ISABE-2017-21362 1

Turbo-compressor Aerodynamic Test at a

Turbine Altitude Test Facility
Antonio Antoranz, Leyre Armañanzas
antonio.antoranz@itp.es
ITP, Industria de Turbo Propulsores
Aerothermal Department
Alcobendas, Madrid, 28108
Spain

Andoni Puente
CTA, Fundación Centro de Tecnologías Aeronáuticas
Parque Tecnológico de Zamudio, Edificio 303
48170 Zamudio
Spain

ABSTRACT
This paper describes the design, setup and test of a Turbo-compressor aerodynamic rig at an Altitude Test Facility
designed for turbine rig testing but modified for the occasion.
The primary objective of the test was mapping the IP compressor performance. A novel Two-Stage Transonic
Compressor was designed in the frame of the EU program LEMCOTEC as a demonstrator of aerodynamic
technologies for increasing performance in low Reynolds number IP compressors for high overall pressure ratio
engine applications.
The facility where the test was performed is the Altitude Test Facility at CTA (Bilbao, Spain). The facility is an
open loop circuit with compression and vacuum systems to set a stable continuous flow at the test section at
different pressure levels. Being the facility a turbine test facility, a turbine was required to power the compressor.
The turbine requirements were tight in terms of capacity and power due to the coupling with the compressor
module.
The rig was heavily instrumented at both the compressor and the turbine: temperature and pressure rakes, fast
response five-hole probes radial and area traverses, hot wire, static pressure tappings, hotfilms and optical tip
clearance probes were used. Intrusive instrumentation was miniaturised and specially designed for the test in order
to obtain the highest measurement accuracy when measuring component efficiency.
The test was successfully performed in 2015 achieving the test goals. The compressor map was measured at 50,
60, 75, 85, 95 and 99% reduced shaft speeds. Some known facility limitations prevented the testing of surge and
choke behaviours. The experimental results showed a close matching of the design intent and CFD predictions.
To complete the results from this test, the compressor rig will be fully mapped in a brand-new compressor facility
that ITP is currently developing in Getafe, Madrid. The LIFT (Laboratory for Turbo-machinery Fluid-Dynamics
Research) is a research laboratory set up jointly by ITP and the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM).
Keywords: Turbo-compressor, altitude test, compressor rig, Reynolds number, ITP, CTA, LEMCOTEC.

ISABE 2017
2 ISABE 2017

NOMENCLATURE
ACARE Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe
ADP Aerodynamic Design Point
AR Aspect Ratio (aerofoil span to chord ratio)
AT Area Traverse
ATF Altitude Test Facility
CFD Computational Fluid Dynamics
CPT Total Pressure Coefficient
CTA Centro de Tecnologías Aeronáuticas
DMn Delta Mach Number
EFF Isentropic Efficiency
IGV Inlet Guide Vanes
IP Intermediate Pressure
ITP Industria de Turbo Propulsores S.A.
LEMCOTEC Low Emissions Core Technologies
LIFT Laboratory for Turbo-Machinery Research
NRT Corrected Shaft Speed
OPR Overall Pressure Ratio
PR Pressure Ratio
PT Total Pressure
RANS Reynolds-Average Navier-Stokes
Re1C Reynolds number (based on aerofoil chord and inlet velocity)
RF Recovery Factor
TC Thermocouple
TRL Technology Readiness Level
TT Total Temperature
UPM Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
WRTP Corrected Mass Flow Rate

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Future low pollutant emissions requirements, as establish by the ACARE vision for the aerospace industry [1],
are boosting the research in high efficient aircraft propulsion systems. The UE funded LEMCOTEC (Low
Emissions Core Technologies) project [2] focus on improving the core-engine thermal efficiency by developing
technologies to increase the overall pressure ratio (OPR) of the engine to up to 70. This target needs to be
inevitably followed by further improvements in the aerodynamic compressor efficiency in order to avoid excessive
increases in cycle temperatures and weight, hence reducing the benefit from the new cycles.
Industria de Turbo-Propulsores S.A. (ITP), as a LEMCOTEC partner, was involved in the activities devoted to
develop technologies for Ultra High Pressure Ratio compressors. ITP designed and built a two-stage transonic
compressor as a demonstrator of aerodynamic technologies for increasing performance in low Reynolds number
IP compressors for high overall pressure ratio engine applications. Because non-availability of the compressor
testing facility, the test activity was carried out at the CTA altitude test facility designed for turbine rig testing but
modified for the occasion. The IP compressor rig was rigidly jointed to a slave turbine responsible for generating
the power to drive the assembly and bleed system was devised to decouple the mass flow passing through
compressor and turbine.
This paper presents the design, setup and test of the turbo-compressor aerodynamic rig. We first present the lay-
out of the compressor-turbine assembly and the main design characteristics of the compressor and slave turbine.
Then, we describe the facility set-up, the rig operation and the instrumentation used during the test. Finally, the
results of the compressor rig are presented and discussed, leading to the conclusions of the paper.

2.0 TURBO-COMPRESSOR RIG DESCRIPTION

The general arrangement of the turbo-compressor set-up is presented in Figure 1, showing the compressor rig and
the slave turbine connected by a common shaft. As mentioned in the introduction, the primary objective of the
test was mapping the performance of the IP compressor rig. A novel two-stage transonic compressor was designed
in the frame of the EU program LEMCOTEC as a demonstrator of aerodynamic technologies for increasing
ANTORANZ ET AL. 21362 3

performance in high aspect ratio low Reynolds number applications. The rig concept was adapted to perform the
test in a turbine altitude test facility (ATF), using a slave turbine to drive the compressor. In addition of the
compressor and turbine modules, some elements were also needed for the correct operation of the rig and are also
depicted in Figure 1. A set of Inlet Guide Vanes (IGV) was included to control the inlet conditions to the
compressor rig. The matching bleed system was used to decouple the mass flow passing through compressor and
turbine, allowing the characterization of the operation map. The supporting structure was configured by a set of
hollow aerofoils with structural rods passing through. Finally, an additional bleed system was included to remove
the boundary layer in the diffusor and improve the performance of the slave turbine. Main features of the
compressor and turbine designs are explained bellow. Operation of the turbo-compressor rig is described in
Section §3.2.

Figure 1 Turbo-compressor general arrangement

2.1 Compressor Rig Description

The design of the two-stage transonic compressor targets the performance characteristics of the rear stages of a
reference four-stage compressor rig also tested within the LEMCOTEC program. ITP compressor is however
designed for a much lower Reynolds number than the reference IP compressor. The Reynolds number based on
inlet velocity and real chord at the ADP is as low as 𝑅𝑒1𝐶 = 210𝑘 in the first stator, which is roughly one quarter
of that used for the reference IP compressor design. Furthermore, the design considered a reduction of blade
solidity by about 10% maintaining the high aerofoil aspect ratios, presenting a major challenge.
The two–stage compressor is preceded by a row of Inlet Guide Vanes (IGV) that accommodates the flow for the
first rotor blade. Inlet flow capacity, blade Mach number and flow angle reproduce the flow conditions of the
four-stage IP compressor rig used as reference. Flow distribution and end-wall blockage could not be matched.
The design of the compressor rig was carried out within the ITP turbo-machinery design system. All design
programs, from the preliminary design to the detailed CFD analysis, were developed in-house and calibrated with
experimental data. Aerofoil loadings and shapes were particularly defined for low Reynolds number operation.
The main loading parameters: diffusion factors, lift coefficients, aerofoil solidities, camber and stagger angles,
were selected according to ITP experience to minimise efficiency drop due to larger viscous effects. Special care
was taken to maintain a sufficient stall range for rig operation. A bi-dimensional compressor cascade test campaign
was carried out at the UPM facilities [3] at low Reynolds numbers and different flow incidence conditions to
support the high-speed compressor rig performance.
The mechanical design of the compressor rig conjugated simplicity and robustness, being able to withstand surge
events at maximum power conditions. Aluminium 7075 was used for the static vanes, while the rotor blades were
made of Titanium Ti6-4. Pictures of the compressor rig aerofoils including IGVs are presented in Figure 2.
4 ISABE 2017

Figure 2 Compressor rig design details

2.1.1 Slave Turbine Description

A single-stage turbine was specifically designed to drive the compressor. The main challenges of the turbine
design were the high axial Mach number for the need to accommodate the mass flow swallowed by the
compressor. The turbine nozzle reached choke conditions very soon and the working line of the compressor-
turbine system without bleed run well beyond the design working line for the compressor. The so-called matching
bleed system allowed to decouple the mass flow from compressor and turbine. The bleeding capacity was sized
to increase the corrected mass flow rate at the compressor exit by 40% from the turbine choking condition at
maximum shaft speed. This system allowed mapping the compressor except for the regions of high PR where the
power required exceeded the capabilities of the turbine stage.

3.0 EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP

Although initially planned to be tested in a high-speed compressor test facility under development in the
Laboratory for Turbo-Machinery Research (LIFT), the rig was finally tested in the CTA altitude test facility due
to non-availability of the compressor facility. This facility is devoted to turbine testing only and lacked a system
to power the compressor. The facility shift led to significant changes in the testing vehicle concept and in the test
facility itself. In addition to the slave turbine stage required to speed-up the compressor, a bleed system was
developed to allow the performance matching between compressor and slave turbine. In this section, we describe
the characteristics of the CTA, the operation of the turbo-compressor rig and the rig instrumentation.
3.1 Facility Description
The CTA altitude test facility is an open loop circuit with compression and vacuum systems connected to
atmosphere. The system is designed to set a stable continuous flow at the test section at different pressure levels,
controlling the inlet temperature. The facility is such that inlet and exit pressures can be controlled independently
and, therefore, is able to adjust all operational parameters (Reynolds number, corrected mass flow rate and
corrected shaft speed) of the rig tested. More details of the facility set up can be found in Vázquez et al. [4].
As the facility provides the continuous flow required in a turbine test, several options were investigated to power
the compressor. The design with the smallest impact on the facility was the turbo-compressor configuration.
Significant changes and some additional systems were thus introduced in the testing vehicle configuration. Among
these systems, a bleeding system was built to decouple the compressor and turbine mass flows and additional
pipelines were incorporated to provide additional mass flow to boost the turbine during the start-up. Figure 3
shows pictures of the compressor-turbine rotor and the additional bleed system as installed in the CTA facility.
ANTORANZ ET AL. 21362 5

Figure 3 Compressor–turbine rotor (left) and bleeding system (right) in the CTA facility.

3.2 Rig Operation

The operation of rig was a challenge, requiring the monitoring of many flow and control variables in the rig and
in the different subsystems. Due to its complexity, the test operation was backed with a performance model of the
facility elements, which characteristics were known, and the predicted compressor and turbine performance maps.
This model, sketched in Figure 4, was used to give estimation of the control points, the start-up and shutdown of
the rig and provide information of the fail-safe operation.
The steady operation of the turbo-compressor rig was as follows. The main flow was driven by the CTA Outlet
Vacuum Compressor Group, which provided the required flow in the slave turbine and therefore, the power to the
two-stage compressor. A hydraulic brake controlled and stabilized the shaft speed, dissipating extra power. The
operational compressor-turbine matching line was broadened by bleeding air at turbine inlet, decoupling the mass
flow rate from both components. Additionally, the inlet flow conditions (PT and TT) were adjusted by means of
the inlet admission system, to obtain the targeted inlet Reynolds and Mach numbers.
The turbo-compressor rig run smoothly and high quality measurements were obtained. The rig operation was,
however, restricted by some known limitations. The compressor mapping near stall was constrained by the
maximum power achievable in the slave-turbine. The maximum capacity limit of the facility Vacuum and Bleed
Systems, constrained the operation of the compressor near choke. Finally, un-expected rotor-dynamic instabilities
hampered testing the rig at high shaft speeds, preventing the operation beyond the design shaft speed.

Figure 4 Rig operation performance model

6 ISABE 2017

3.3 Rig Instrumentation

The rig was heavily instrumented both the facility and the compressor module. The facility instrumentation
provided the main flow humidity and mass flow rates, plus the shaft speed and torque parameters.
The compressor module inlet plane was characterized by means of Total Temperature and Total Pressure rakes (3
off) and Area Traverse (AT) measurement (2 off) upstream Blade 1. Axial and circumferential distributed pressure
tappings (hub and tip) in the inlet duct (from IGV to Blade 1) were instrumented as well as thermocouples (TCs)
to control inlet metal temperature. The compressor module included pressure tappings and kulites sensors at outer
platforms in front and rear of all four blade-rows at several circumferential positions and tip clearance optical
probes at both Blade 1 & Blade 2 [5]. The compressor module outlet plane downstream Stator 2 was characterized
by means of Total Temperature rakes and Total Pressure rakes (4 off). Exit duct was also instrumented with axially
and circumferential distributed pressure tappings and thermocouples.
There was provision for instrumentation at turbine inlet and exit planes, though all the intrusive instrumentation
was removed during compressor test in order to maximize rig performance.
Compressor pressure ratio and thermodynamic efficiency were preliminary determined by pressure and
temperature rakes at inlet and exit planes. These rakes were specifically designed and calibrated for this rig. Total
temperature rakes were instrumented with type K thermocouples. Each thermocouple was calibrated separately in
a water-oil bath in order to obtain the required uncertainty. Temperature rakes were also dynamically calibrated.
Both, the suitable incidence range and the recovery factor (RF) to correct the velocity and conduction errors were
obtained with high precision in the RF. More details can be found in Pinilla et al. [6]
Detailed area traverse measurements were also taken at design and part-load conditions. Flow aerodynamics at all
traverse planes were measured with miniature fast response five-hole probes [7]. The probes were calibrated for
a range of Mach numbers from 0.1 to 0.9 and yaw and pitch angles from 45º to -45º, with approximately 1800
points per calibration. In addition, an ad-hoc static calibration of the Endevco pressure transducers was performed
before and after the test. During the test, the effects of the probe temperature in the calibration were considered
and corrected.

4.0 TEST RESULTS

The experimental results obtained in the characterization of the ITP Compressor Rig are presented in this section.
The compressor map is shown first, followed by the area traverse results at the compressor outlet plane and the
comparison with the pre-test CFD results for the design intent.
The reported map points are listed in Table 2. Each case name indicates the corrected shaft speed (NRT) as a
percentage over ADP conditions and the compressor pressure ratio (PR) normalized with the PR at ADP
conditions. Note that the ADP shaft speed was marginally reached only at one single point (N99PR106) due to
shaft vibrations. Very detailed measurements are obtained for all these points aiming CFD and design methods
calibration.
Total Pressure and Temperature inlet conditions were maintained constant for all compressor map points within
the range of ±1kPa and of ±2K respectively. The performance conditions was stabilized by the facility control
system ensuring a variation of less than ±0.4% in NRT and less than ±0.1% in PR during scanning.
Table 1
Map Points with Detailed Measurements

N50PR65 N60PR65 N75PR70 N85PR79 N95PR93 N99PR106

N50PR65 N60PR66 N75PR73 N85PR82 N95PR95
N50PR66 N60PR68 N75PR77 N85PR85 N95PR97
N50PR68 N60PR71 N75PR79 N85PR90 N95PR100
N50PR71 N60PR74 N75PR82 N85PR92 N95PR103
N75PR84

4.1 Compressor Map

Experimental compressor Pressure Ratio (PR) and Adiabatic Efficiency (EFF) measured values at 50, 60, 75, 85,
95 and 99% design corrected shaft speeds (NRT) are plotted in Figure 5. Pre-test map and surge line prediction
obtained from a through-flow analysis with ITP tool Matrix [8] is also provided as reference. Results were in good
agreement with the initial estimation of the design intent.
ANTORANZ ET AL. 21362 7

As mentioned in Section §3.2, the operation range of the compressor was however constrained by the maximum
power drawn from the slave turbine, which limited the surge characterization, and the maximum vacuum capacity
in the facility, which restricted the choke behaviour. Unexpected shaft vibrations prevented the test at higher shaft
velocities. These limits are also plotted in Figure 5.

Figure 5 Compressor Rig Map: Pressure Ratio and Adiabatic Efficiency Vs Corrected Mass Flow Rate.
Lines: Design Intent, Symbols: Experimental Data.

4.2 Compressor Area Traverse Measurements

Compressor inlet flow conditions were measured at a plane placed one chord upstream the rotor Blade 1 (Inlet
AT). Compressor exit flow conditions were characterized at a plane placed two chords downstream the Stator 2
(Exit AT). These planes are depicted in Figure 1. Total Pressure and Temperature rakes, radial traverse and area
traverse measurements were all coincident at the same axial locations, enabling easy data crosschecking. The inlet
and exit flow conditions were area traversed at near design conditions (95%NRT) and several part-load conditions
(60%NRT, 75%NRT and 85%NRT).
Area traverse results at the performance point closest to nominal aerodynamic design conditions (N95PR97) are
shown in Figure 6. We report Total Pressure Coefficient (CPT) and Delta Mach number (DMn), defined as local
Mach number variation respect to mass average Mach number, at the Exit AT. CFD results are shown for
comparison and will be discussed in Section §4.3.
As an example of the performance at part-load conditions, Figure 7 provides area traverse measurements at exit
plane, together with CFD predictions, for condition N60PR71.
4.3 Comparison with Design Intent
The design of the turbo-compressor rig, from the concept to the detailed analysis, was carried out in their entirety
within the ITP Turbomachinery Design System. In the final stages of the design, multi-row computations with the
ITP CFD tool Mu2 s 2 T were systematically run to estimate the compressor performance at design and off-design
conditions. Mu2 s 2 T is a RANS solver with hybrid unstructured grids to discretize the spatial domain and an edge
based data structure to compute the fluxes. A second-order numerical scheme conforms the spatial discretization.
Equations are marched in time with an explicit five-stage Runge-Kutta. The code is parallelized using Message
Passing Interface (MPI) [9] and is able to run in Graphic Processing Units (GPU) [10]. We use the standard k −
ω turbulence model [11] in the computations presented in this paper.
Results obtained from the CFD analysis are compared with the area traverse measurements at compressor exit in
Figure 6 and Figure 7. Flow structures predicted at the near design point condition (N95PR97), presented in Figure
6, compare fairly well with the measurements, specially near the end-walls. Wakes coming from the compressor
second stator resulted, however, sharper and thinner in the computation, which might indicate a lack of turbulent
mixing. Figure 7 shows the comparison at the part-load condition (N60PR71). Although experiments seem again
to be more mixed-out, the main changes in the flow distributions are well captured and the mass average values
are predicted to be very close. Overall performance predicted with CFD pre-test is within 0.5% in efficiency and
1% in corrected mass flow rate.
8 ISABE 2017

Figure 6 Compressor Rig Exit Flow Conditions at NRT=95% and PR=97%. PT Coefficient range: [-0.10:0.40 and Delta
Mach No range: [-0.15:0.04]

Figure 7 Compressor Rig Exit Flow Conditions at NRT=60% and PR=71%. PT Coefficient range: [-0.23:0.42] and Delta
Mach No range: [-0.12:0.04]

5.0 CONCLUSIONS
Industria de Turbo-Propulsores S.A. (ITP), in the framework of the UE funded LEMCOTEC program, has
designed, built and tested a turbo-compressor rig in the CTA altitude test facility. The main purpose of the test
was mapping the performance of a novel transonic compressor rig characterized by low solidity high aspect ratio
aerofoils designed for low Reynolds number conditions. The incorporation of a slave turbine was demanded by
the need to carry out the test in the CTA facility, initially devoted to turbine testing only. The mapping of the
compressor was possible thanks to the facility vacuum system that controlled the mass flow through the
compressor, a matching bleed system that decoupled the mass flow through the turbine and the facility water brake
which controlled the shaft speed.
The test was successfully performed in 2015 achieving the test goals. The compressor map was measured at 50,
60, 75, 85, 95 and 99% reduced shaft speeds. Detailed radial and area traverses at inlet and outlet planes were
taken near design and part-load conditions. Some known facility limitations prevented the testing of the surge and
choke compressor map regions. The experimental results showed a close matching with the design intent and pre-
test predictions. This test pushes ITP technology on low Reynolds number axial compressor designs to TRL5
To complete the results from this test, the compressor rig will be fully mapped in a high-speed compressor rig
facility that ITP and the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) are currently developing in the Laboratory for
Turbo-machinery Fluid-Dynamics Research (LIFT) placed in Getafe, Madrid.
ANTORANZ ET AL. 21362 9

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ITP and the European Commission within the Seventh Framework Programme LEMCOTEC have jointly funded
this work under grant agreement No. ACP1‐GA‐2011‐283216.
The authors wish to thank ITP and LEMCOTEC partners for the permission to publish this work.

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