Experimental validation of a compact mixed-flow compressor for an active high-lift system

Abstract

Compact, electrically-driven compressors are a core component of a novel active high-lift system for future commercial aircraft. A newly-developed aeromechanical optimization process was used to design the compressor stage. The optimization resulted in an unusual mixed-flow compressor design with very low aspect ratio blades and a high rotational speed of up to 60,000 rpm. Due to the unusual design, experimental validation of the performance predictions by means of CFD is necessary. This paper presents the first experimental results obtained using a preliminary prototype at part-speed, i.e. rotational speeds from 20,000 to 30,000 rpm. The experimentally-determined pressure ratios deviate up to 1.5 %, the polytropic efficiencies up to 4 percentage points from the CFD predictions. Besides the deficiencies of available turbulence models, the underestimation of overall losses is presumably due to the omission of the volute in the CFD model. An experimental validation of the CFD predictions at full-speed is under way.