Fouling Characteristics and Flow Mechanisms in a Transonic Compressor: Insights Using a Coupled Euler–Lagrange Method

Abstract Particle deposition poses a significant challenge in transonic compressors, particularly in environments characterized by high concentrations of airborne particles. Conventional particle tracking techniques primarily focus on the analysis of particle-induced fouling. However, these methods exhibit inherent limitations in accurately capturing the dynamics of particle interactions with secondary flow structures. To overcome this issue, this study employs a fully coupled Euler–Lagrange approach for a single rotor blade. This study analyzes the interaction between particles and secondary flows, along with their effects on compressor efficiency and losses, to assess the applicability of this method within compressors. The results demonstrate that as the particle diameter increases from 1 μm to 9 μm, particles enhance the interaction between the leakage tip vortex (LTV) and the induced vortex (IV), resulting in vortex fragmentation and the formation of detached vortices. This leads to a shift in the shockwave position, increasing blockage at the blade tip and exacerbating losses, which culminates in a maximum decrease of 2.59% in compressor efficiency. As the particle concentration increases from 0.1 ppm to 1 ppm, the interaction between particles and the LTV and IV weakens the strength of these vortices, while the shockwave position remains almost constant. However, the low-speed region behind the shock expands, resulting in a 2.33% decrease in compressor efficiency. Furthermore, increases in particle diameter and concentration lead to an 830% and 7% rise in the blade adhesion rate, respectively, highlighting that particle size is the primary factor contributing to deposition.