Effect of bionic passive flow control schemes on compressor cascade performance

Abstract

This research incorporates the wing features of dragonflies and birds to create endwall bionic chambers, leading-edge vortex generators on the suction side, and tip grooves. A numerical simulation is employed to conduct comparative research, examining the impact pattern and mechanisms of the above three distinct bionic structures on the endwall flow and compressor's overall aerodynamic performance. Rigorous analyses reveal that all three bionic structures can effectively shrink the extent of the low-energy fluid cluster, lift diffusion capacity, mitigate internal flow losses, and ameliorate the airflow state within the cascade passage. Among them, the tip grooves offer the most impressive performance, which can decrease the total pressure loss coefficient of the cascade by 14.4 %. The tip grooves exhibit superior efficacy in corner separation inhibition when compared with the other structures. Besides, how different bionic structures impact flow loss and what differences exist in them at varying incidence angles are also included in this research. The survey found that all three bionic structures demonstrate excellent positive incidence angle characteristics. However, the vortex generators and tip grooves slightly enlarge the corner separation range and deteriorate the cascade flow loss when the incidence angle is below the minimum-loss incidence angle of the original cascade.