Abstract
De-swirl nozzles are sometimes used in turbomachinery to reduce the pressure drop when air is drawn radially inwards through a rotating cavity. However, this can lead to non-unique steady state solutions with operating conditions achieved depending on how the steady point is approached. In the present study, a transient, 1D model of flow in a rotating cavity has been created. The model allows the vortex profile to change with through flow rate, and links this to estimates of disk windage, tangential velocity and, consequently, the vortex pressure gradient. The model was applied to the simulation of de-swirl nozzle fed, rotating cavities with radial inflow. The steady vortex flow characteristics (non-dimensional flow versus pressure ratio) predicted by the model were validated for 2 distinct cases. For a smooth rectangular cavity the flow characteristic was predicted using the model's default parameters. For an engine-representative case with nonaxisymmetric geometric features, the flow characteristic of the cavity was reproduced with some alignment of the model. The transient model reproduced experimentally observed hysteresis, discontinuity in operating characteristics, and regions where no steady-state solution could be found. A transient model is required as a steady state model would choose one of the possible solutions without physical justification. In the case of the engine-representative rig, part of the flow characteristic could not be obtained in testing. This is determined to be due to the interaction of the negative resistance region of the vortex and the flow modulating valve characteristic. Measures that allow the full capture of the flow characteristic in rig testing are identified. Copyright © 2012 by ASME.