Separation control using synthetic vortex generator jets in axial compressor cascade

An experimental investigation conducted in a high-speed plane cascade wind tunnel demonstrates that unsteady flow control by using synthetic (zero mass flux) vortex generator jets can effectively improve the aerodynamic performances and reduce (or eliminate) flow separation in axial compressor cascade. The Mach number of the incoming flow is up to 0.7 and most tested cases are at Ma = 0.3. The incidence is 10° at which the boundary layer is separated from 70% of the chord length. The roles of excitation frequency, amplitude, location and pitch angle are investigated. Preliminary results show that the excitation amplitude plays a very important role, the optimal excitation location is just upstream of the separation point, and the optimal pitch angle is 35°. The maximum relative reduction of loss coefficient is 22.8%.The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10477002 and 50476003) and the Ph.D. Innovative Foundation of Beihang University. The English text was polished by Yunming Chen.