Recommendations for Achieving Accurate Numerical Simulation of Tip Clearance Flows in Transonic Compressor Rotors

The tip clearance flows of transonic compressor rotors are important because they have a significant impact on rotor and stage performance. A wall-bounded shear layer formed by the relative motion between the overtip leakage flow and the shroud wall is found to have a major influence on the development of the tip clearance flow field. This shear layer, which has not been recognized by earlier investigators, impacts the stable operating range of the rotor. Simulation accuracy is dependent on the ability of the numerical code to resolve this layer. While numerical simulations of these flows are quite sophisticated, they are seldom verified through rigorous comparisons of numerical and measured data because these kinds of measurements are rare in the detail necessary to be useful in high-speed machines. In this paper we compare measured tip-clearance flow details (e.g., trajectory and radial extent) with corresponding data obtained from a numerical simulation. Laser-Doppler Velocimeter (LDV) measurements acquired in a transonic compressor rotor, NASA Rotor 35, are used. The tip clearance flow field of this transonic rotor is simulated using a Navier–Stokes turbomachinery solver that incorporates an advanced $k$–ε turbulence model derived for flows that are not in local equilibrium. A simple method is presented for determining when the wall-bounded shear layer is an important component of the tip clearance flow field. [S0889-504X(00)02504-6]