Course Project Report

ME 285: TURBOMACHINE THEORY

Objective:

Simulation of potential flow in cascades is done using panel method in MATLAB.The

present method uses a combination of conformal mapping and vortex panel method to
achieve the result.

The method of source panels:

In the panel method the airfoil is discretized into panels with linearly
varying vorticity.The no-penetration and Kutta condition at the trailing edge provide a
complete set of linear equations to solve for the vorticity distribution around the airfoil.

Methodology:

a) We have given airfoil data points and plotted airfoil in MATLAB. Numbering of
data points is from trailing edge in clockwise direction.
b) With uniform flow over airfoil we solved for CL,Cp over airfoil.
c) Found panel lengths, control points, angle made by each panel to horizontal.
d) Obtained matrix [an]. Kutta condition is implicitly specified in [an] matrix.{ [an]
is (m+1)*(m+1) matrix}.
e) Gamma’s of each panels are obtained from
{Gamma} = inv [an] * Rhs.
Rhs is a column matrix of normal velocity components of panels.
f) After obtaining {gamma}, we found tangential components of velocity over each
panel and got total tangential velocity.
Total tangential velocity is sum of tangential velocity over panels and
tangential velocity component of uniform flow.
g) Plotted variation of Cp over airfoil for angle of attack ranging from 0 to 30 degrees.
Plotted CL.

Conformal mapping:
A series of airfoils with a vertical spacing of “h” between airfoils.

Conformal transformation
z2 = tanh (pi*z1/h)
where h is the spacing between blades in the linear-cascade in z1-plane.

Once this transformation is applied, all the blades in the

Periodic linear cascade system is transformed into a single contour.
Panel method in Z2 plane:

a) Now the transformed airfoil data points are taken and plotted.
b) The uniform flow is replaced by source, source vortex, sink and sink vortex.
With boundary conditions of
U α (-∞, 0) = source of strength “q” and source vortex (Γsource) at (-1, 0) in Z2
plane.
U α (∞, 0) = sink of strength “q” and sink vortex (Γsink)
At (1, 0) in Z2 plane.

c) Found panel lengths, control points, angle made by each panel to horizontal.

d) Obtained matrix [an]. Kutta condition is implicitly specified in [an] matrix.{ [an] is
(m+2)*(m+2) matrix}.
Gamma’s of each panel are obtained from
{Gamma} = inv [an] * Rhs.
Rhs is a column matrix of normal velocity components due to
i) Source of strength “q”
ii) Source vortex (Γsource) and
iii) Sink of strength “q” over panels.

e) In the usual panel methods, the number of unknowns in the form of vortex strengths
is equal to one more than the number of panels (m).
f) In our problem, the vorticity at the sink is an additional unknown.
Therefore there are m+ 2 unknowns and require the same number of
equations.
The no-penetration condition at the control points on the panels and the Kutta
condition at the trailing edge yield m+1 equations.

g) The (m + 2)th equation is given by the relation between

the sink, source and the circulation around the airfoil.

It is provided due to the condition that change in vertical velocity

component (in z1-plane) is due to the total circulation around a given blade.
{ Γsource = h V1 sin α 1 }
The (m+2)th equation is:
Γ airfoil – Γ sink = Γsource.
h) After obtaining {gamma},
we found tangential components of velocity over each panel.

V tangential =[at] * {gamma}.

and got total tangential velocity.

Total tangential velocity = [at]*{gamma} +tangential Velocities (q source + q sink + Γ source).

i) The velocities obtained in Z2 plane are transformed in to Z1 plane by the
transformation:

(u-iv)1 =dω/dz1
= dω/dz2 X dz2/dz1
= (u-iv)2 X sech2 (z1π/h) X π/h

j) Once the velocity field is found using this method, the fluid
Forces such as the lift, normal force and pitching moment
may be easily calculated.

Results: