Aerodynamic Performance Analysis on Blade Snubber with Bionic Structure

The utilization of a part-span connector (PSC) has the potential to enhance the blade frequency, but with the penalty of aerodynamic performance. In this study, we numerically investigate the aerodynamic performance of two types of bionic structure snubbers: (1) Harbor seal whisker (HSW) and (2) Atropus’s body shape (ABS). The investigation is conducted by solving the three-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and utilizing the SST turbulent model. In this study, the performance impact of classical snubbers on a cascade blade has been examined by modeling it with and without an ellipse-shaped snubber. The vortex induced by the snubber predominantly manifests on the suction side and can be categorized into three primary vortices: upper, lower, and tail. The upper and lower vortices serve as the primary contributors to loss. Compared to the conventional ellipse snubber, the ABS snubber exhibits a reduction in the total pressure loss coefficient by 0.11% and an increase in the mass flow rate by 0.41%. On the contrary, the implementation of the HSW snubber has the potential to mitigate parameter fluctuations. However, it is important to note that this comes at the cost of a 0.10% increase in the total pressure loss coefficient and a 0.20% decrease in mass flow rate. This article further examines the factors contributing to these disparities.