The performance of a compressor cascade is considerably influenced by secondary flow effects, like the cross flow on the end wall as well as the corner separation between the wall and the vane. An extensive experimental study of vortex generator application in a highly loaded compressor cascade was performed in order to control these effects and enhance the aerodynamic performance. The results of the study will be used in future projects as a basis for parameterization in the design and optimization process for compressors in order to develop novel nonaxisymmetric endwalls as well as for blade modifications. The study includes the investigation of two vortex generator types with different geometrical forms and their application on several positions in the compressor cascade. The investigation includes a detailed description of the secondary flow effects in the compressor cascade, which is based on numerical and experimental results. This gives the basis for a specific approach of influencing the cascade flow by means of vortex generators. Depending on the vortex generator type and position, there is an impact on the end wall cross flow, the development of the horse shoe vortex at the leading edge of the vane, and the extent of the corner separation achieved by improved mixing within the boundary layer. The experiments were carried out on a compressor cascade at a high-speed test facility at DLR in Berlin at minimum loss (design point) and off-design of the cascade at Reynolds numbers up to Re = 0.6 × $106$ (based on 40-mm chord) and Mach numbers up to M = 0.7. At the cascade design point, the total pressure losses could be reduced by up to 9% with the vortex generator configuration, whereas the static pressure rise was nearly unaffected. Furthermore, the cascade deflection could be influenced considerably by vortex generators and also an enhancement of the cascade stall range could be achieved. All these results will be presented and discussed with respect to secondary flow mechanisms. Finally, the general application of vortex generators in axial compressors will be discussed.

Modern methods for axial compressor design are capable of shaping the blade surfaces in a three-dimensional way. Linking these methods with automated optimization techniques provides a major benefit to the design process. The application of nonaxisymmetric contoured endwalls is considered to be very successful in turbine rotors and vanes. Concerning axial compressors, nonaxisymmetric endwalls are still a field of research. This two-part paper presents the recent development of a novel endwall design. An aerodynamic separator, generated by a nonaxisymmetric endwall groove, interacts with the passage vortex. This major impact on the secondary flow results in a significant loss reduction because of load redistribution, reduction in recirculation areas, and suppressed corner separation. The first paper deals with the development of the initial endwall design using a linear compressor cascade application. A brief introduction of the design methods is provided, including the automated optimization and the 3D process chain with a focus on the endwall contouring tool. Hereafter, the resulting flow phenomena and physics due to the modified endwall surface are described and analyzed in detail. Additionally, the endwall design principal is transferred to an axial compressor stage. The endwall groove is applied to the hub and casing endwalls of the stator, and the initial numerical investigation is presented. For highly loaded operating points, the flow behavior at the hub region can be improved in accord with the cascade results. Obviously, the casing region is dominated by the incoming tip vortex generated by the rotor and still remains an area for further investigations concerning nonaxisymmetric endwall contouring.

The flow through a transonic compressor cascade shows a very complex structure due to the occurring shock waves. In addition, the interaction of these shock waves with the blade boundary layer inherently leads to a very unsteady flow behavior. The aim of the current investigation is to quantify this behavior and its influence on the cascade performance as well as to describe the occurring transonic flow phenomena in detail. Therefore, an extensive experimental investigation of the flow in a transonic compressor cascade has been conducted within the transonic cascade wind tunnel of DLR Institute of Propulsion Technology at Cologne. In this process, the flow phenomena were thoroughly examined for an inflow Mach number of 1.21. The experiments investigate both the laminar and the turbulent shock wave boundary layer interaction within the blade passage and the resulting unsteady behavior. The experiments show a fluctuation range of the passage shock wave of about 10% chord for both cases, which is directly linked with a change of the inflow angle and of the operating point of the cascade. Thereafter, Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations have been performed aiming at the verification of the reproducibility of the experimentally examined flow behavior. Here, it is observed that the dominant flow effects are not reproduced by a steady numerical simulation. Therefore, a further unsteady simulation has been carried out to capture the unsteady flow behavior. The results from this simulation show that the fluctuation of the passage shock wave can be reproduced but not in the correct magnitude. This leads to a remaining weak point within the design process of transonic compressor blades because the working range will be overpredicted. The resulting conclusion of this study is that the use of scale-resolving methods such as LES or the application of DNS is necessary to correctly predict unsteadiness of the transonic cascade flow and its impact on the cascade performance.

Modern methods for axial compressor design are capable of shaping the blade surfaces in a three-dimensional way. Linking these methods with automated optimization techniques provides a major benefit to the design process. The application of nonaxisymmetric contoured endwalls is considered to be very successful in turbine rotors and vanes. Concerning axial compressors, nonaxisymmetric endwalls are still a field of research. This two-part paper presents the recent development of a novel endwall design. A vortex created by a nonaxisymmetric endwall groove acts as an aerodynamic separator, preventing the passage vortex from interacting with the suction side boundary layer. This major impact on the secondary flow results in a significant loss reduction by means of load redistribution, reduction in recirculation areas, and suppressed corner separation. Part I of this paper deals with the endwall design and its compressor application. The resulting flow phenomena and physics are described and analyzed in detail. The second paper presents the detailed experimental and numerical investigation of the developed endwall groove. The measurements carried out at the transonic cascade wind tunnel of DLR in Cologne, demonstrated a considerable influence on the cascade performance. A loss reduction and redistribution of the cascade loading were achieved at the aerodynamic design point, as well as near the stall condition of the cascade. This behavior is well predicted by the numerical simulation. The combined analysis of experimental and numerical flow patterns allows a detailed interpretation and description of the resulting flow phenomena. In this context, high fidelity 3D-Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes flow simulations are required to analyze the complex blade and endwall boundary layer interaction.

Especially at transonic flow conditions the leading edge shape influences the performance of a fan profile. At the same time the leading edge of a fan profile is highly affected by erosion during operation. This erosion leads to a deformation of the leading edge shape and a reduction of the chord length. In the present experimental and numerical study, the aerodynamic performance of an original fan profile geometry is compared to an eroded fan profile with a blunt leading edge (BLE) and a chord length reduced by about 1%. The experiments are performed at a linear fan blade cascade in the Transonic Cascade Wind Tunnel of DLR in Cologne. The inflow Mach number during the tests is 1.25 and the Reynolds number 1.5 × 10⁶. All tests are carried out at a low inflow turbulence level of 0.8%. The results of the investigation show that losses are increased over the whole operating range of the cascade. At the aerodynamic design point (ADP) the losses raise by 25%. This significant loss increase can be traced back to the increase of the shock losses at the leading edge. The change in shock structure is investigated and described in detail by means of particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements and Schlieren imaging. Additionally, the unsteady fluctuation of the shock position is measured by a high-speed shadowgraphy. Then the frequency range of the fluctuation is obtained by a Fourier analysis of the time resolved shock position. Furthermore, liquid crystal measurements are performed in order to analyze the influence of the leading edge shape on the development of the suction side boundary layer. The results show that for the original fan blade the transition occurs at the shock position on the blade suction side by a separation bubble whereas the transition onset is shifted upstream for the fan blade with the BLE.

For the development of the latest generation of axial compressors, it is necessary to enlarge the design space by using advanced aerodynamic processes. This enables a further increase in efficiency and performance. The use of a tandem blade configuration in a transonic compressor row provides the possibility to enlarge the design space. It is necessary to address the design aspects a bit more in detail in order to efficiently apply this blading concept to turbomachinery. Therefore, in the current study, the known design aspects of tandem blading in compressors will be summed up under the consideration of the aerodynamic effects and construction characteristics of a transonic compressor tandem. Based on this knowledge, a new transonic compressor tandem cascade (DLR TTC) with an inflow Mach number of 0.9 is designed using modern numerical methods and a multi-objective optimization process. Three objective functions as well as three operating points are used in the optimization. Furthermore, both tandem blades and their arrangement are parameterized. From the resulting database of 1246 members, a final best member is chosen as the state-of-the-art design for further detailed investigation. The aim of the ensuing experimental and numerical investigation is to answer the question, whether the tandem cascade resulting from the modern design process fulfills the described design aspects and delivers the requested performance and efficiency criteria. The numerical simulations within the study are carried out with the DLR flow solver TRACE. The experiments are performed at the transonic cascade wind tunnel of DLR in Cologne. The inflow Mach number during the tests is 0.9, and the AVDR is adjusted to 1.3 (design value). Wake measurements with a three-hole probe are carried out in order to determine the cascade performance. The experimental results show an increase in losses and a reduction of the cascade deflection by about 2 deg compared to the design concept. Nevertheless, the experimental and numerical results allow a good understanding of the aerodynamic effects. In addition, planar PIV was applied in a single S1 plane located at midspan to capture the velocity field in the wake of blade 1 in order to analyze the wake flow in detail and describe its influence on the cascade deflection and loss behavior. Finally, an outlook will be given on what future tandem compressor research should be focused.