ) ;
t he r ear bl ade suct i on surface al so i ndi cat es compar at i vel y
hi gher flow di ffusi on. Fr om at = 22 t o 30 , t he di ffusi on
pr ocess is mi l der on t he f r ont bl ade suct i on surface (Figs.
5g- 5i ) , wher eas t he r ear bl ade suct i on surface shows its
at t ached di ffusi on charact eri st i cs.
Fl ow cont r ol , t oget her wi t h good di ffusi on char act er i s-
tics, ef f ect ed by t he gap- nozzl e mo me n t u m t r ansf er was
real i zed in t he r ange of angl es of at t ack f r om at = 15 t o
at = 30 . The Cp di st ri but i ons of CDA 21-21 wi t hi n t he
angl es of at t ack f r om at = 15 t o 30 do not i ndi cat e t he
pr es ence of a separ at i on bubbl e, was obser ved f or CDA
43. The absence of a separ at i on bubbl e is pr esumabl y due
t o t he suct i on cr eat ed by t he gap- nozzl e effect.
Ne w T a n d e m Ca s c a d e ( CDA 32-21) Cp di st ri but i ons of t he
newl y devel oped t a nde m cascade ( CDA 32-21) ar e pre-
sent ed in Fig. 6. At at = 0 , st eeper accel er at i on is not i ce-
abl e up t o 40% o f t he chor d (t ot al ) on t he f r ont bl ade
suct i on surface af t er whi ch flow decel er at es until mome n-
t um exchange t akes pl ace by t he gap- nozzl e at 62% of t he
chor d (Fig. 6a). A ki nk bel i eved t o be due t o l ocal flow
separ at i on and r eat t achment on t he r ear bl ade suct i on
surface is obser ved; this is cl earl y an i ndi cat i on of t he
f or mat i on of a separ at i on bubbl e, as obs er ved in t he
earl i er i nvest i gat i ons [20, 21]. Cons t ant Cp di st ri but i on
was pr e domi na nt on t he bl ade pr essur e surface at t he
same angl e o f at t ack. At at = 5 , flow accel er at i on r eaches
t o 30% o f t he chor d, f ol l owed by cont i nuous decel er at i on
t o t he r ear bl ade TE wi t h t he i nt er i m ener gy t r ansf er by
t he gap- nozzl e flow; pr essur e surface flow decel er at es on
t he f r ont bl ade, wher eas it accel er at es on t he r ear bl ade
(Fig. 6b). The same effect wi t h a mi l der accel er at i on and
decel er at i on is t r aced on t he f r ont bl ade at at = 10 and
15 (Figs. 6c and 6d) . At a t = 18 and 20 , t he flow
under goes shar p accel er at i on a r ound t he LE and t hen
decel er at es on bot h suct i on and pr essur e sur f aces of t he
f r ont bl ade, i ndi cat i ng a significant a mount of di ffusi on on
t he f r ont bl ade suct i on surface while t he flow sust ai ns t he
di ffusi on pr ocess on t he r ear bl ade suct i on sur f ace (Figs.
6e and 6f ) . Wi t h an i ncr ease in t he angl es of at t ack f r om
a = 22 t o 30 , a separ at i on t endency on t he f r ont bl ade is
initiated, t hus limiting t he di ffusi on pr ocess on t he suct i on
surface. However , flow behavi or on t he r ear bl ade suct i on
surface shows cont i nuous decel er at i on, whi ch is i ndi cat i ve
of an at t ached flow behavi or . Thi s i mpl i es fl ow r eat t ach-
ment , showi ng hi gh overal l flow defl ect i on and di ffusi on
charact eri st i cs of t he cascade (Figs. 6g t o 6i). At a = 30 ,
t he l eadi ng edge separ at i on is i ndi cat ed on t he f r ont
bl ade, but , i nt erest i ngl y, this flow has been r eat t ached and
di ffused on t he r ear bl ade. I n t he ent i r e r ange of angl e of
at t ack, mi l d accel er at i on was obs er ved near t he TIE of t he
r ear bl ade pr essur e surface.
Thi s newl y devel oped t andem cascade shows its capabi l -
ity f or pr event i ng flow separ at i on unde r hi gh angl es of
at t ack. Al so, t he f or mat i on of a separ at i on bubbl e was
been obs er ved except at at = 0 on t he f r ont bl ade, whi ch
is act ual l y t he f r ont hal f of t he CDA st udi ed unde r t he
single cascade scheme. Thi s i ndi cat es t hat t a nde m effect
cr eat ed a ps eudos uct i on at t he f r ont bl ade TE, whi ch, in
0 . 8
o
0. 6
r=.
~ 0 . 4
o
~ 0 . 2
0. 0
- 5
. . . . , . . . . i . . . . ~ . . . . , . . . . i . . . . ) . . . . , . . . .
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Angl e of a t t a c k ( i n degr ees )
(a) Single C D A 43
0.8
1.
2
~0. 6
r . .
<~ 0. 4
o
~
0 . 2
0. 0
(~cX:K9 DFp.er.l ;~r
,~ ) : ~ + DFm.dm.a
- 5 0 5 10 15 20 2,5 30 35
Angle of attack (in degrees)
(b) T a n d e m C D A 2 1 - 2 1
0.8
2
o 0.6
r . ,
0 . 4
o
0.0
(D(~D(~ DFgenera]
I I t t I D F m o d i f i e d
. . . . 8 . . . . ~'"i'd"'fs"2'6"z'g"a'0"as
Angle of attack (in d e g r e e s )
(C) N e w T a n d e m C D A 3 2 - 2 1
Fi gure 7. Vari at i on of diffusion fact or with angles of attack
of CDA 43, CDA 21-21, and CDA 32-21.
t urn, pr event ed bubbl e f or mat i on on t he f r ont bl ade suc-
t i on surface. A st r ong gap- nozzl e flow on t he r ear bl ade
suct i on surface pr event ed t he f or mat i on of t he bubbl e on
t he r ear bl ade, and, even if t her e was a t endency t o f or m a
bubbl e, it was capt ur ed wi t hi n or car r i ed away by t he
accel er at ed gap- nozzl e flow.
Di f f us i on Fa c t o r
Var i at i on of t he di ffusi on f act or ( DF) wi t h angl es of
at t ack (at ) f or t he t est ed cascades is shown in Fig. 7. CDA
43 shows a nar r ow useful r ange of angel of at t ack f r om
a t = 15 t o a t = 2 5 (Fig. 7a), and this coul d also be
vi sual i zed f r om t he cor r es pondi ng Cp plots. The hi ghest
a mount of di ffusi on occur s bet ween at = 15 and 25 ,
giving its maxi mum val ue of DF = 0.44 at at = 20 .
270 U. K. Saha and B. Roy
Two def i ni t i ons of di f f usi on f act or have be e n used f or
t he t es t ed t a n d e m cas cades : (1) DFg . . . . . 1, ba s e d on cl assi -
cal def i ni t i on, and (2) DFmodi f i ed, ba s e d on s umma t i on of
l ocal di f f usi on f act or s of t he f r ont and t he r e a r bl ades.
Fo r bot h def i ni t i ons, t he DF val ues of CDA 21-21 ar e
much hi gher t han t hos e of C DA 43 wi t hi n a r ange of
a = 15 t o 20 (Fi g. 7b) The hi ghest ma gni t ude of di f f u-
si on f act or DFg . . . . . 1 = 0.67 and DFmodi fi e d = 0.75 is ob-
s er ved at a = 20 . DF val ues dr op s har pl y af t er 20 , whi ch
is al so not i c e a bl e f r om t he c or r e s pondi ng Cp pl ot s. Hi gh
bl a de l oadi ng can be achi eved by CDA 21-21 wi t hi n a
r ange of a = 15 t o 20 .
CDA 32-21 shows t he hi ghes t DF at a = 18 and 20
(Fi g. 7c). DFge,~ral shows a c ons t a nt ma gni t ude of DF =
0.42 at a = 18 and 20; wher eas , in t he s ame r ange,
DFmodi f i e d shows a c ons t a nt ma gni t ude of DF = 0.50. The
DF vs a pl ot of C DA 32-21 t r aces a s i mi l ar var i at i on of
di f f usi on as t hat of C DA 43 wi t h angl es of at t ack, wi t hout
t he pe a ky char act er i s t i cs of CDA 21-21.
St a t i c P r e s s u r e Ri s e Co e f f i c i e n t
The st at i c pr e s s ur e r i se coef f i ci ent ( Ca ) , whi ch is al so a
me a s ur e of t he fl ow di f f usi on or l oa di ng capabi l i t y, was
e va l ua t e d f or t he t es t ed cas cades (Fi g. 8). CDA 43 shows a
r e a s ona bl e a mo u n t of l oa di ng capabi l i t y wi t hi n t he r ange
of angl e a t t a c k f r om a = 15 t o 25 ( Fi g. 8a) . CDA 21-21
shows hi gher val ues of C R wi t hi n a l i mi t ed r a nge ( Fi g.
8b) . C R val ues f or C DA 32-21 (Fi g. 8c) t r ace a si mi l ar
pa t h as t hos e of DF wi t h angl es of at t ack, avoi di ng t he
pe a ky char act er i s t i cs of C DA 21-21. The obs e r ve d var i a-
t i on of C R wi t h DF f r om a = 5 t o 15 was due t o t he
var yi ng chor dwi s e l ocat i on of Vma x on t he bl a de suct i on
sur f ace. At a = 20 t o 30 , Pl and Vma x a r e at t he s ame
l ocat i on, and as such bot h C R and DF show si mi l ar
l oadi ng char act er i st i cs.
Loss Co e f f i c i e n t
Mass a ve r a ge d l oss coef f i ci ent s wer e cal cul at ed f r om t he
wake sur vey by me a ns of t r aver s i ng a t ot al pr es s ur e pr obe.
The sur vey was pa r a l l e l t o t he cas cade and ver y cl ose t o
t he bl a de TE, whe r e t he fl ow is nonuni f or m. Da t a wer e
t a ke n at cl ose i nt er val s in t he wake r egi on and over coar s e
i nt er val s out s i de t he wake r egi on (i. e. , f r e e - s t r e a m pas s age
f l ow.
The var i at i on of l oss coef f i ci ent s wi t h angl es of at t ack
f or t he t es t ed cas cades a r e shown in Fi g. 9. Loss coeffi -
ci ent val ues ar e f ound t o be l ow f or si ngl e CDA 43
cas cade over t he ent i r e r ange. The t a n d e m CDA 21-21
cas cade, even t hough i t s howed hi gher ma gni t ude s of t he
di f f usi on f act or , gi ves hi gh l oss coef f i ci ent s. Thi s may be
due t o hi gher sur f ace fl ow vel oci t y, l eadi ng t o hi gher ski n
f r i ct i on, and t o mi xi ng l oss i nc ur r e d in t he pr oces s of r ear
bl a de suct i on s ur f ace fl ow ener gi zat i on. The new t a n d e m
C DA 32-21 s howed l ower ma gni t ude s of l oss coef f i ci ent s
t han di d CDA 43 over a r ange of a = 5 t o 15 . The hi gh
l oss coef f i ci ent s over t he r est of t he angl es of at t ack ar e
due t o t he t hi cker but a t t a c he d gr owt h of bounda r y l ayer
set by t he t a n d e m conf i gur at i on. Thi s i ndi cat es t hat t an-
d e m cas cade is c a pa bl e of cont r ol l i ng t he bounda r y l ayer
gr owt h, t he r e by pr event i ng t he s e pa r a t i on t endency, and
t he e xpe c t e d r i se in t he l oss coef f i ci ent s al so is hel d wi t hi n
t ol e r a bl e l i mi t s.
4.0
2. 0
( . }
~ - 0 . 0
- z . o _ d . . '6 . . . . g"" i g " i g' " ~-'g'" i~g" a'o'" a5
Angle of at t ac k ( i n degrees )
( a ) S i n g l e CDA 4 3
4. 0 4. 0
m 2. 0
- 0 . 0
-2.0_d..
' 6 . . . . d ' " i ' d ' " t ' 5 " ' ~ ' 6 " ' ~ , ' ~ " a ' 0 ' "
Angle of attack (in degrees)
(b) T a n d e m C D A 2 1 - 2 1
2.0
-o.o
-z.0
' " 6 . . . . d ' " i ' o " i ' s " z ' 6 " ' ~ ' 5 " 3 i i " i s
Angle of at t ac k ( i n degrees )
(c) N e w T a n d e m C D A 3 2 - 2 1
Figure 8. Var i at i on of st at i c pr essur e ri se coeffi ci ent wi t h angl es of at t ack of CDA 43, CDA 21-21, and CDA
32-21.
Experimental Investigations on Tandem Compressor Cascade 271
1.5
. . s . o
@
~ 0.5
0
, , =1
0.0
t;II:IGGD Si ng l e CDA 43
4 - - 4 - T a n d e m CDA 2 1 - 2 1
: : : : ~ New Ta n d e m CDA 3 2 - 2 1 /
- 5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
An g l e of a t t a c k ( i n d e g r e e s )
Figure 9. Vari at i on of loss coefficient with angles of attack of
CDA 43, CDA 21-21, and CDA 32-21.
Wa k e Pr of i l e Cha r a c t e r i s t i c s
Nor mal i zed wake vel oci t y and t ot al pr essur e loss profi l es
ar e pl ot t ed f or t he t est ed cascades in Figs. 10- 15. The
wake- meas ur i ng pl ane was sel ect ed i n such a way t hat t he
cent er of t he hor i z ont a l axis ( shown in t he pl ot s) cor r e-
sponds t o t he cent er o f t he bl ade pi t ch of t he mi ddl e t wo
bl ades. Me a s ur e me nt s wer e t aken cover i ng t he t wo cen-
t ral bl ades in ei t her case. The wake vel oci t y meas ur ed at a
di st ance of 45 mm aft of t he cascade l i ne is nor mal i zed by
t he r ef er ence inlet f r ee- s t r eam velocity. Similarly, t he
wake t ot al pr essur e me a s ur e d at a di st ance of 15 mm aft
of t he cascade line was nor mal i zed by t he r ef er ence t ot al
pressure.
Wa ke vel oci t y profi l es at all angl es of at t ack f or CDA
43 ar e asymmet r i cal about t he wake cent er , i ndi cat i ng t he
di fferent i al gr owt h of bounda r y l ayers devel oped on t he
suct i on and pr essur e surfaces (Fig. 10). The def ect in t he
wake vel oci t y profi l e is l arge at hi gh angl es of at t ack
( a = 30).
The t ot al pr essur e loss curve f or CDA 43 exhi bi t ed
behavi or (Fig. 11) similar t o t hat of vel oci t y profi l es in t he
ent i re r ange of angl es of at t ack ( a = 0 t o 30). Suct i on
surface at a = 30 i ndi cat es hi gher gr owt h of t he bound-
ary layer, whi ch is also evi dent f r om t he cor r es pondi ng
wake vel oci t y profile.
The wake vel oci t y profi l es f or CDA 21-21 ar e symmet ri -
cal about t he wake cent er f r om a = 0 t o a = 10 , whi ch
di st ort slowly as t he angl e of at t ack i ncreases (Fig. 12).
However , t he flow s eemed t o be highly unst abl e f r om
c t = 2 2 t o a = 3 0 .
The loss di st ri but i on f or CDA 21-21 (Fig. 13) is symmet -
rical about t he wake cent er at l ower val ues of angl e of
at t ack ( a = 0 t o 10). The wake profi l e becomes fl at t er
and di st ort s highly as t he angl e of at t ack increases. I t is
pr obabl e t hat t he t wo adj acent wakes ar e coal esci ng t o-
get her in t he hi gher r ange of angl es of at t ack ( a = 22 t o
30).
The wake vel oci t y profi l es f or CDA 32-21 ar e mor e
asymmet r i cal about t he wake cent er (Fig. 14) as c ompa r e d
wi t h t he vel oci t y profi l es of CDA 43. Beyond a = 20 , t he
wi dt h of t he wake i ncreases, i ndi cat i ng a t hi cker gr owt h of
bounda r y l ayer on t he suct i on surface. The i ncrease in
wake wi dt h coul d be ascri bed t o t he addi t i onal 5 camber
of t he newl y devel oped cascade, wher e t he boundar y l ayer
gr ew but r emai ned at t ached, giving efficient diffusion.
The loss profi l es f or CDA 32-21 (Fig. 15) show a t hi cker
wake profi l e c ompa r e d wi t h t hat of CDA 43, i ndi cat i ng a
t hi cker gr owt h of suct i on surface bounda r y l ayer and
hence hi gh losses of t he cascade, whi ch ar e refl ect ed in
t he mass aver aged loss coefficient.
1 . 8
1. 3
, ~. 0 . 8
; >
0 . 3
- 0 . 2
t . 8
I ~ _ ^ A A A ~ = 0 0 t ~ k : t ~ k ~ = ~ 0 O O O O O C ( = 1 0 0
t . 3
Z
~ , , 0 . 8
; >
0 . 3
- 0 . 2
t . 8
&~,~z~& c=15 * * * * * or=I S o o o o o t =20
. . . . i . . . . i . . . . i . . . . i . . . . i . . . . i . . . . J . . . .
1. 3
> 0 . 8
0. 3
- 0 . 2
a u A 4 & = = 2 2 ~- ~- , ~- t c~=~.5 o o o o o a = 3 0
. . . . i . . . . i . . . . i . . . . , . . . . i . . . . ; . . . . i . . . .
- 8 - 6 - 4 - 2 0 2 4 6 8
T r a i l i n g E d g e B l a d e t o B l a d e Di r e c t i o n , c m
Figure 10. Wake velocity profiles of CDA 43 at varying
angles of attack.
1.8
~" 1.3
~' 0 . 8
I
0 . 3
(2,
- 0 . 2
, . 1 . 8
c=0 * * * * * a = 5 o o o o o =10
. . . . , . . . . | . . . . , . . . . i . . . . i . . . . , . . . . i . . . .
K
0" 1.3
A
oN 0 . 8
a,
I
0 . 3
D.,
- 0 . 2
[ . 8
A&AAA 0f =15 t : Ct ~: $ CC=[8 OOOOO CC=20
. . . . i . . . . i . . . . , . . . . i . . . . , . . . . i . . . . i . . . .
~ 1.3
A
0~ 0 . 8
a,
I
0. 3
o.,
a&&&& a_- 22 * ~ , ~ , * a = 2 5 o o o o o a = 3 0
T r a i l i n g E d g e B l a d e to B l a d e D i r e c t i o n , c m
F i g u r e I L W a k e total pressure loss profiles o f C D A 4 3 at
varying angles o f attack.
272 U. K. Saha and B. Roy
1 . 8
1.3
"d
a ,
;> 0.8
N
0.:3
- 0. 2
1.8
n ~ ( = 0 * * * * * C 1 = 5 o o o o 0 0 = 1 0 0
1.3
~ J
~ e
0 . 8
t~
~> 0.3
- 0. 2
1.8
~ z z z z ~ x = 1 5 * * ~ , ~ = 1 8 o o o o o c ~ = 2 0
~z z z ~ ~ = : ~ 2 * ~ k * * ~ = 2 5 o o o o o c ~ = 3 0
1 . 3
> 0.8
~ 0.3
- 0 . z _ g , . ' - ' d' ' ' - ' i ' ~ z ' ' 6 . . . . ~ . . . . i . . . . d . . . . a
T r a i l i n g E d g e B l a d e to B l a d e Direction, c m
Figure 12. W a k e velocity profiles of C D A 21-21 at varying
angles of attack.
1 . 8
1.3
0.8
;>.
0 . 3
- 0 . 2
1.8
, , ~, at ~ c<=O * * ~ * * o~=5 n..tUL~_n c~=l O
1 , 3
~ . ~ 0 . 8
z> 0.3
- 0 . 2
1.8
z z z z ~ c ~ = 1 5 * * * * * ( x = 1 8 o o o o o o = 2 0 0
1.3
~ 0.8
e , l
;> 0.3
~t ~, ~t , ~x=22 * * * ~ , c~=25 o o o o o <~=30
- 0 . 2
Tr ai l i ng Edge Blade to Blade Di rect i on, cm
Figure 14, Wake velocity profiles of CDA 32-21 at varying
angles of attack.
1.8
~ 1.3
~:~ 0.8
i
0 . 3
0.,
- 0 . 2
~ 4 A 4 ~ 0~----.0 :,k*:,k:,k:,k 0 < = 5 o n o o o ( x = ] . O
O' 1 . 3
0 . 8
t
0 . 3
- 0 . 2
~z ~ c( =15 ***** o( =18 o o o o o c~=20
1.8
O~ L , 3
0.8
r~
I
0.3
~ 4 z 4 ~ ~ = 2 2 * * ~ * * ( x = 2 5 o o o o o c t = 3 0
- 0 . 2 8 - . , ' ~ i ; " , , , i - 6 ~ 4 . . . . - ~ ] , , , , i 0 . . . . 2 ~ . . . . 4 i . . . . 6 ~ ' ' '
T r a i l i n g E d g e B l a d e to B l a d e Direction, c m
Figure 13. W a k e total pressure loss profiles of C D A 21-21 at
varying angles of attack.
1 . 8
O" 1.3
0 . 8
I
0 . 3
- 0 . 2
1 . 8
C~ 1.3
g 0.8
I
N 0.3
- 0. 2
~ e , z ~ z ~ ( x = O * * * * * 0 ~ = 5 0 o 0 0 0 ~ = l O
. . . . i . . . . i . . . . i . . . . J . . . . i . . . . , . . . . i . . . .
~' 0.8
I
0.3
P.
~ , , ~ 0 < = 2 2 o , ~ , c t = 2 5 o v o o v ~ = 3 0
- 0 . 2 . . . . i . . . . J . . . . , . . . . i . . . . i . . . . , . . . . , . . . .
- 8 - 6 - 4 - 2 0 2 4 6 8
Trailing E d g e B l a d e to B l a d e Direction, c m
Figure 15. W a k e total pressure loss profilcs of C D A 32-21 at
varying angles of attack.
Experimental Investigations on Tandem Compressor Cascade 273
UNCERTAI NTY ANALYSI S
Ext reme care was exercised to ensure t he highest possible
reliability and accuracy of the acqui red test data. Each
dat a poi nt on the bl ade surfaces represent s an average of
t hree repetitive pressure and velocity readings. The t i me
bet ween successive readings was 5 s. In surveying the
wake flow manually, each t i me the pr obe was moved to a
new position, we allowed a settling t i me of 10-15 s to
record the data. The accuracy of the mi cr omanomet er was
0.1 mm H2 0 for the pressure readi ng and 0.1 m/ s for the
velocity reading.
The uncertainties relative to cascade par amet er s are as
follows: stagger angle (~/) = _+0.5 , angle of at t ack ( a ) =
+0. 5 , overall camber (~Po)= +1.0, bl ade pitch ( s ) =
-+ 0.5 mm, bl ade profile t ol erance = -+ 0.25 mm.
PRACTI CAL S I GNI F I CANCE/ US EF ULNES S
The results of t he present study would be ext remel y useful
f r om a practical poi nt of view because it provides signifi-
cant guidance for designing practical machi nes meant for
higher loading limits. The present dat a could be used as
guidance for designing machi nes for low speed applica-
tions, as in the case of air handling equi pment , ventilation
fans, cooling fans, and so forth.
For high speed applications, furt her opt i mi zat i on of the
bl ade shape is necessary to t ake into account the forma-
tion of shocks and compressibility effects. Such high speed
dat a may be useful for designing t andem st at or and r ot or
bl ades for aircraft gas turbines, for vehicular gas t urbi nes
(e.g., cars, trucks, hovercrafts, ships, etc.), and for indus-
trial power generat i ng units. Pot ent i al can also be realized
in t andem vaned diffusers of centrifugal compressors and
in t ur bopump feed systems in liquid propel l ant rocket
engines.
CONCLUSI ONS
In the present investigations, an at t empt has been made
to achieve an extra flow deflection of 5 , using a t andem
bl ade configuration, in compar i son with a single bl ade
profile, with mi ni mum loss penalty. CDA 43 has shown
good diffusion capability over a range of t~ = 15 to 25 ,
whereas CDA 21-21 has shown higher diffusion capability
within a range of a = 15 to 20 . Thi n airfoil characteris-
tics of CDA 21-21 configured out of two scaled down
CDA profiles were observed. A thin airfoil is charact er-
ized by a narrow range of operat i on. When used in a
t andem configuration, bot h the front and the r ear bl ades
have a low leading edge radius to chord (total) ratio.
Hence, flow guidance over bot h front and r ear bl ade
leading edges is limited to a narrow incidence range. This
was observed in the present experi ment al findings.
CDA 21-21 has a higher total pressure loss coefficient
t han t hat of CDA 43. This may be caused by the mixing
loss incurred as a result of the suction surface flow ener-
gization. The ot her reason could be t he lower magni t ude
of thickness to total chord ratio, yielding poor flow guid-
ance, especially near the leading edges. Wake flow is
aggravat ed furt her by an extra camber of 5 . Fur t her mor e,
skin friction drag may be high because of a higher magni-
t ude of surface velocity, especially on the r ear blade. It
could be said that, aft er a judicious t r ade- of f bet ween
higher bl ade loading and higher losses, CDA 21-21 has
the pot ent i al compar ed with CDA 43 over a limited range
of angles of attack, and furt her opt i mi zat i on with the
cascade geomet r y is requi red for its i mproved perfor-
mance over a wi der range. However, a compr essor meant
only for design-point operat i on may stand to gain by the
use of the CDA 21-21 t andem blade.
The pot ent i al of CDA 32-21 was observed in maintain-
ing a sustained flow at t achment within a reasonabl e range
of angle of at t ack f r om a = 5 to a = 30 . Thi s indicates
t hat its flow deflection capability is superi or to t hat of
CDA 43. The reason for its efficacy could be at t ri but ed to
a guided flow energi zat i on by the cusp-shaped gap-nozzle
f or med bet ween the bl ades and to higher magni t ude of
front bl ade leading edge thickness to total chord ratio. An
additional camber of 5 was added for higher flow deflec-
tion in the newly devel oped t andem CDA 32-21 cascade,
with accept abl e loss coefficients over this range of angles
of attack.
FUTURE RESEARCH
Fut ure research needs to address the cusp shape of the
front bl ade trailing edge and the consequent gap geomet r y
mor e accurately. The flow conditions near the gap are to
be accurately assessed t hrough boundary layer studies,
and this knowledge could be pursued for developing a
suitable comput at i onal code. Such an investigation would
not only lead to accurat e analysis of the flow in and
around the t andem cascade configurations, but also pro-
vide guidelines for fut ure experi ment at i on.
The present work has been addressed mor e to the
control of diffusion, which occurs on the rear hal f of the
bl ade surface. The front half, with high acceleration, sepa-
rat i on bubble, and onset of sharp diffusion, would requi re
close investigation, especially at high speed where com-
pressibility, turbulence, and shock interactions would be
significant.
Recently, research has been under t aken to find the
operat i onal feasibility of the devel oped t andem cascade
for the off-design flow condition. Knowledge of off-design
per f or mance of a high pressure rat i o axial flow compres-
sor is ext remel y i mpor t ant because it affects operat i ng
costs and component life. In case of aero engines, idling,
take-off, and cruise will always result in different flow
situations within the compr essor stages. Similarly, ot her
modes of propulsion, such as mari ne and industrial gas
turbines, where axial compressors are empl oyed oft en
need to oper at e away f r om the design poi nt for significant
lengths of time. Thus to mai nt ai n t he per f or mance of the
machi ne at off-design condition, flexibility in the opera-
tion of the component is required. One way to i mprove
this situation is to oper at e the cascade in a variable
camber mode. In our next experi ment al vent ure, the de-
vel oped t andem cascade will be t est ed at various camber
settings to assess its off-design flow control capability.
274 U. K. Sa h a a n d B. Roy
A P P E N D I X A
B l a d e C o - o r d i n a t e s o f C DA 43 ( t r u n c a t e d )
xss Xss xps
Y~
- 0. 02 0. 53 0. 34 - 0. 36
- 0. 06 1. 00 0. 82 - 0. 65
- 0. 06 1.13 1. 36 - 0. 83
O. 10 1. 90 2. 00 - 0. 89
0. 28 2. 74 2. 71 - 0. 90
0. 59 3. 56 3. 49 - 0. 86
1. 12 4. 26 4. 32 - 0. 74
2. 16 5. 20 5. 24 - 0. 53
3. 46 6. 19 6. 30 - 0. 34
5. 17 3. 37 7. 36 - 0. 12
7.11 8. 62 8.51 0. 14
9. 28 9. 90 9. 70 0. 42
11. 58 11. 19 10.98 0. 72
13. 86 12. 39 12. 29 1.06
15. 96 13. 43 13. 60 1.45
17. 80 14. 29 15. 14 1. 79
19.41 14. 99 16. 67 2. 18
20. 79 15. 57 18. 26 2. 60
22. 03 16. 06 19. 92 3. 03
23. 15 16. 48 21. 64 3. 48
24. 18 16. 85 23. 44 3. 93
25. 16 17. 17 25. 32 4. 40
26. 07 17. 46 27. 28 4. 87
26. 95 17. 73 29. 27 5. 34
27. 81 17. 97 31. 42 5. 81
28. 63 18. 18 33. 63 6. 27
29. 43 18. 38 35. 96 7. 05
30. 21 18. 56 38. 36 8. 20
30. 98 18. 72 40. 00 9. 04
31. 72 18. 87 41. 00 9. 34
32. 43 19. 00 43. 00 10. 09
33. 13 19.11 45. 00 11. 18
33. 81 19.21 47. 00 12. 08
34. 46 19. 29 49. 00 13. 02
35. 07 19. 36 52. 00 14. 10
35. 63 1 9 . 4 2 55. 00 14.65
36. 16 19. 45 57. 00 14.95
36. 67 19. 48 59. 00 15. 12
37. 16 19. 50 61. 00 15. 23
38. 91 19. 50
40. 22 19. 52
41. 56 19. 47
43. 01 19. 38
44. 45 19. 25
45. 94 19. 09
47. 44 18. 89
48. 97 18. 66
52. 11 18. 08
55. 39 17. 36
58. 77 16. 52
61. 00 15. 58
A P P E N D I X B
B l a d e C o - o r d i n a t e s o f C DA 21 ( s o l i d )
xs~ x~ x~ r~s
- 0. 42 0. 69 - 0. 39 0. 51
- 0. 41 0. 90 - 0. 35 0. 35
- 0. 39 1.13 - 0. 28 0. 23
- 0.31 1.42 - 0. 20 0. 12
- 0. 12 1.89 0. 00 0. 00
0. 07 2. 24 O. 11 - 0. 04
0. 33 2. 65 0. 22 - 0. 05
0. 65 3. 13 0. 33 - 0. 05
1.05 3. 65 0. 45 - 0. 04
1.51 4. 21 0. 57 0. 01
2. 05 4. 83 0. 69 0. 02
2. 63 5. 47 0. 83 0. 07
3. 26 6. 13 0. 95 0. 13
3. 91 6. 77 1.09 0. 19
4. 55 7. 39 1.23 0. 25
5. 17 7. 97 1.37 0. 33
5. 77 8. 48 1.51 0. 42
6.31 8. 95 1. 67 0. 51
6.81 9. 36 1.83 0. 61
7. 27 9. 73 1.99 0. 71
7. 69 10.05 2. 15 0. 81
8. 07 10. 33 2.31 0. 93
8.41 10. 58 2. 49 1.05
8. 73 10.81 2. 67 1.17
9. 03 11.01 2. 85 1.31
9. 29 11. 19 3. 04 1.44
9. 79 11.51 3. 23 1.58
10.21 11. 77 3. 65 1.88
11.03 12. 23 4. 09 2.21
12. 03 12.73 4. 56 2. 56
13. 09 13.21 5. 07 2. 95
13. 63 13.45 5. 35 3. 16
14. 77 13. 90 5. 94 3.61
15. 35 14. 12 6. 26 3. 86
16. 59 14. 55 6. 60 4. 12
17.25 14. 78 7. 34 4. 69
18. 62 15.23 8. 19 5. 35
19.35 15. 47 9. 18 6. 09
20. 10 15.71 9. 74 6. 51
20. 89 15. 97 11. 04 7. 45
21. 71 16.23 11. 79 7. 99
22. 55 16. 52 12. 64 8. 58
23. 45 16. 82 13. 59 9. 22
24. 38 17. 13 14. 67 9. 93
25. 36 17. 47 15. 92 10. 70
26. 39 17. 83 17. 35 11.55
27. 48 18.21 20. 99 13. 53
28. 63 18. 63 23. 27 14.65
29. 83 19. 06 25. 90 15.85
31. 07 19.51 28. 67 17. 07
32. 31 19. 97 31. 59 18.21
33. 43 20. 41 33. 77 19.05
34. 21 20. 72 34. 79 19. 47
Experimental Investigations on Tandem Compressor Cascade 275
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ; ' - - ' 7 7 7 " 7 . . . . .
1 / . . . . . s . o , i o s . . o e
- 1 9 19 2 9 3 9 4 9 5 9 6 9 7 9 8 9 9 9
X- a x i s
Co n t r o l l e d Di f f u s i o n Ai r f oi l (32 g Ca mb e r )
or
q~
%
1,2
loc, ref
max
x, y, $
solidity ( c/ s) , dimensionless
camber angle, degrees
overall camber angle (for t andem blade), degrees
Subscri pt s
cascade inlet and outlet planes
local and reference condi t i ons
maxi mum on the bl ade suction surface
axial, tangential, and spanwise directions
AR
b
Cp
CR
CDA
c
DF
FB
LE
N
P
/ ' 0
PS
Q
RB
SPRC
SS
$
TE
V
/3
8
T
%
1"
K
a e 0
to
~t 0
Suction Surface
/ / -~--~-e= Pressu,'e Surface
- 0 q~lr,. , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
- I 10 20 30 40
X-axis
Controlled Diffusion Airfoil (210 Camber}
NOMENCLATURE
aspect ratio ( b/ c) , di mensi onl ess
bl ade span, mm
static pressure coefficient (Cp = Pl oc - P1/ Q1)
static pressure rise coefficient (C R = P2 -
Pl / QI ) , di mensi onl ess
cont rol l ed diffusion airfoil
bl ade chord, mm
diffusion factor ( DF = Vm~ - V2/ V 1)
front bl ade
l eadi ng edge
number of blades
static pressure, kPa
total pressure, kPa
pressure surface
dynami c pressure, kPa
rear bl ade
static pressure rise coefficient, di mensi onl ess
suction surface
bl ade pitch, mm
trailing edge
flow velocity, m/ s
vol ume flow rate, Cu m/ s
Gr e e k S y mb o l s
angle of attack, degrees
flow angle, degrees
deviation angle, degrees
t ur ni ng/ def l ect i on angle (~ =/ 31 - / 3 2 ) , degrees
stagger angle, degrees
effective stagger angle (for t andem blade),
degrees
i nci dence angle, degrees
bl ade angle, degrees
total pressure loss, kPa
loss coefficient (to = APo/ Q1) , di mensi onl ess
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Received April 27, 1995; revised August 30, 1996