Numerical simulation of unsteady single-stage transonic axial compressor flow

The steady and unsteady flow properties of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) single-stage transonic compressor stage 35 are numerically investigated through the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulation method. The main purpose of the present paper is twofold. One is to validate the capability of the Spalart–Allmaras (S–A)-Helicity-γ model in unsteady RANS (URANS) simulation for rotor–stator interaction of a whole-stage compressor, and another is to figure out the roles played by helicity modification and transition augmentation in improving the performance of traditional S–A model. The results of steady RANS simulation indicate that the S–A model with helicity regulation is more sensitive to vortex structures in the end wall and blade-tip regions, while the inclusion of transitional intermittency factor can help predict the important transition phenomenon in the midspan region. As the back pressure increases, the inaccuracy of flow fields exchange caused by the mixing plane method becomes nonnegligible for the prediction of aerodynamic performance and thermodynamic quantities. Thus, URANS simulation seems to be necessary for more accurate prediction of the flow details of the stator subjected to periodic sweep of the rotor wake. On the suction surface of the stator, a turbulent separation bubble near the leading edge is transported downstream and merges into another separation bubble with much lower turbulence intensity at the trailing edge periodically. The combination of helicity and transition modifications provides advantages over traditional S–A model in describing this process, quite similar to its performance in steady simulations.