Date of Award

Spring 4-2016

Access Type

Thesis - Open Access

Degree Name

Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering

Department

Aerospace Engineering

Committee Chair

Magdy Attia

First Committee Member

William Engblom

Second Committee Member

R.R. Mankbadi

Abstract

A new vortex solution to the Simple Radial Equilibrium Equation (SREE) is presented that incorporates endwall effects into the preliminary design stage of a single stage, low pressure compressor with a hub-to-tip ratio of 0.4 and non-axial inlet flow. This vortex solution is proposed to overcome the rapidly approaching asymptotic peak in compressor performance in the industry today. The Hybrid Vortex theory incorporates a versatile, higher-order solution to the SREE, resulting in more accurate preliminary designs requiring less manipulation in the final design stages. This new solution results in significant changes in hub geometry with the stagger of the hub changing up to 20°. A numerical study was conducted, evaluating the new Hybrid Vortex method in comparison to the well-known Free Vortex design method. The study revealed the Hybrid Vortex solution not only shows improved flow features at the hub, but has great potential for increasing the surge margin of a compressor. It also demonstrated an 11% increase in the mass flow operational range over that of the baseline blade during off-design conditions.

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