Aerodynamic Control in Axial Compressor Cascades

Aerodynamic control in axial compressor cascades addresses the complex interaction between blade geometry, endwall flows and three-dimensional vortical structures that govern performance and stability in gas turbines and aero-engines. In highly loaded stages, low-energy fluid migrates along the hub or casing walls, leading to corner separation, flow blockage and elevated losses. Both passive and active control strategies have been pursued. Passive approaches include optimised endwall contouring, streamwise grooves, blade fillets, riblets and three-dimensional corner profiling to alter local pressure gradients and mitigate secondary flow development. Active methods such as boundary layer suction, plasma actuation or fluidic injection directly remove or energise low-momentum fluid in the corner regions. Advances in computational fluid dynamics, delayed detached-eddy simulation and entropy-based analyses have deepened understanding of loss mechanisms and enabled multi-objective optimisation under design and off-design conditions. Through careful design of blade stacking, endwall shaping and flow control elements, recent work has demonstrated loss reductions of up to 40 %, extension of the stable operating range and significant improvements in static pressure rise. Together, these developments underpin efforts to enhance engine efficiency, reduce fuel consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions across aviation and power generation sectors.

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Aerodynamic Control in Axial Compressor Cascades publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in aerodynamic control in axial compressor cascades across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Axial compressor cascade: A linear array of rotor or stator blades through which air flows parallel to the shaft axis, used to study blade-row aerodynamics in isolation.

Corner separation: Detached flow region at the junction of blade suction surface and endwall, driven by low-momentum fluid migrating in the boundary layer.

Boundary layer suction: Active control technique that removes low-energy fluid through slots or porous surfaces to delay or prevent flow separation.

Endwall profiling: Passive design alteration of the hub or casing surface geometry to modulate local pressure gradients and suppress secondary flows.

Riblets: Small, spanwise-oriented surface protrusions that generate near-wall vortices, energising the boundary layer and reducing drag or separation losses.

References

1. Research on Aerodynamic Design of an End Wall Based on a Quasi-3D Optimization Method. Energies (2023).
2. Corner Separation Control by Boundary Layer Suction Applied to a Highly Loaded Axial Compressor Cascade. Energies (2014).
3. Entropy Analysis of the Interaction between the Corner Separation and Wakes in a Compressor Cascade. Entropy (2017).
4. Control of Corner Separation with Plasma Actuation in a High-Speed Compressor Cascade. Applied Sciences (2017).
5. Control and Entropy Analysis of Corner Flow Separation in a Compressor Cascade Using Streamwise Grooves. Entropy (2019).
6. Investigation of Vortical Structures and Turbulence Characteristics in Corner Separation in an Axial Compressor Stator Using DDES. Energies (2020).
7. The Control of Corner Separation with Parametric Suction Side Corner Profiling on a High-Load Compressor Cascade. Aerospace (2022).
8. Numerical Study on the Corner Separation Control for a Compressor Cascade via Bionic Herringbone Riblets. Aerospace (2024).