Effect of particle presence on the incompressible inviscid flow through a two dimensional compressor cascade

A computational model is developed for calculating the flow field, in the presence of solid particles, through a two-dimensional compressor cascade. Results show that the effect of solid particles on the flow field contributes to the bending of the streamlines toward the blade suction surface. It is determined that the difference in the pressure coefficient for particulate flow, with 165 micron diameter for the particles, is of the order of 3 percent over the air only flow. The change in the pressure coefficients is shown to be much larger for very small particles. It was found that the total pressure loss associated with the particulate flow is very high for very small particles as compared with large particles. The total pressure loss is also shown to be higher for accelerating flow than for decelerating flow. The total pressure loss is shown to be directly proportional to the particle concentration. It is concluded that significant reductions in performance can occur in a real multistage machine due to the changes in the pressure ratios, particularly if the suspended matter is small particles.