Inlet flow-field measurements of a transonic compressor rotor prior to and during steam-induced rotating stall

Steam leakage from an aircraft carrier catapult is sometimes ingested by the aircraft's engines upon launch which may induce compressor stall. Investigation of the phenomenon known as a "pop stall" is of particular importance as the Navy prepares to field the F35C, the aircraft carrier variant of the joint strike fighter. The single engine design of the F-35C makes this aircraft particularly susceptible to steam-induced stall during catapult launch. The present project examined compressor stall and included steady-state as well as transient measurements in the inlet of a transonic compressor prior to and during a steaminduced stall. Hotwire measurements of the inlet flow field were taken to determine an inlet turbulence intensity of 2-3% during both subsonic as well as transonic compressor operation. A 95% speed line was established from data taken from open throttle to near stall. Hot-film and Kulite pressure data taken near stall showed the existence of a stall precursor which appeared near half rotor speed. Steam was injected into the inlet; however the initial method added mass to the system and did not induce a stall. A decrease in the amplitude of the pressure trace was observed however. A stall was induced by steam ingestion ahead of the existing inlet throttle, with upstream transient measurements taken using both hot-film and Kulite pressure transducers.

Department dc:contributor.department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE)

Grantor dc:publisher

Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Payne, Thomas A.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Hobson, Garth V.

Statement dc:rights

• This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10945/1751

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:calhoun.nps.edu:10945/1751