Analysis of fan stage conceptual design attributes for boundary layer ingestion

This paper describes a new conceptual framework for three-dimensional turbomachinery flow analysis and its use to assess fan stage attributes for mitigating adverse effects of inlet distortion due to boundary layer ingestion (BLI). A nonaxisymmetric throughflow analysis has been developed to define fan flow with inlet distortion. The turbomachinery is modeled using momentum and energy source distributions that are determined as a function of local flow conditions and specified blade camber surface geometry. Comparison with higher-fidelity computational and experimental results shows the analysis captures the principal flow redistribution and distortion transfer effects associated with BLI. Distortion response is assessed for a range of (i) design flow and stagnation enthalpy rise coefficients, (ii) rotor spanwise work profiles, (iii) rotor-stator spacings, and (iv) nonaxisymmetric stator geometries. Of the approaches examined, nonaxisymmetric stator geometry and increased stage flow and stagnation enthalpy rise coefficients provide the greatest reductions in rotor flow nonuniformity, and may offer the most potential for mitigating performance loss due to BLI inlet distortion.