Computational fluid dynamic model of steam ingestion into a transonic compressor

Abstract

The U.S. Navy's concern with steam-induced jet engine stall has become more pertinent with the introduction of the F-35C. During take offs on aircraft carriers, steam from aging catapult systems can potentially seep onto the flight deck. When ingested into jet engines, this steam may increase the engines' susceptibility to stall. The serpentine air inlet ducts and single engine of the F-35C could make it especially vulnerable to this steam-induced stall during takeoff. To better understand and predict steam-induced stall, this study created a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of steam-induced stall on a single blade passage of a compressor rotor. A single blade passage of the transonic Sanger rotor was generated using computer modeling software. This model was then used in the ANSYS CFX computational fluid dynamics program to simulate steady-state and steam ingestion operations at 95% and 100% rotor design speeds. These CFD simulations generated compressor maps and throttle and steam-induced stall points. The CFD results were then compared to results from throttle-induced stall and steam-induced stall experiments conducted on the Sanger rotor in the transonic compressor rig. This study verified that CFD can estimate steam-induced stall operating margin reduction.