TOPIC 5.

COMPRESSOR MAPS AND THEIR CONTROL

5.1. Compressor maps and methods for their determination

The determination of compressor gas path geometry, the required number of stages, and
the blade configuration and angles is made in process of gas-dynamic calculations meant for a
definite power setting of the compressor, which is called design mode (implying, in particular,
flight velocity and altitude and compressor speed). Compressor pressure ratios  c , airflow rate
*

values Gair and compressor speed n as well as the other compressor performance indicators are
also called design values.
A typical feature of design mode is that it is the only one ensuring the best match of the
blade spool to flow kinematics, i.e., providing for an unstalled flow through the blades and guide
vanes of compressor stages. Under design mode, the compressor efficiency value  c* will be
maximal given  c and Gair .
*

Design mode normally corresponds to compressor performance with the maximum speed
rate, with the compressor inlet temperature and pressure being equal to their sea-level values
under standard atmospheric conditions (T*a = 288K, p*a =760 mm of mercury).
However, a compressor in service operates under conditions different from design mode
most of the time. Changing compressor operating mode may be caused by a change in rotor
speed, flight velocity and altitude of the aircraft, a change in ambient air parameters, etc.
* *
Thus, under operation conditions, the compressor inlet air parameters p2 , T2 and speed rate n
and airflow rate Gair vary over a wide range. Accordingly,  c* ,  c* and the modes of flow through
the compressor blades change, too; they may essentially differ from their design values. In some
cases, this may cause instability of compressor performance.
Therefore, the above-stated parameters should be determined and the compressor
performance stability under off-design mode should be checked.
To select the rational operation conditions of compressor within the engine system, and to
determine the effect of various operation conditions on the basic parameters and the stability of
the compressor, etc., the data describing the entire set of off-design operating conditions of the
compressor which may be encountered in process of engine operation, must be available.

Compressor map is the dependencies showing how the main compressor performance indicators
 compression ratio  c* and efficiency  c* change with changing compressor speed n, airflow rate
Gв and the inlet conditions.

The compressor map may be obtained either by calculations or experimentally. The interaction
between blade rows and stages is very complicated within a multistage compressor operating
under off-design modes. For that reason, the accuracy of computational methods for compressor
map determination does not always meet practical requirements-despite computer-

p* 6
2
t1* t2*
p*
1

1 2 3 4
pвх

pin 5 1
Рис .5.1. Схема
Fig.1. стенда
Diagram of aдля
testэкспериментального
stand for experimental performance test of
определения характеристики компрессора
compressor
based methods application. Therefore, the most reliable way of obtaining compressor map is the
map determination in process of compressor testing on dedicated compressor test stands.
The simplest diagram of such a stand is shown on Figure 1. Compressor 2 is driven by
electric motor 5 through multiplier 4. The air gets inside the compressor through collector 1
which has a custom-designed smooth input to create a uniform velocity field at the compressor
inlet, and is used to determine airflow ratio at the same time by measuring the difference рinlet
between the and static pressure in collector. The air from compressor gets into receiver 3 with
throttle shutter 6 downstream the receiver, which imitates draft loss (the resistance of the gas
path of engine). By changing the electric motor power and adjusting the throttle shutter position,
the compressor under test can be run under various modes with different values of compressor
speed п and airflow rate Gair . The stand is equipped with measurement instrumentation allowing
one to determine not only the airflow rate and compressor speed under test but also the total
pressure and inlet and outlet temperature values р2* , Т 2* , р3* , Т3* . Based on these values one can
determine compressor pressure ratio  c* and efficiency  c* .

s o b o a
 c* s c

z
z
s b
 *
c
o
a
s
o c n  n1
n  n2  n1 z

Gair cor
Fig. 2. Compressor map at two compressor speed values
Based on rig testing data, one can plot the compressor map, i.e., the dependence of  c* and  c*
from Gair at the values n, p2 , T2 recorded during the test.
Let us consider a typical example of changing  c in relation to Gair depending on
*

position of throttle shutter at compressor exit, at a constant speed n (Fig.2).

We assume that, at n  n1 and at certain medium (initial) position of throttle shutter, the
compressor operation mode corresponds to the point a (Fig.2). If we start to close down the
shutter in relation to its initial position, the airflow will reduce, while the compressor discharge
pressure and, accordingly,  c will increase. By locating the shutter in the new position, we get
*

a new mode of compressor operation, which will now correspond to point b.

With the airflow reduction going on, the compressor operation mode shifts to the point s,
which corresponds to a certain minimum airflow rate, below which, the compression operation

2
mode becomes unsteady. This point is the surging boundary of the compressor at given speed
n  const .
If you start to slightly open the shutter with respect to the initial position (point a ), the
*
airflow Gair will increase while p3 and  c* drop. However, there will come a moment when
opening the shutter does not lead to a noticeable increase in air flow and even remains constant,
and there appears a vertical section on the compressor map.
This comes from the fact that, because of the increasing air flow (particularly at high
speeds) the speed in the last-stage compressor channels gradually increases and reaches the
velocity of sound, resulting in “choking” of the blade system.
At the same time, the beginning of the vertical section of the map (point b) corresponds to
locking of the last-stage blade channels of the wheel and is called inlet choking. Within the
compressor map vertical section,  c* is slowly decreasing to a certain minimum defined by point
“z” at a constant Gair , after which, any further opening of the shutter does not lead to a change in
the compressor operation mode, since  c* and Gair do not change. In that case, due to a
significant increase in airflow velocity, a “choking” of the last-stage outlet system channels takes
place, since the velocity in the duct entrance gains the sound speed. The mode characterized by
the parameters at “z” point is called output “choking” mode.
The analyzed curve showing the dependence of  c on Gair is called speed curve. Fig.2
*

shows  c curve as well. Normally, the maximum  c value is reached at a certain intermediate
* *

position of the shutter corresponding to point O (optimal mode). At any other positions of the
shutter,  c decreases and the lowest values refer to the output system choking mode.
*

* *
If we test the compressor for another rotor speed values at constant p2 and T2 , we will
obtain a number of speed curves and efficiency values under various compressor operation
modes.
Now, let us see how the speed curve and the curve c*  f  Gair  changes with varying
the rotor speed. For instance, if we reduce the rotor speed, the rotation work expended on each
stage and, accordingly, compression work will decrease due to the blade speed reduction. As a
result,  c* at each position of shutter will decrease along with р2* and the airflow rate (through
the throttle), i.e., the entire speed curve will shift downward and leftward as is shown on Fig.3.
Curve c*  f  Gair  will shift leftwards, too.

 c*

s
o

i
 c*

z
s i
o
z
Gair
Fig.3. Compressor map under fixed inlet conditions

3
The speed range (from 60% to 110% of the design value), with respect to which, head capacity
curves and lines c*  f  Gair  are drawn on Fig. 3 covers the main operation modes of aircraft
GTE compressor. Line s-s connecting the points corresponding to surging boundary on each
speed curve is the compressor surge line (SB). Line z-z connecting the points which correspond
to compressor outlet choking modes at different п values is the compressor outlet “choking”
line, while line i-i is the compressor inlet “choking” boundary (at low n values, the outlet
choking is reached earlier than the inlet one. Line о-о connecting points on the head capacity
curves wherein the maximum  c* is reached at each n value is called the optimum mode line.
The largest value of  c* is normally reached at a lesser speed than the design one (on Fig.3, it is
reached at n = 90%). The higher is n the more abrupt are the curves, and their vertical sections
located below i-i line occupy an ever greater part of the total length of head capacity curves.
The trend details depend on compressor type, designed compressor ratio, and a number of other
factors. But their general nature represented on Fig. 3 is the same for any compressor.

5.2. The application of similarity theory to airflow inside the compressor and to plotting
compressor maps

The performance curve shown on Fig.3 covers all the possible modes of steady operation
of compressor within the given speed range, at the inlet pressure and temperature values that
took place during the compressor test. Under operation conditions, however, the values р2* и Т 2*
may change drastically depending on atmospheric conditions, flight velocity and altitude, air
intake loss level, etc. Those changes affect the compressor map. Therefore, to be able to use the
results of experimental observation or calculation of compressor map for different input
conditions, those curves are depicted in specially selected coordinates which are established
based on the similarity theory of physical phenomena.
As is known, gas flows streamlining geometrically similar bodies turn out to be similar
themselves if, with the observance of the boundary conditions similarity, the congruence of
homonymous similarity criteria – Reynolds number Re, Mach number M, Prandtl number Pr,
Grashof number Gr, Froude number Fr, and Strouhal number Sh – is observed in these flows as
well. Each of the above-mentioned similarity criteria indicates the impact of a given factor on the
complicated gas flowing process under the given boundary and initial conditions. In that case,
velocity, pressure, and temperature ratios with respect to any similar points of streamlined bodies
are similar at each instant of time. Modes of operation of engine or its components wherein air or
gas flows are similar are called similar ones.
Pressure ratio  c*  р3* р2* is the ratio between total pressure values of airflow at definite
points and, consequently, it remains constant under such modes. The compressor efficiency
е*  1
remains constant as well; according to the formula *c  c* it can be represented through the
c  1
temperature ratio as follows:
* k 1
Т c.ad
еc*   c
* k
и  c*  Т 3* Т 2* .
Т 2*
Strouhal and Fourier criteria taking into account the aerodynamic lag bear no relation to
compressor map.
Froude criterion takes into account the gravity effect on a gas flow, but the effect is
negligible and, therefore, we will neglect it.
Prandtl and other criteria bearing relation to heat exchange processes are insignificant.
Thus, there remain the following gas-dynamic similarity criteria, the change of which can
affect the airflow in the compressor:
 Mach number;

4
  Reynolds number;
 Ratio of specific heats (adiabatic exponent) k  c p cv .
The most part of operational modes imply that Reynolds numbers with which the blade rings are
streamlined are high ( 3105 and higher) and that they lie within self-similarity field in terms of
their impact on compressor parameters. At the same time, changing temperature of adiabatic
exponent does not entail such a gross change in the ratio that might essentially change the flow
in the compressor.
Thus, when building a compressor map or a map of compressor model (with a similar
geometry of gas path) which is applicable for usage under a wide range of condition changes at
the compressor inlet, the permanence (invariance) of Mach numbers at blade inputs must be
ensured at each point of such a map, and kinematic similarity (incidence angle permanence) is to
be observed.
If the velocity, pressure, and temperature fields at the compressor inlet are uniform and there is
no “choking” phenomenon in the blade systems thereof, then the setting of incidence angle i and
Mach numbers M w1 at any radius (as for instance, the mid-radius) of the wheel (W) input of the
compressor first stage ensures unambiguous definition of Mach numbers and incidence angles at
the blade system inputs of all the wheels (W) and the guide vanes (GV) of the compressor.
Consequently, various airflow patterns in a given compressor (or in its geometrically similar
model) are similar if its first stage implies that
i1  const and M w1  const .
Taking into account that i  1 K  1 , the similarity conditions for compressor operation
modes can be represented as:
1  const and M w1  const (5.1)
Direct measurement of values 1 and M w1 based on a practical compressor test is quite
difficult. Therefore, other parameters available for control in the experiment and in operation are
used in practice.
Under similar modes, the direction of absolute velocity at the 1st stage-wheel input should
be constant. Taking this condition into account, (5.1) can be substituted for:

c1a u1
Ma   const ; M u   const (5.2)
kRT1 kRT1

To prove this, let us depict a velocity triangle (Fig.4).

c2a

c2 
w1
c 1a

c1
2 2 w2
1 1
u2
c2u w 2u w u
c u c1u w1u
u1

Рис.4.
Fig. 3.3. Треугольник
Velocity triangleскоростей ступени
of an axial compressor stage
осевого компрессора

5
It follows from the stage velocity triangle that:

c1a
tg 1  ; w1  c12a   u1  c1a ctg 1 
2

u1  c1a ctg 1
By dividing all the input velocities by the speed of sound, we get:

Ma
tg 1  M w1  M2a   Mu  M a ctg 1 
2
;
M u M a ctg1
Thus, at 1  const conditions (5/1) and (5.2) are equivalent.
Parameters М а and М u whose permanence is provided by airflows similarity in
geometrically similar compressors are called similarity parameters or criterion parameters.
Accordingly,  c* and c* depend not on speed and airflow rate but on similarity parameters М u
and М а . In other words, whatever the compressor testing conditions may be (as for example, in
flight at various speeds and altitudes), the values of  c* and c* will always be the same with the
constancy of М u and М а
.
Instead of М u and М а other similar parameters unambiguously connected therewith
may be used, as for instance, normalized velocities:

u c1a
u  and  a  .
k k
2 RT1* 2 RT1*
k 1 k 1

It is more convenient in practice, since a device measuring stagnated flow temperature is

installed at the compressor input of many aircraft GTE.
Besides, with all modern compressors, the axial flow speed at the input of the 1st stage is less
than the speed of sound  а  1 . Then, instead of criterion parameter  а , one may use the gas-
dynamic function q a  (relative current density) unambiguously connected therewith, or, one
may use q  2  where index “2” relates to the compressor input.
If we consider not geometrically similar compressors but the same compressor operating in
various flight conditions, the blade speed of its wheel is proportional to speed n . Тhen, instead
n
of  u the parameter may be used (wherein the compressor inlet temperature Т 2* is equal to
*
T2
Т 1* temperature at the inlet of its first stage). At the same time, the parameter
Gair T2*
 mв F2 q  2  may be used instead of q  2  .
p2*
Gair T2* n
Instead of parameters and , values proportional thereto are frequently used:
p2* T2*
101300 T2* 288
Gair cor  Gair*
ncor  n (5.3)
p2 288 T2*
which are called, respectively, corrected airflow rate and corrected speed where 288 K
and 101300 Pa are sea-level air temperature and pressure values according to standard
atmosphere. Those parameters are convenient because they have a physically clear
dimensionality, and, when compressor is subject to bench performance check under standard

6
atmospheric conditions, the above-mentioned parameters are numerically equal to actual speed
and airflow rate values.
Fig.5 shows compressor map in an exemplary form represented with the parameters ncor
and Gair cor .

Fig. 5. Compressor map in parameters Fig. 6. Compressor map in parameters q  2  and

Gair cor and ncor ncor

It can be seen that this map, by its nature, does not differ from the one shown on Fig. 3. It
is impossible to determine  c* value when operating under the modes corresponding to vertical
sections of speed curves. For this reason, the results of experimental (or design) definition of
compressor performance in this field should be represented in the form of  c* dependence of  c*
at the given values of ncor as is depicted on Fig.6 as an example. In the left part of Figure 6,
relative current density at compressor inlet q  2  proportional to corrected airflow is plotted
horizontally instead of the latter.
The afore-mentioned information on the similarity of gas flow motions serves as a theoretical
pre-requisite for plotting not only compressor maps but also performance curves for other GTE
components (turbines, inlets and outlets etc.) and is widely used both for obtaining the
performance data of these components by testing their models and for selecting such a form of
representation of experiment or calculation results that allows one to exclude temperature and
pressure effect at the input of those components.

5.3. Unstable and stalled states of a compressor stage performance

Unstable modes of compressor operation cause a higher risk to aircraft operation as they may
cause damage to the compressor proper and may lead to a serious flight accident. The cause of
instability is the compressor blade stall, i.e. air breaking loose from the compressor blade back.
The external symptoms of compressor instability are:
 abrupt drop in compressor delivery pressure accompanied by a pop, and airflow
rate reduction;
 intensive fluctuations of airflow parameters (pressure, temperature, and velocity)
within the gas path of the compressor.
When angles of stall (angles of attack) are exceeded, there occurs a blade stall in the stage
blade system, which may entail serious troubles of compressor performance in operation.
On account of distortion in geometry of individual blades, the flow asymmetry under actual
conditions and large-scale turbulence, the blade stall does not occur at all blades at the same
time. The flow strength created by the stalled blades turns out to be essentially less than the one
7
created by the adjacent elements which still operate
without a stall. Due to this difference, there occurs a
tendency of reverse airflow through the stall areas to
meet the main airflow. As a result, the axial velocity in
those areas is reduced abruptly and the angles of attack
increase spontaneously, reaching values which by far
exceed the critical ones; as a result, an inverse flow of
the type shown on Fig. 7 is normally developed. At the
same time, due to the reduction of the actual open flow
area caused thereby, air axial velocity near the non-
stalled blades may even increase, which Рис. 5.8. Течение воздуха через ступень c
corresponds to angle-of-attack convergence. Fig.7.малым Airflow -passing through the stage with a small
d при c а < c (по Л.Е. Ольштейну)
Therefore, the initial differences are enhanced as hub ratio at ca  ca aminmin
long as different blades (or blade parts) of the
stage are streamlined, the stages are enhanced, and there occurs a clear-cut and steady separation
of the flow into burble zones (separation areas) and normal flow areas; at that, there occurs a
fundamental breach of rotational symmetry of the flow.
The occurring stall areas do not remain connected with the same blades of wheel, but move
regularly in circumferential direction instead. This phenomenon was called rotating stall.
The main reason for the movement (rotation) of separation burbles is air flow spillage on both
sides of the blade channels filled with rotating
stall, outlined on Fig. 8. As is seen, the direction
of velocity vector of ram air falling on the blades
on either side of stall area is changing so that
к
angles of attack increase on the blades located to
the right of the stall area on the diagram, leading
to stall progression onto those blades.
Conversely, on the opposite side the angles of Рис. 5.9. Схема течения воздуха в компрессорной
Fig.8. Airflow diagram within compressor spool upon
attack are reduced and the stall, if any, is решетке
the при возникновении
occurrence of a stall сырва
terminated. Thus, the stall area will shift to the
right.
If the considered spool relates to the wheel, the stated direction corresponds to counter-
rotational shift of stall area (in terms of relative motion) as against the wheel rotation; however,
if the spool pertains to a guide vane, the stall moves in the direction of the wheel rotation (in
terms of absolute movement).
Stall area in an axial stage normally covers both the wheel and part of the guide vane
simultaneously. Therefore, stall area in relation to both spools should rotate in the direction of
the wheel rotation; at the same time, however, its angular velocity should be less than the wheel
speed, which is actually observed.
At the same time, experimental studies show that changing the wheel rotational speed 
makes the rotational speed of stall area  change almost proportionally to  , so that the relative
rotational speed of stall areas    /  within a wide range of the stage operation modes
remains practically unchanged.
The number of stall areas may be different depending on the stage type and operational
mode. If their number exceeds unity, then their steady position would imply that they are
arranged uniformly over the circle and are rotating at the same speed.
In stages with large values of hub ratio ( d  0.7 and more), having relatively short blades, the
stall occurs almost simultaneously throughout the blade height and propagates quickly (within
0,01—0,02 sec) over a significant part of the blade row. Normally, there occurs one powerful
separated burble area that occupies from one-third to half of the wheel periphery (Fig. 9, а) and
rotates at a speed less than half of the rotor (   0,1 ... 0,4).

8
 A
E

C D
B

a) б)
Fig. 9. Typical view of a stall area (а) and the map (b) for a larger-hub stage

Air backflows are normally observed within a separated burble. As a result of intensive
throttling action of the powerful stall area and great losses therein, the stage airflow rate and the
created pressure drop abruptly. The stage operation mode jumps abruptly to point B (Fig. 9, b).
Now, the stage map turns out to be discontinuous. Thus, as a result of throttling of the stage with
relatively short blades, there occurs a rotating stall therein which entails a spontaneous transition
of the stage operation mode to the stalled region of the map, with a significantly lower level of
pressure, flow rate, and efficiency. On Fig. 9b, the stalled region is marked by many small
points, since a high flow unsteadiness level is observed here.
If we continue to reduce airflow rate after the stage operation mode has passed over to point
B, the stalled area would grow in size, occupying the ever greater part of the wheel periphery.
On the contrary, with the increasing airflow rate, the stalled area is shrinking in size;
however, due to the stability of stalled flow pattern, it survives to discharge coefficient values с а
markedly exceeding the value с а at point B. Only after a significant increase in с а to the mode
D, the stalling zones fall apart and the stage proceeds to the mode corresponding to point E,
where a normal (non-stalled) form of flow is observed. Thus, stages with short blades feature a
pronounced hysteresis.
As regards the stages with small d (0,3—0,5), i.e. with relatively long blades, the flow
conditions are essentially different with respect to components located on different radiuses. For
that reason, the stall normally does not spread over the entire blade right away but occupies a
small part of it at first. In most cases, the critical angles of attack are achieved primarily in the
peripheral sections of the blades, where the initially occurring stall areas are located.

a) b)
Fig. 10. Typical view of stall area (a) and map (b)
with respect to a small-hub stage.

At the same time, instead of a single stall area, there normally occur several stall areas evenly
spaced circumferentially (Fig. 10a), which rotate at a speed equal to 50 – 70% of the wheel
speed.
Due to relatively small sizes of the initially occurring stall areas, the long blades stage
performance may not have a gap at са  сmin (Fig 10 b). In this case, performance gap manifests
itself in pressure reduction and a sudden drop of the stage efficiency at са  сmin . At the same

9
time, to the extent that с а drops, the sizes of each stall area gradually increase both
circumferentially and in radial direction.

5.4. Map of uncontrolled multistage compressors

5.4.1. Joint action of stages in a multistage compressor

The conditions for joint action of stages in a multistage axial flow compressor (MAC) are as
follows:
 the equal airflow rate through all the stages;
 the equal speed of all the stages.
The operation mode of each stage is determined by parameter ca . Angles of attack on blade rows
depend of that parameter. ( ca   i ,  st* , Lst , L*аd st  )
Under the design mode of operation of an uncontrolled MAC, ca  cа оpt holds for each
stage.
For the first and the last stage input, we write condition of equality of airflow rates:
ca I  I FI  ca Z  Z FZ
We express the equalities of speeds for the same sections as
uc I uc Z
 , whence it follows that ucI Dc Z  uc Z Dc I
Dc I Dc Z

Dividing the 1st equality by the 2nd one, we get:

ca I  I FI ca Z  Z FZ c  FD
 , whence it follows that a I  Z  Z c Z
uc I Dc Z uc Z Dc I ca Z  I FI Dc I

1 1
  p n c  p n
Since Z   Z  , we get that a I  const   Z  .
 I  pI  ca Z  pI 
A similar relationship holds true for any two stages of MAC.
p
One may roughly accept that  c*  Z . Then, if  c   c d и uc I  uc I d ,
* *
all the stages operate
pI
ca I
under optimal modes. But, if  c* or uc I differ from the respective design values, changes by
ca Z
all means; accordingly, the operation modes of individual stages deviate from the optimal ones.
This phenomenon is called disagreement of stages.
MAC operation mode is determined by its ncor and Fth values. Let us consider the impact of
these factors upon the disagreement of stages.

Disagreement of MAC stages with changing ncor

ca I
With a decrease in ncor ,  c* drops as well; consequently,  . It follows that ca at stage I
ca Z
will become lower than that at the last stage, which means that the angle of attack at the first
stage will be greater than that at the last stage.
At Fth  const and supercritical pressure gradient thereon, now we write the discharge balance
for the last stage and the throttle input:

10
 p2* p2*
m q( )c Fc  m 1.0 Fth , whence it follows that q(c )  const  c  const .
T2* T2*
One can roughly assume that a Z  c  const .
At the same time, uc Z drops, which means that u c Z drops as well (to a lesser extent than uc Z
does, since, with  c* dropping, the last stage inlet temperature drops as well).
  
Thus, ca Z somewhat increases  ca Z  a Z  , the angle of attack at the last stage decreases
 u c Z  

and the last stage lightens.
But, due to a reduction in the airflow rate  Gair   I caI  FI  , caI drops as well, and it drops
more intensively than uc I does. That is why ca I is dropping the more intensively, the larger the
design value  c* is. The angle of attack at the first stage increases, and the stage gets a heavier
load.

 st*  st*  st*

First stage Middle stage Last stage

Fig. 11

With ncor increasing, it is quite opposite – the first stages lighten, while the last ones get heavier.
The qualitative impact of ncor on angle-of-attack distribution of stages can be shown on Fig. 12.

ð 3 _ 31  1
nnïcor

i
idesign р nncor
ïð 
11

nnïcor
ð 1 _11
1
nncor ï ðn1 cor _1
ï ð 2_ 2 n

I Z number of stage

Fig. 12. The impact of ncor on angle-of-attack distribution of compressor stages

With such a disagreement, the efficiency of the first and the last stages is reduced while the
middle stages operation mode remains close to the optimum one. The change in compressor
efficiency with changing ncor is explained by analyzing two kinds of loses in the blade rows –
wave-generation losses and vortex activity losses.
At a small dropping of ncor , wave losses become less important, while the disagreement isn’t
large as yet; it means that the operation modes of individual stages are close to the optimal ones
11
and vortex activity losses are absent altogether. Consequently, the compressor efficiency will
grow.
At a large drop of ncor , the compressor efficiency deteriorates due to the growing influence of
disagreement; the larger is  c d , the more it deteriorates. With the increasing ncor , the efficiency
*

deteriorates both due to disagreement and the growth of wave-generation losses.

c**кmax
max

** 2,5
< 2.5
cd
к.р
1,0
4 2
5 12
0,9
6

0,8
8

0,7
=12
*к.р
c d  12
*

0,6
0,5 0,6 0,7 0,8 0,9 1,0 ncor
1,1 n пр

of cmax
*   *
*  * *in
Рис. 5.13.Change
Изменение *  по n у нерегулируемых
Fig.13. к max к max c.d к.р ncor прwith uncontrolled
c max
компрессоров с различными значениями *к.р
compressors having different  c.d values
*

Disagreement of MAC stages at a change in throttle area and nпр  const

Let us consider the case where ncor  1 . Under the design mode, all the stages operate at
ca i  ca i opt .
A slight closing of throttle leads to a reduction in Gair , and, consequently, ca I as well.
According to the characteristics of the 1st stage, ca I    st* I  . It means that
pII  c  
   aI   . I.e., ca II will drop to a larger extent than ca I . With each subsequent
pI  caII  
stage, the change of airflow ratio ca will be larger than with the previous stage. ca undergoes
the most dramatic change at the last stage.
The nature of change in airflow ratios and the associated angles of attack by MAC stages can be
shown on Fig.14:

i Fäð 2 Fäð 1

Fäð 1 Fäð Ð

i р Fäð Fäð Ð

Fäð 3 Fäð Ð

I Z

Fig. 14. Airflow ratios variation depending on throttle area

12
13
5.4.2. Surging boundary of uncontrolled compressor

The afore-said peculiarities of the joint action of stages largely determine the shape and
the location of surging boundary of a multistage compressor.
Let us consider the features of the occurrence of a stall in an uncontrolled compressor at
high values of ncor close to design ones, i.e., at ncor  1. In that case, the disagreement of stages is
not large, and, under the optimum mode of compressor operation, the angles of attack on blade
rows in all the stages are also close to the respective design values. When reducing the airflow
rate, the angles of attack in the last stages of compressor will increase most sharply, and
therefore, in this case, the critical angles of attack will be achieved primarily in the last stages.
However, due to a small disagreement of stages, angles of attack in the rest of the stages will
also be close to critical ones. As it was mentioned above, the occurrence of a stall in any of the
last stages having large values of d is accompanied by the formation of a sizable stall area and
a sharp drop of pressure. Under the conditions of a small stall margin in the rest of the stages, the
choking effect exercised by the stall area on the flow in the adjacent blade rows and a decrease in
airflow rate caused by the pressure drop, lead to a very quick (in a few hundredths of a second)
stall propagation over the entire compressor.
The situation described above is normally observed within the range ncor  0.9 and
higher. With a significant decrease in corrected speed ( ncor  0.7...0.8 ), the stage disagreement
becomes essential; moreover, under the optimum compressor operation mode, the first stages
operate at elevated angles of attack, while the last ones – with decreased angles of attack as it
was mentioned above.
For that reason, at an airflow reduction, critical angles of attack are normally reached
faster in the first and the 2nd stage despite a quicker reduction of airflow ratios in the last stages, -
and this assertion will be the more significant, the smaller ncor is. However, at the first stages
whose blades are relatively long, stall areas are initially small in size; therefore, perturbations
provoked by them may be insufficient for provoking stall propagation over to the subsequent
stages whose angles of attack are far less than the critical ones. In that case, the occurred stall
areas initially cover, as a rule, only one or a few first stages, not deteriorating the overall steady
operation of the compressor. Only at a further reduction of airflow, stall areas gradually grow in
size and cover the ever larger number of stages until stall progression with angle of attack leads
to the total compressor stall.
At intermediate values of ncor (between the two cases considered) ,when critical angles of
attack are also reached initially at the first stages but angle-of-attack margins in the rest of the
stages are small, – the stall that has occurred in one of the first stages propagates over the entire
compressor at once. Therefore, within a certain range of corrected speed values lying below the
design value, the surging boundary of the compressor can be determined by a stall onset in the
first stages thereof.
Hence, three ranges of ncor may be highlighted on uncontrolled compressor map: within
each of t hose three ranges, stall onset and propagation has some peculiar features (Fig. 15).

14
  c*к*

80 90 100 nncor=110%
 110%
70 пр
 60%
nncor =60%
пр
I
*кc*
II

III
n =110%
cor  110%
100 nпр
90
80
70
nncor  60%
пр=60%
G
Gairв.пр
_ cor

Рис. 5.16.
Fig. 15.Граница
Surgingустойчивой
boundary ofработы
a multistage
многоступенчатого компрессора
compressor
In range I, surging boundary is determined by compressor stall in the last stages. In range II,
deterioration of flow stability within the compressor generally coincides with the stall onset in
one of the first of middle stages. Finally, at decreased ncor (range III), the stall occurs in the first
stages initially; but there is such an envelope section (the shaded area on Fig, 15) wherein,
despite the presence of a rotating stall in the first stages, the overall compressor operation is
steady.
According to the presence of the three above-stated ranges nпр , the surging boundary of
uncontrolled multistage compressor normally has a distinctive S-shape, which is all the more
pronounced the higher the design value  c* is.

5.5. Stalled and unsteady states of multistage compressor operation

Let us consider the process of deterioration of compressor stable operation more in detail.
As it was stated above, with ncor  0.8...0.85 a stall that had occurred in any blade row of the
compressor quickly propagates over all the stages and leads to a spontaneous jump-like drop in
the airflow rate and the pressure rate – as is shown on Fig. 16 (the curve nпр 1 ). On Fig. 17, a
typical oscillogram of such a loss in stability is shown.
 c*
Line 1 is pressure jump record right at the compressor
discharge, line 2 – first-stage intake pressure, and line 3
— pressure differential (pressure drop) in check suction
header (Fig. 1) which is meant for measuring airflow
rate, i.e. рin . Moreover, line 4 on the oscillogram
shows the change in inlet throat section of throttle
installed at the compressor discharge. ncor1
As is seen from Fig. 17, when throttle section ncor 2
area reduces to the instant marked by line АА on the
Gair cor
oscillogram, p3 , p2 and рin are subject to small-
Fig.16. Normal (1) and stall (2) branches of
amplitude oscillations only. As long as the throttle is speed curves on compressor map.
being slightly closed, the airflow through the compressor
is reduced, and a stall occurs at the moment А. At that,
p3 and the airflow rate drop sharply, while, on the
contrary, p2 (compressor inlet static pressure) grows due to a sharp drop in the flow rate and a
discharge of part of compressed air through the stall areas. Normally, this discharge is externally
accompanied with a strong sound effect (“pop”).
15
 Fig. 17. Multistage compressor stall oscillogram

The process is finished when a rotating stall is formed, whose presence is manifested (Fig. 17) in
the form of periodical pulsations of p3 and p2 of a relatively high frequency (from a few dozens
to hundreds of Hz). The initial expulsion of air to compressor inlet is accompanied by short-term
fluctuations of the airflow rate, which last only about 0,15 sec. in this case and then fade away.
The average values of p3 and p2 onto which the stall-invoked pulsations are superimposed, are
not staggered to a pronounced extent. Therefore, the compressor in this case operates steadily
after the transition to stall branch of the map takes place; at the same time, however, it operates
at substantially decreased pressure ratio, airflow rate, and efficiency values.
The stability deterioration process may be of a similar nature if the corrected reduced
speed values are low - with the only difference being that some pressure fluctuations caused by a
rotating stall in the first compressor stages may be observed within the stable state area on the
oscillogram. Moreover, it should be borne in mind that, as ncor is dropping, the “pop” becomes
ever weaker.
In practice, such a loss in stability is often called “compressor stall” or “surge stall” (it should
not be identified with the flow separation phenomenon in individual blade rows). As a result of
dropping *к the engine thrust drops sharply (actually to zero). At that, some hysteresis similar to
the one occurring with short-blade stages, can be observed in the compressor map, and, to
withdraw the compressor from the stalled state, the system resistance should be made much
weaker than the one that existed at the moment of stall onset.

In operation, some other form of unsteady compressor work may be observed, which is
characterized by the term “surge”. It differs from the above-described form by the occurrence of
strong, low-frequency pressure and airflow rate oscillations (surge) within the entire gas path
wherein the compressor operates.
A surge oscillogram obtained for the same compressor that related to the oscillogram on Fig.17,
is shown on Fig. 18. The digits on lines have the former values. One can see that, in this case,
about the same jump-like drop of p3 and airflow is observed as that shown on Fig. 17.
However, high values of p3 and pin , close to those that took place before the loss of stability,
regain already in 0.2 sec. Subsequently, the entire process is repeated again and again, i.e.,
periodic air pressure and flow rate fluctuations having large amplitude and comparatively small

16
 Fig. 18. Surge oscillogram for a multistage compressor

frequency occur in the compressor. The study shows that the frequency depends on the air
volume (mass) contained in the compressor and in the pipes (engine gas path components)
attached thereto. Normally, the frequency is a few Hz and its dependence on compressor rotor
speed is comparatively small. Externally, the occurrence of a surge manifests itself as great noise
and engine vibration accompanied by thrust decay. Moreover, both a stall and a surge imply a
sharp increase in gas temperature within the turbine, and the danger of turbine overheating
arises. Finally, a rotating stall may provoke hazardous blade vibrations. Therefore, any long-term
operation of the engine under these conditions is unacceptable.
Studies show that the primary cause of a surge and a stall is the occurrence and propagation
of compressor blade stall. Therefore, the main way to deal with an unstable operation of a
compressor in a variety of operating conditions is to reduce the angle of attack in those stages or
in that part of the blade where the angles are too close to the critical ones (see below).

5.6. Compressor operation mode and compressor stall margin in GTE system

When plotting a compressor map on a test stand, almost all possible compression operation
modes can be obtained. When compressor operates within a GTE system of any type, only part
of these possible modes is implemented, occupying a
certain area within the field of compressor  c**кc* вt
characteristics – operating envelope. The
values of  c* and Gair cor , corresponding to a specific
operation mode are depicted on the compressor map р0
sг
by operating point. In GTE theory, there are very раб
oper.
important operating points corresponding to steady-
state modes of operation – i.e., to time-constant speed н nn пр.рn n пр.в
b cor cor .t
and fuel supply values and other parameters and nnпр.н
cor .b
factors which can have effect on engine components
operation. GGairв.пр
_ cor
Рис. 5.20. Рабочая линия на характеристике
Fig. 19. Operating line on GTE compressor map
компрессора ТРД
For most of GTE engine configurations, only one operating point corresponds to each
corrected speed value under steady-state operation mode. By connecting such operating points
17
related to various values, we get operating line (performance envelope). Thus, operating line is
the aggregate of all steady modes of compressor operation within a specific GTE system.
The form and the location of operating line within the field of compressor map depend on
compressor design parameters, engine type, and the compressor control conditions (“law”). The
methods for plotting operating line will be considered below. As an example, Fig. 19 shows a
typical position of operating line on a map of uncontrolled compressor (with a high designed
compression ratio) operating within GTE system.
As can be seen, the operating line in this case crosses the surging boundary of the compressor at
two points: b and t. The first of them lies within the range of ncor values which are lesser than
the design value; therefore, the loss of stability of compressor operation, corresponding to the
first point, is called “the lower stall”. The unsteady operation of compressor within the engine
system, corresponding to point t, is called “the upper stall”. (Specific forms of loss of stability
are not defined by these terms). The lower stall is normally absent with the compressors
characterized by small design values  c* .
The operating point-to-surging boundary distance is a margin available in a specific operating
point (at a given value of ncor ) relative to possible shift of its position or the position of stability
boundary at which the steady operation of the compressor will not be broken as yet. The
quantitative estimation of the margin is normally carried out as follows.
If  c* oper and Gair _ cor _ oper are, accordingly, pressure ratio and corrected airflow at operating point,
while  c* s and Gair _ cor _ s is the same at stability boundary, with the same value of ncor , then,
the relation

 c* s Gair _ cor _ s
Ку  (5.8)
 c* oper Gair _ cor _ oper
is called stability factor of the compressor, while the value
К у  К у  1 100 % , (5.9)
(determined in per cent) is called compressor stall margin.

At the design value of corrected speed, the compressor stall margin in aircraft-mounted
GTE normally is not less than 15 …20%.

5.7. Objectives and methods for GTE compressor control

It was shown above that, at ncor  1 , the operation modes of the first stages are moving to the left
region of their maps, approaching the stall boundary, and, with the latter stages - to the right
regions with negative angles of attack. This has an adverse effect both on compressor efficiency
and its stall margin. If degradation of these parameters at ncor  1 can be limited simply by
limiting maximum permissible ncor values in operation, then the range space ncor  1 covers a
wide range of operation modes, starting with engine start mode. Therefore, if, for example, the
operating line at a certain ncor value reaches the point of the upper stall (see Fig. 19), - the
operation of an engine equipped with such a compressor proves impossible. For that reason, to
mitigate any disagreement between multistage compressor stages under off-design modes,
various methods for compressor control are widely used to solve the main tasks as follows:
- Increasing compressor stall margins within the region ncor  1 to ensure a stable operation
thereof under all operation conditions;
- Upgrading compressor efficiency under off-design modes at ncor  1 ;
- Abatement of in-blade vibratory stress level occurring at elevated angles of attack.

18
 The main methods for compressor control are:
-air bleed from compressor gas pass into the atmosphere, into the bypass duct of engine or to
any other low-pressure space;
- slot-type (ring-type) blow-off;
- turning inlet guide vanes or moving blades;
-re-proportioning (under off-design modes) between speeds of different stages at the expense
of the compressor division into spools (stage groups).
Now, let us consider the nature of each of those methods and some features thereof.

Compressor blow-off. Structurally, compressor blow-off is one of the simplest methods for
compressor control. As is seen from Fig.21, GTE
stable operation with uncontrolled compressor is
provided only at ncor  ncor .b . Under steady modes,
at lower values of ncor , the air (gas) flow rate
through the turbine located at compressor
discharge is less than the one on surging boundary
of the compressor.
Fig. 20. Axial compressor diagram with air bleed valve
Consequently, steady operation of engine
within that region can be provided through bypassing a part of air from the engine gas path
(behind the stages operating at elevated angles of attack in blade rows) via the turbine into a
special valve (the bleed valve, Fig. 20) controlled by the automatic engine control system. In this
case, any opening of the valve or air bleed tape at low values of corrected speed leads to an
increase in airflow rate through the first stages only. As a result, axial airspeeds in those stages
increase, while angles of attack are reduced and approach the design ones; this not only ensures
non-stalled operation of those stages (and the whole compressor, too) but results in the
improvement of their efficiency and has a favorable effect on vibratory stress level on the blades.
At the same time, the additional work expended on K у
compression of air blown off through the bypass system,
makes it necessary to enlarge the engine fuel supply in
order to maintain constant GTE rotor speed and, 2
accordingly – leads to gas temperature rise at the turbine m
inlet, - which entails a cutback of the airflow rate through 1
the last stages of the compressor. As a result, the axial
airflow speeds drop in these stages, while the angles of
nn пр.п nncor
пр
attack increase, approaching the design ones, which leads cor open

to a pressure rise and improves the efficiency of the lasts Рис. Fig.521.
.22.Changing
Измен ение запасаstall
compressor устойчивости
margin ∆Ку
stages. Thus, opening the bleed valve at low values of ncor  К у по to
according n пр
n corв in
ТРД: 1 - бе1з –перепуска;
a turbojet: without a
leads to increasing the compressor stall margin, to bypass; 2 - с открыты м клапаном
2 – with opened перепуска
bleed valve
increasing  c* and improving the efficiency of its first and
last stages.
However, it should be emphasized that the positive bypass effect is observed only at a
low value ncor of the compressor. At high ncor values, compressor stall occurs primarily in the
last stages. For that reason, any opening of the bypass valve in this case would lead to an earlier
stall due to an increase in angles of attack in the last stages, caused thereby – i.e., it would lead
to a decrease in the compressor stall margin instead of an increase.
Fig. 21 shows an approximate nature of changing the compressor stall margin with a large  c* oper
value, operating within a turbojet system with the opened and the closed bypass valve. In terms
of the provision of maximum stall margin, it is necessary to open air bleed windows as soon as
the corrected speed becomes lesser than in point m. However, wasteful power loss in process of
bleed air compression leads to deterioration of engine economy when compressor blow-off is
activated. For that reason, the ncor value at which bypass doors are opened in practice is normally

19
located left-hand from point m and corresponds to the minimum allowed stall margin or the
maximum allowed vibratory stress in blades when the engine operates without a bypass.
In some cases, a few rows of bypass doors are used instead of one; they are located in different
compressor sections (different stages) and opened sequentially when ncor is dropping.
Slot-type bypass. The stall on the first-stage blades on stability boundary at ncor  1 normally
takes place, first and foremost, in the peripheral part of moving blades where the growth of
angles of attack is the greatest. To expand the operation stability range of the first stage and the
entire compressor (spool) accordingly, special devices mounted above the rotor are applied on a
number of aircraft GTE.

а) b) б)
Рис . 5.23.
Fig.Д22.
ве схем
Two ы орган изации
diagrams кольцеbypass
for circular вого перепуска
patterns: :a)а)with
- с кольцев
annularой щел
slot; b)ью;
withб)perforation
- с перф орацией

These devices are made in the form of an annular cavity, which is located above the first-
stage wheel (somewhat in front thereof) and is connected with the gas pass of the compressor
through slots or openings. Two possible alternatives of their implementation are shown on Fig.
22. At the same time, slots or openings are oriented so as to ensure a possibility of the
occurrence of annular airflow similar to the one depicted on Fig. 22a.
The operation concept of such devices is as follows. At small angles of attack, air pressure rise in
inter-blade channels of the wheel takes place mainly in the rear (with respect to incoming
airflow) part thereof, i.e., closer to following edges of the blades. Since the angular cavity and.
respectively, the slots are shifted a little forward in relation to the wheel (Fig.22), - there is
actually total lack of pressure rise at these slots location, and no essential airflows within the
angular region is observed. But with the increasing angle of attack, air pressure starts rising is
increasingly in the front part of inter-blade channel, and, with a significant increase of angle of
attack, there occurs an intense circulation flow through the angular cavity and the peripheral
portion of the wheel - similar to the one depicted in Fig. 22. As a result, the open flow area for
the main airflow through the wheel decreases, axial velocities increase, and the angles of attack
are reduced. There may be some elements within the slot-type bypass channels that produce a
spin of output air leaving the slot (in a circulation flow) to the direction of wheel rotation; this
gives one an additional reduction of angles in the peripheral part of the wheel blades.
Moreover, with the occurrence of periodical oscillations of radial velocity components,
typical to the flows with rotating stall areas, the availability of slots or perforation leads to
dissipation of flow pulsation energy and thereby retards the development of rotating stall.

Turning the blades of inlet guide vane or moving blades of stages

The desired change of angles of attack in various blade rows of compressor may be achieved by
changing rotor or stator blade angles correspondingly (i.e., turning the blades) when the engine
mode of operation changes.

20
 A turn of stator blades (i.e. the inlet guide vanes) allows one to change angles of attack on
various compressor stages in the direction desired. The way how angles of attack may be
affected by a turn of IGV blades is readily
illustrated on Fig. 23. At low values of
corrected speed, the first stage operates
exactly how it was shown above, with a а)
lower airflow ratio с а and with elevated
angles of attack. The velocity triangle

corresponding to the case is illustrated on в)
b)
Fig. 23 by solid graphs. On the c1 w 1

same figure, configurations of IGV blades c1 w1

set at home (design) position are shown by u w u
б) c) wu
solid graphs. If we turn those blades (by
changing their blade angle ) for angle   РКWork
I Wheel
 into the position shown by dotted graph, -
the velocity triangle is distorted due to
changing the direction of velocity vector с1
(see dotted graph on Fig. 23) and the angle Fig. 23. Compressor control by turning IGV blades: а) IGV;
Рис. 5.24. Регулирование компрессора поворотом лопаток ВНА:
of attack (at the unchangeable value of the b) byа)changing- ВНА; б) velocity triangles;
- изменение c) IGV with
треугольников blades of
скоростей;
rate-based airflow velocity component) will variable curvature
в) - ВНА с лопатками переменной кривизны
drop.
Turning stator blades with the view of changing the setting angle (i.e. reducing 1) and
intensifying the pre-swirl of air at the wheel input (in the direction of the wheel rotation) is
normally called the turn “for choking”, with the
*ст
negative sign being normally assigned thereto. As is
seen, at such a direction of IGV blades turn, it is
possible to maintain the designed (basic) angle of attack
on the wheel blades at a low airflow rate с а , too, - 30 о +30 о
thereby precluding from a stall onset and the first stage 0
efficiency drop at ncor  1 . At the same time, angle 2 in H*
the velocity triangle of the stage does not actually
change and, accordingly, air pre-swirl wu will +30 о
decrease simultaneously with the reduction of с а (as is 0
о
seen on Fig. 23), and the work expended on the rotation = 30
of the stage wheel, as well as the pressure developed
thereby, will be ultimately reduced, too. As a result, the са
entire map of the compressor stage shifts when IGV Рис.Fig.24. 5.25. Влияние
The effectповорота лопаток
from IGV blades turnВНА
on the
на характеристику 1st stage
первой
map ступени
blades are choked to provide for lesser airflow rates and
pressures, as is shown on Fig. 24. (In this case, some decay of the maximum efficiency of the
stage is connected with the fact that the wheel and the GV operation modes somewhat “fall out
of step” when IGV is turned.
However, a turn of IGV blades substantially improves the flow conditions of the first-
stage wheel only. That is why the total efficiency of such a control step is relatively small.
Moreover, as is seen from Fig. 23, the flow conditions of IGV blades proper deteriorate when
being choked (angles of attack elevate sharply at IGV input). A somewhat more efficient way in
this respect is using IGV with blades of variable curvature. An alternative of their design is
shown schematically on
Fig. 23 b.

21
 Turning the blades of several sequentially located GV is much more efficient. It terms of basic
physics, such a control step is similar to the one made by IGV turn (see Fig. 23). However, this is
accompanied by increasing number of wheels where the blades may have angles of attack
directly and substantially reduced as a result of the turn of the upstream guide vanes. Moreover,
as is seen from the analysis of velocity  *кc*
triangles, a turn of the guide vane blades,
apart from the reduction of angles of attack
on the moving blades, leads simultaneously
to a reduction of angles of attack (i.e., to
РЛ
OL
improvement of flow conditions) within the
variable guide vanes, too (except for IGV).
Therefore, if, for example, we exercise nn пр=1,0
 1.0
cor
compressor control by turning GV in the first 0,9
stage and a few of the next subsequent stages
0,8
(which is called GV turn in the group of first
stages), the compressor stall margin at low nn пр=0,7
 0.7
cor
ncor values increases so that the necessity of
q( в )
applying air bypass in parallel is often
eliminated (except for some triggering and Рис.
Fig.5.26.25. The Влияние
effect of повороте
GV blades лопаток
turn in 1st НА stage
ground idle modes). At that, the compressor в группе group on первых ступеней
compressor map and на характеристику
the operating line
компрессора и положение position рабочей кривой
efficiency at ncor  1 may be raised
essentially. An approximate change in the position of compressor surging boundary and the
operating line on a turbojet compressor map, typical to such an adjustment, is shown on Fig. 25.
With the practical application of compressor control through turning GV blades in the first stages
group, one should keep in view two circumstances.
1) Turning angles of GV blades in different stages should be different. The lesser is ncor and the
farther is the given stage from the middle of the compressor, the farther its operation mode
deviates from the optimum mode.
For that reason, the GV blades turning angle should be larger. The IGV should have the
largest negative turning angles at ncor  1 .
Normally, all the moving blades of one stage group are controlled jointly by one mechanism,
and the difference in their turning angles is achieved by selecting the proper arms of the levers
of that mechanism.
2) As it was shown on Fig. 23, a “closing” turn of IGV decreases the work expended on wheel
stage rotation and, accordingly,
reduces the pressure developed - -
thereby. A simultaneous closing of
IGV and a few GV within the first-
stages group even more reduces the 1
1
pressure (pressure ratio) in those
2 2
stages; at the same time, the pressure 3 3
ratio and the airflow rate of the
compressor as a whole are reduced, 0 0
too (see Fig. 25). This has a positive nпр2
ncor 1,0 n nncorпр2 nncorпр1 1,0 n
ncorпр
2 ncorпр 2 1

effect on the power required for + +

compressor idling (rotation) under а) b)б)
engine start modes; it also have a
positive effect on the compressor’s Рис. 5.27.
Fig. 26. Типичнве
Typical программы
programs регулирования
for GTE compressor controlкомперссора
by turning GV
поворотом лопаток НА в группе первых ступеней:
blades in first-stage group for: a) subsonic aircrafts, b) supersonic
ability of changing operation mode
а) - в ГТД для дозвуковых ЛА; б) - в ГТД для сверхзвуковых ЛА
aircrafts
quickly. For that reason, with regard
to engines installed on subsonic aircrafts, their GV blades in the first stages group normally
start closing as soon as ncor becomes less than unity, as is shown on Fig. 26a.

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However, at supersonic (Mach plus) speeds, ncor may noticeably decrease not only when
compressor speed is lowered but at the expense of a substantial increase of total temperature of
airflow at the engine inlet. In this case, reduction of  c* and decreasing airflow rate by closing
GV blades would lead to a significant de-rating (thrust reduction) of engine. For that reason, on
supersonic aircraft-mounted engines, GV closing in the first-stages group normally starts only
after the corrected speed has noticeable dropped as against the designed one (i.e. at
ncor  ncor1  1), as is shown on Fig. 26b.

Fig.27. The approximate program for compressor control by turning GV blades turn in the first and the
last stage group.

On some engines designed for supersonic flight speeds (as for instance, turbojet AL-21F-3
installed on aircraft Su-24), a simultaneous position control of guide vanes is applied both in the
first stages and the last stages group. As noted above, with a reduction of ncor , angles of attack
on the wheel blades and GV blades are considerably reduced in the last stages. Therefore, if we
make an “opening” turn of GV blades of those stages, i.e., if we turn them in the direction
opposite to the turn of the first-group GV – the angles of attack on the wheel and GV blades in
the last stages will increase and
approach the designed ones, which entails an increase in  c* and airflow rate, i.e., eventually
results in the engine thrust growth. At the same time, the closer is the stage to the exit area, the
more is the need to turn its GV blades with a decrease of ncor . Fig. 27 shows one of the possible
alternatives of GV blades position control program in the first-stage and the last-stage group of
such a compressor. With a decrease in designed speed as against the design blades, the GV in the
first group turn for “closing” (   0) and those in the last group – for "opening" (   0). But, if
the corrected speed becomes smaller than a certain ncor 1 value which corresponds to minimum
possible value of ncor under supersonic flight conditions at augmented rating, the moving blades
in the last stages group get back to estimated position. This is done to use the above-stated
possibilities for engine start alleviation at ncor  ncor 1 and accelerate the transition to
enhancing modes when closing GV in the group of the first stages only.
The GV position control both in the first and the last stages is structurally a more complicated
task than GV turning in the group of the first stages only, and results in a more expensive
compressor. That is why such a control is rarely applied.
The turn of moving blades may also serve as a means of approximation of the angles of attack
at off-design conditions to their calculated (design) values. But, structurally, it is a far more
complicated problem, and it is of limited application in single-stage fans of some bypass engine
types only.

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Compressor division into spools (stage groups) and the spool rate speed ratios

As was already mentioned, a compressor spool is a group of stages mounted on a common shaft
and driven by a separate turbine. The idea of dividing a compressor into tandem-like spools to
improve the operation of its stages under off-design modes is that a compressor with a high
design value of  c* is divided into stage groups with a significantly lower value of  c* op and,
accordingly, with a lower possible disagreement of stages within the limits of each stage.

1
2

Fig. 28. Рис. 5.29.ofСхема

Scheme двухвального
a twin-spool turboТРД: 1 - КНД;1–2 -LPC,
jet engine: КВД 2 – HPC

As regards disagreement of stages located in different spools, it can be reduced by changing the
spool speeds ratio either in a natural way or forcefully, with a change in the overall pressure
ratio. There may be up to three spools in modern GTE compressors.
An example of using this idea can be a twin-shaft turbojet engine whose diagram is shown on
Fig. 28. Here, the first group of stages forms the so-called low-pressure compressor (spool)
(LPC) while the second group forms high-pressure compressor (spool) (HPC). The two
compressors are mounted on co-axial shafts, and each of them is driven by a turbine of its own.
Under the design mode, all the compressor stages operate in coordination (although LPC and
HPC speed values may somewhat differ).
In a compressor not divided into spools, reduction of
the corrected speed makes angles of attack in the first s
stages increase, which, in turn, leads to an increase of nn
aerodynamic loads on the blades — the stages “get s  Hв
s=
nnL н
heavier”. On the contrary, in the last stages (corresponding
to HPC), angles of attack decrease and the stages
“lighten”. In other words, the distribution of blade rotation
work between stages is changing upwards to increase the
share of work falling on the first stages. In a single-spool
compressor, this redistribution occurs due to changes in
efforts (stresses) in the elements that transmit torque from
the turbine to moving rows of working blades of different nnL.corн.пр
stages. But LPC and HPC are not mechanically connected Рис. Fig.5.30. Изменение
29. Change скольжения
in rotor slip in a twin-shaft
with each other on the diagram considered, while the роторовturbojet в двухвальном
at changing ТРДnL.corпри
distribution of work betweens stages changes little. изменении n н.пр
Therefore, with “a higher-load” LPC, speed nL drops,
while with a “lightened” HPC speed nH increases as against an uncontrolled compressor
(undivided into spools) under similar conditions.
As a result, the so-called rotor slip s  nH nL will increase with a drop in nL.cor , as is
shown on Fig. 28.
At the same time, the airflow rate varies only slightly as against an uncontrolled compressor,
since speed decrease in LPC speed and its increase in HPC have a conflicting effect on airflow
rate. But the decrease of nL at a constant air flow means a decrease in the angles of attack in LPC
stages, while the increase of nH means a corresponding increase in the angles of attack in the last

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stages of a two-spool compressor. Thus, a self regulation effect is observed in the considered
turbojet with a two-spool compressor; as a result, the disagreement of stages thereof is abated
substantially, which essentially improves the compressor efficiency and increases its stall margin
(as against uncontrolled compressor) and allows one to do without any additional means of
control. In conclusion, we note that the choice of a method for controlling GTE compressor
depends on many factors, among which, the design pressure ratio, the basic configuration of
engine, and its purpose arte of paramount importance. At the same time, combinations of
different control methods may be used.

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