Validation of a novel mixing-plane method for multistage turbomachinery steady flow analysis

Abstract The steady calculation based on the mixing-plane method is still the most widely-used three-dimensional flow analysis tool for multistage turbomachines. For modern turbomachines, the trend of design is to reach higher aerodynamic loading but with still further compact size. In such a case, the traditional mixing-plane method has to be revised to give a more physically meaningful prediction. In this paper, a novel mixing-plane method was proposed, and three representative test cases including a transonic compressor, a highly-loaded centrifugal compressor and a high-pressure axial turbine were performed for validation purpose. This novel mixing-plane method can satisfy the flux conservation perfectly. Reverse flow across the mixing-plane interface can be resolved naturally, thus making this method numerically robust. Artificial reflection at the mixing-plane interface is almost eliminated, and then its detrimental impact on the flow field is minimized. Generally, this mixing-plane method is suitable to simulate steady flows in highly-loaded multistage turbomachines.