The effect of tip leakage flow structure on compressor aerodynamics

This paper aims at the numerical analysis of the three-dimensional flow fields in a one-stage axial flow compressor. The numerical results are firstly compared with the available experimental data to demonstrate the validity of the computations. Then, the numerically obtained flow fields are analyzed to identify the role of the detailed flow structures near the tip region of the rotor and stator on the compressor aerodynamics. It is found that the propagation of tip leakage vortex produces a large blockage effects at near stall condition, which is the main factor leading to the compressor stall.