Toward Improved Throughflow Capability: The Use of Three-Dimensional Viscous Flow Solvers in a Multistage Environment

A methodology is presented for simulating turbomachinery blade rows in a multistage environment by deploying a standard three-dimensional Navier–Stokes solver simultaneously on a number of blade rows. The principal assumptions are that the flow is steady relative to each blade row individually and that the rows can communicate via inter-row mixing planes. These mixing planes introduce circumferential averaging of flow properties but preserve quite general radial variations. Additionally, each blade can be simulated in three-dimensional or axisymmetrically (in the spirit of throughflow analysis) and a series of axisymmetric rows can be considered together with one three-dimensional row to provide, cheaply, a machine environment for that row. Two applications are presented: a transonic compressor rotor and a steam turbine nozzle guide vane simulated both isolated and as part of a stage. In both cases the behavior of the blade considered in isolation was different to when considered as part of a stage and in both cases was in much closer agreement with the experimental evidence.