Computational Fluid Dynamics Study of Wake-Induced Transition on a Compressor-Like Flat Plate

Recent experimental work has documented the importance of wake passing on the behavior of transitional boundary layers on the suction surface of axial compressor blades. This paper documents computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using a commercially available general-purpose CFD solver, performed on a representative case with unsteady transitional behavior. The study implements an advanced version of a three-equation eddy-viscosity model previously developed and documented by the authors, which is capable of resolving boundary layer transition. It is applied to the test cases of steady and unsteady boundary layer transition on a two-dimensional flat plate geometry with a freestream velocity distribution representative of the suction side of a compressor airfoil. The CFD results are analyzed and compared to a similar experimental test case from the open literature. Results with the model show a dramatic improvement over more typical Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS)-based modeling approaches, and highlight the importance of resolving transition in both steady and unsteady compressor aerosimulations.