Stall margin on an axial compressor stage
Multiple-reference-frame and sliding-mesh runs across the operating line to locate rotating-stall onset and quantify surge margin before a rig test was scheduled.
Problem
The client needed a stall-margin estimate for a new axial compressor stage well before rig time was available, to catch a marginal design early rather than discover it on the test bench.
Approach
The operating line was swept using multiple-reference-frame runs for speed, with sliding-mesh runs at the points closest to stall to capture the unsteady rotor-stator interaction that MRF cannot resolve, following the post-stall systems framework standard in the compressor-stability literature.
Outcome
Rotating-stall onset was located on the operating map and the surge margin quantified, giving the client a go/no-go signal before scheduling rig time.
// CANONICAL REFERENCES
The literature behind this run
- Moore, F. K. & Greitzer, E. M. (1986). A Theory of Post-Stall Transients in Axial Compression Systems: Part I. ASME Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 108(1)
- Day, I. J. (1993). Stall Inception in Axial Flow Compressors. ASME Journal of Turbomachinery, 115(1)
- Greitzer, E. M. (1976). Surge and Rotating Stall in Axial Flow Compressors. ASME Journal of Engineering for Power, 98(2)
These are the foundational papers the underlying method or validation approach is built on — not client deliverables. Full citation details are provided so the physics can be checked independently.
Have a similar geometry or flow regime? We'll scope the mesh and turnaround.
Start a project