Laser Anemometer Measurements in a Transonic Axial Flow Compressor Rotor

Abstract

A laser anemometer system employing an efficient data acquisition technique has been used to make measurements upstream, within, and downstream of the compressor rotor. A fluorescent dye technique allowed measurements within endwall boundary layers. Adjustable laser beam orientation minimized shadowed regions and enabled radial velocity measurements outside of the blade row. The flow phenomena investigated include flow variations from passage to passage, the rotor shock system, three-dimensional flows in the blade wake, and the development of the outer endwall boundary layer. Laser anemometer measurements are compared to a numerical solution of the streamfunction equations and to measurements made with conventional instrumentation.