Dynamic Control of Rotating Stall in Axial Flow Compressors Using Aeromechanical Feedback

Dynamic control of rotating stall in an axial flow compressor has been implemented using aeromechanical feedback. The control strategy developed used an array of wall jets, upstream of a single-stage compressor, which were regulated by locally reacting reed valves. These reed valves responded to flowfield pressure perturbations associated with the small amplitude perturbations that precede rotating stall. The valve design was such that the combined system, compressor plus reed valve controller, was stable under operating conditions that had been unstable without feedback. A 10% decrease in the stalling flow coefficient was achieved using the control strategy, and the stable flow range was extended with no noticeable change in the steady state performance of the compression system.The experimental demonstration is the first use of aeromechanical feedback to extend the stable operating range of an axial flow compressor. It is also the first use of local feedback and dynamic compensation techniques to suppress rotating stall.The design of the experiment was based on a two-dimensional stall inception model which incorporated the effect of the aeromechanical feedback. The physical mechanism for rotating stall in axial flow compressors was examined with focus on the role of dynamic feedback in stabilizing compression system instability. The effectiveness of the aeromechanical control strategy was predicted, and experimentally demonstrated, to depend on a set of non-dimensional control parameters that determine the interaction of the control strategy and the rotating stall dynamics.Copyright © 1994 by ASME