Numerical simulation of rotating stall in a subsonic compressor

Rotating stall is generally the first instability met in multi-stages compressors, before surge. This 3D phenomenon is characterized by one or more cells of stalled flow which rotate at a fraction of the rotor speed ω. The present paper deals with the simulation and the analysis of the rotating stall in a stage of a subsonic compressor. nfiguration used for the study is an axial single-stage low speed compressor. A numerical simulation is carried out with a quasi three dimensional in-house code which solves the Navier–Stokes equations on a stream surface. The simulation shows a rotating stall with two cells which rotate at 48% of the rotor speed. Particular emphasis is laid on the pre stall phenomena analysis. The spatial mode which is responsible for the rotating stall cells number is identified many revolutions before the stall inception thanks to a Fourier analysis. However, further investigations are needed in order to identify the destabilizing mode origin.