Effects of boundary layer suction on the performance of compressor cascade with different solidities

The effects of suction flow rate and axial position on the performance of aspirated compressor cascade with large turning angles under different solidities was studied numerically. The result showed that boundary layer suction (BLS) alleviates the accumulation of low energy fluid at suction surface corners and enhances the ability of flow turning. As the cascade solidity increases, the cascade total pressure loss is reduced by 32.9%, 27.7% and 25.1% respectively, and the cascade exit flow angle is increased by 5.0°, 4.2° and 3.1° accordingly, which means that BLS takes the largest effect in the cascade with smaller solidity. The determination of design parameters of boundary layer suction depends on the pressure rise recovery and improvement of 3D flow separation caused by the application of BLS. BLS can be used in highly loaded and ultra-low solidity compressor due to the fact that the compressor cascade with BLS can endure higher adverse pressure gradient.