Unsteady flow field under surge and rotating stall in a three-stage axial flow compressor

The unsteady flow structure between rotor blade-to-blade passages in a three-stage axial flow compressor is experimentally investigated by detailed measurements of unsteady performance characteristics, casing wall pressure fluctuations and their wavelet analyses. The main feature of the test compressor is a capacity tank facility connected in series to the compressor outlet in order to supply compression and/or expansion waves from downstream of the compressor. Research attention is focused on the post-stall characteristics of the surge and rotating stall which occur simultaneously. The influence of the compressor operating point on the unsteady performance curve shows that the surge cycle changes irregularly depending on the steady-state resistance characteristics, and the results of the wavelet analyses of the wall pressure fluctuations suggest that the surge cycle may selectively be determined by the rotating stall cell structure within the rotor cascade.