Mass Flow Measurement in the Inlet of a Transonic Axial Compressor
Abstract
This study sought to determine the discharge coefficient of the inlet bell mouth of a transonic compressor rig both experimentally and through computational fluid dynamics. The new inlet bell mouth was integrated into the test rig to provide more favorable flow conditions for more accurate measurement of the mass flow rate entering the rig. A computational fluid dynamics analysis was conducted using a 3-D model of the inlet of the test rig to obtain a preliminary prediction of the flow profile in the bell mouth. This analysis drove the design of a rake probe of pitot tubes that was mounted in the exit plane of the bell mouth to measure the actual flow profile. This allowed for the calculation of the actual mass flow rate, which could then be compared to the ideal mass flow rate to produce a discharge coefficient. This discharge coefficient can be used in future testing as a method of calculating the actual mass flow rate from only the measured ideal mass flow rate.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1150977
Entities
People
- Travis M. Grant
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School