Active Control of Tip Clearance Flow in Axial Compressors

Abstract

Control of compressor tip clearance flows is explored in a linear cascade using three types of fluidic actuators; normal synthetic jet (NSJ; unsteady jet normal to the mean flow with zero net mass flux), directed synthetic jet (DSJ; injection roughly aligned with the mean flow), and steady directed jet (SDJ), mounted on the casing wall. The effectiveness of each active control technique is determined in terms of its ability to achieve: (1) reduction of tip leakage flow rate, (2) mixing enhancement between tip leakage and core flow, and (3) increase in streamwise momentum of the flow in the endwall region. The measurements show that the NSJ provides mixing enhancement only, or both mixing enhancement and leakage flow reduction, depending on its pitchwise location. The DSJ and SDJ actuators provide streamwise momentum enhancement with a consequent reduction of clearance-related blockage. The blockage reduction associated with the use of NSJ is sensitive to actuator frequency, whereas that with the use of DSJ is not. For a given actuation amplitude, DSJ and SDJ are about twice as effective as NSJ in reducing clearance-related blockage. Further the DSJ and SDJ can eliminate clearance-related blockage with a time-averaged momentum flux roughly 16% of the momentum flux of the leakage flow. However, achieving an overall gain in efficiency appears to be hard; the decrease in loss is only about 30% of the expended flow power from the present SDJ actuator. Guidelines for improving the efficiency of the directed jet actuation are presented.