Computational Fluid Dynamics of Compressor Blades Within a Gas Turbine Engine (HiPSTAR)

Ended: 30th September 2016
Research Team: John Leggett
Investigators: Richard Sandberg

Vortical structures shown on a compressor blade at an off design angle of attack

This project is focused on understanding the flow around an axial compressor blade within a jet engine. Modern engines have been continually improved over the last 50 years to produce some of the most efficient and powerful engines available today. While these engines are already a marvel of engineering technology there are still improvements to be made and fuel savings to be had. Todays' compressors operate with compression ratios of as high as 30:1 and Reynolds numbers up to a million, making them extremely turbulent and aggressive environments to operate in. These limiting factors has made studying a compressor with experimental methods exceedinly difficult, if not impossible, to study in real life.

However, super computers such as Iridis have enabled us to use advanced computational fluid dynamics programs, such as HiPSTAR, to study these flows and improve our understanding of the complex iterations between the fluid and the blades. With the use of machines like Iridis it is now possible to simulate flows which have previously been un-feasible and computationally inhibitive, allowing us to peer into these extreme environments at the facinating interactions of the smallest of fluid eddy structures and their surroundings.

Computational Modelling Group

Computational Fluid Dynamics of Compressor Blades Within a Gas Turbine Engine (HiPSTAR)

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