Numerical Investigation of Sand Erosion Considering Particle Fracture in a Multi-Stage Compressor

Abstract Sand erosion occurs in compressors and significantly deteriorates aerodynamic performance due to changes in the surface shape. To investigate this phenomenon, numerical simulations of sand erosion with uniformly distributed particle sizes have been conducted alongside experimental studies. However, the effect of particle fracture in the sand erosion process has not yet been clarified. This study performs numerical simulations of sand erosion both with and without considering particle fracture in a multi-stage compressor, using an in-house solver. The solver employs Euler-Lagrange coupling to simulate gas-solid two-phase flow. Particle fracture is modeled based on experimental data from published literature. The simulated compressor consists of an IGV and three stages of rotor and stator passages. The results indicate that particle fracture significantly influences erosion behavior and particle trajectories in the downstream rotor and stator passages of the multi-stage compressor. The effect of particle fracture on IGV damage is minimal. However, considering particle fracture substantially reduces damage to the rotor blades. Furthermore, the degree of tip damage on the stator vanes varies markedly depending on whether particle fracture is considered. Particles moving toward the vane tip side undergo significant fracturing in the rotor passage, leading to much less damage on the downstream stator vanes. As with the IGV, subsequent impingements in the stator passages result in little to no further particle fracture. This study demonstrates that incorporating particle fracture into simulations has the potential to improve erosion predictions.